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182 6 G r a l . M . A c h a Av. Álvarez Thomas Arismendi B e r n a Caldas Carbajal 1 4 D e J u l i o Charlone Av. de los Incas Virrey del Pino Chorroarín D o n a d o E s t o m b a Fraga Ginebra Giribone Guevara H o l m b e r g Londres L u g o n e s Marsella Av. R. Naón P l a z a Roseti Av. Triunvirato J T r o n a d o r Zarraga Est. Tronador Est. Los Incas 143 LÍNEA B LOCATION: GIRIBONE 1961 TRANSPORTATION: BUSES: 71, 80, 87, 113, 127, 133. SUBWAY STATION: TRONADOR (B LINE). VILLA ORTÚZAR “The president . . . speaks of freedom and democracy . . . . They are distributing leaflets about preventing subversive activities in the schools . The president says he rejects an indulgent press . The Ford factory in Pacheco , which employs 4,800 workers, closes for five weeks . . . . Bishops talk of peace and pray . [The author Jorge Luis] Borges declares that literature and art are forms of amusement . . . . [Yet] the fact remains that our companions are still imprisoned, and we need you to give us a hand, to show us a gesture of solidarity . . . . In any case, we’re still optimistic . This has only just begun . Right now we have to fight, and the future is ours” (Extract from Roberto Santoro ’s “Carta de denuncia” (Letter of denunciation) to the Confederation of Latin American Writers) . Culture worker Roberto Santoro was born in Buenos Aires on April 17 , 1939 . He was kidnapped from his workplace, the Fray Luis Beltrán National Technical School No . 25, on June 1, 1977 . Roberto worked as a painter, market vendor, tutor, printer, street peddler, journalist , and poet; he viewed poetry as a tool for change, liberation, and political struggle . This vision inspired him to launch and direct a number of cultural projects such as the publishing house and magazine that both bore the name El Barrilete (The kite) . Santoro wanted to use publishing as a vehicle for social protest, and these initiatives brought together many young journalists and writers . “Amateur ” publishers printed Santoro’s poems as well as those of Carlos Pati- ño, Francisco Chiroleu, Carlos Higa (also disappeared), and Alberto Costa (who was exiled in Spain); artist friends provided the illustrations for these works . This artisanal publishing was part of a broader cultural effort to challenge the dictatorship’s hegemonic discourse, which was founded on misinformation and the impoverishment of ideas . 143 . Roberto Santoro Cultural Center 183 Roberto gave a speech in April 1964 at an event sponsored by the National Alliance of Intellectuals: “We have only ourselves to blame if culture is the privilege of the few, because we have spent our lives fighting each other . . . . We believe that the Alliance of Intellectuals must bring together members from associations of visual artists, writers, musicians, and theater and film professionals . It should coordinate a broad cultural plan in which each guild directs its actions toward the advancement of culture, in the interests of the majority of people . Nothing more . ” In the mid-1970s Roberto set out to challenge the leadership of the Argentine Writers’ Society (SADE, Sociedad Argentina de Escritores) . He and Alberto Costa invited writers renowned for their literary accomplishments and their commitment to democracy to join in a powerful collective action . The only way for the Writers’ Guild to achieve its goal of overturning the SADE leadership was to present a candidate for election; writer David Viñas ran for the position of secretary . Though their efforts were unsuccessful, these writers formed a group committed to addressing social issues through their literary texts, joining literature to social critique . Describing Roberto’s organizing work, his sister Emilia Santoro recalls that “he always referred to writers and poets as culture workers . This was why he always tried to bring literary works to broader audiences, not only to a select few . He wanted literature to be available to the masses, so that even people with no resources could somehow access culture . . . . Since the people who control the media are not going to facilitate change, we have to keep fighting with our pens and words” [AO .0029] . Santoro denounced the dictatorship’s atrocities to an audience outside the country in June 1976 . He presented his signed “Letter of Denunciation” (Carta de denuncia) before the Confederation of Latin American Writers, with head offices in Mexico City . In it he demanded...

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