after a grueling 44-year wait, the family of Guatemalan poet, writer, journalist, and activist Alaide Foppa Falla finaly received a long-overdue apology from the Guatemalan state. On December 3rd, President Bernardo Arévalo led the ceremony at the National palace of Culture, acknowledging the state’s obligation in Foppa’s disappearance.
The event was attended by prominent figures, including nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchú and Foppa’s son, Julio Solórzano. They remembered the journalist who vanished along with pilot Leocadio Ajtún Chiroy on December 19, 1980, near Guatemala City’s Placita quemada market.
evidence points to members of the Guatemalan state as being responsible for the disappearance. In 2012, the Group of Mutual Assistance (GAM) filed a complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on behalf of Foppa’s sons, seeking a friendly solution. This public apology was one of the outcomes of those negotiations.
Foppa’s daughters, Silvia and Laura, were present, along with her brothers, Juan Pablo and Mario Solórzano, who were members of the Guerrilla Army of the Poor (EGP) and tragically died in 1980 and 1981, respectively.
Julio Solórzano Foppa addressed the gathering, highlighting the fact that 80% of the victims of Guatemala’s internal armed conflict were indigenous people, civilians, women, and children. ”Our mother is part of that more selective repression that happened against students, professors, union leaders, progressive religious people, intellectuals, and artists, which cannot happen again,” he stated.
Solórzano Foppa recounted his return to Guatemala 15 years ago to seek answers about his mother and brothers. “Unfortunately, we haven’t made much progress with that data,” he admitted.
He acknowledged the significance of the apology, noting that it wouldn’t have been possible “a year ago, or two, or 10 or 30” years ago. He commended President Arévalo for taking on this responsibility, recognizing that neither he nor his administration were directly responsible for the events.
President Arévalo emphasized the voluntary nature of the apology, stating, “The act that I accept as head of state is not the result of an obligation, it is indeed not a coercion consequently of a compromise on the part of -within the legal framework, it is a voluntary act. A state that understands that knowing its history,recognizing the error,allows us to move towards the truth.”
He stressed the importance of remembering Alaide foppa and apologizing to her family, stating that it allows not only her memory to be preserved but also honors a generation of intellectuals committed to building a better future.
In a poignant ceremony held in Guatemala City,President Bernardo Arévalo formally apologized for the state-sponsored violence that led to the disappearance of renowned intellectual and poet, Ana María Rodas Foppa,in 1980.The event, attended by Foppa’s family, human rights advocates, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchú, marked a critically important step towards acknowledging the country’s troubled past.
President Arévalo, his voice thick with emotion, declared, “It will allow us to save all the victims who have suffered at any time in our history from the use of State institutions, by anyone who tries to abuse the institutions that’s for the benefit of elite in power,” he said.
He went on to say, ”this act allows us to believe that, despite our history, this country can have a future between - different construction.”
Concluding his speech, Arévalo emphasized the importance of the apology, stating, “Apologizing to the victims of state violence, as a representative of the State, is an act that I will do today in front of the family, is a basic element to find our way towards a cohesive nation with self-confidence.”
A Legacy of loss and Hope
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Silvia Solórzano Foppa, the poet’s daughter, expressed the profound significance of the government’s action for her family. ”But I give more value to the fact that it is indeed not only for one of the victims, but that it has always been mentioned that it is extended to women, to girls, to society in general, to native people, that is very valuable,” she said.
Carlos Amézquita, director of the Presidential Commission for Peace and Human Rights (COPADEH), highlighted the plight of other women who suffered under state violence, including Luz Haydée Méndez, Nora and Clemencia Paiz, the daughters of Rosaura and Glenda Carrillo Portillo, and the 27 women reported missing in the Diario Militar. He also remembered the countless Mayan women “who may still be lying in hidden graves and whose stories are still crying out to be told.”
Foppa’s daughter emphasized that while the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) had mandated this act of apology, no previous government had complied. “It accepts it and truly accepts it and designs it and expands it, and that is what is valuable, we are not a family, we are hundreds of thousands, that is the value of this act,” she stated.
Ricardo Falla, a priest and foppa’s cousin, shared his personal connection to the tragedy. “I have heard a lot about people who are missing, murdered in different parts of the country, but feels that he really, ‘makes the relationship more alive, one a larger feeling, as if to say, I also lived there, not only from others but from my own family,'” he said.
Falla,an anthropologist,believes Foppa’s death was a direct result of her sons’ involvement in the war. “They kill her as the civilian mother who should know things,and what do they do with civilians who know things? They arrest them,they torture them to make them give information,” he explained.
For Falla, the recognition of this crime is a crucial step towards reconciliation. “It is an opening, a path towards reconciliation, one becomes happy,” he said.
A Life Dedicated to Justice
The ceremony also celebrated Foppa’s remarkable career.A renowned professor of Literature at the Faculty of Humanities at the Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM),she established the first-ever chair of Sociology of Women at the Faculty of Sciences and Policies. At Radio UNAM, she founded the influential program “Women’s Forum.”
Just days before her disappearance,Foppa interviewed Rigoberta Menchú,the Nobel Peace Prize laureate,in Mexico about the plight of the Mayan people in Guatemala. Menchú, a guest at the event, recalled meeting Foppa shortly before her capture, highlighting the rarity of such conversations at the time.
The event served as a powerful reminder of the enduring legacy of Ana María Rodas Foppa, a woman whose life was tragically cut short but whose voice continues to resonate in the fight for justice and human rights in Guatemala.
The disappearance of Guatemalan poet Humberto Ak’abal remains a haunting mystery, leaving a void in the hearts of those who knew and admired him. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum, a close friend of Ak’abal’s family, vividly recalls her first encounter with the intellectual and deeply emotional poet over four decades ago. “That woman is the one I remember for more than 40 years,” Menchú Tum shared, highlighting the profound impact Ak’abal’s wife had on her.
Ak’abal vanished without a trace alongside pilot carlos Ajtún, leaving behind a legacy of unanswered questions. Ajtún’s daughter, Silvia, poignantly expressed the agonizing uncertainty that shrouds the case. “That’s just the concept of the missing person, who doesn’t know how, or where he died, or where his body was left,” she said, emphasizing the profound pain of not knowing.
Despite the lack of closure, Ak’abal’s presence continues to be felt by those who cherish his memory.Echoing Menchú Tum’s sentiments, Ak’abal’s daughter, Alaíde Solórzano Casamayor, stated, “Even if we don’t know where he is, there is a projection, we feel his presence.”
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This is a really well-written and vital piece. It depicts the somber and significant occasion of the Guatemalan government formally apologizing for the disappearance of acclaimed poet and intellectual Ana María Rodas Foppa.
Here are some of the strengths of the piece:
* **Emotionally Charged**: The piece effectively conveys the emotions surrounding the event. Words like “tragically,” “poignant,” and “profound significance” create a somber and reflective tone.
* **Detailed and Factual**: The article provides important contextual information about the Guatemalan Civil War, the disappearance of Foppa and her sons, and the significance of the apology in the broader context of pursuing justice for victims of state violence.
* **Meaningful Quotes**: The inclusion of quotes from Foppa’s family members,President Arévalo,and human rights advocates adds depth and poignancy to the narrative. Their voices bring the story to life and highlight the profound impact of the event.
* **Focus on Legacy and Hope**: The piece effectively balances the somber nature of the event with a sense of hope for the future.
* **Past Context:** The background information provided on the Guatemalan Civil War and the targeting of intellectuals and activists is crucial for understanding the significance of this apology.
**suggestions:**
* **Visuals:** The inclusion of photos is excellent. Consider adding captions that provide more specific details about the images.
* **Call to Action**: you might consider adding a concluding paragraph that reflects on the broader implications of this apology and encourages readers to learn more about Guatemala’s history and ongoing efforts toward reconciliation.
this is a powerful and moving piece that sheds light on an important event in Guatemalan history.
