A few hostel dwellers and I were watching The Soloist in the TV room one evening a week ago, my second day in the city. A murmuring crowd on the street two stories down distracted us from time to time. But the faint buzz steadily grew into booming chants coming from a crowd pounding on drums and shooting off fireworks at a volume so loud I could no longer focus on the movie. I stepped out to the balcony and noticed this:
The man's banner reads Sindicato de camioneros: rama de agua gaseosa (Union of truck drivers: soda water division). Hidden from sight are the thousands of activists I would get a firsthand look at over the following hour or so.
I ran down the street to see a horde of green-clad soda water people slowly marching down Avenida Belgrano. Or rather, marching 50 yards, stopping for 20 minutes to sing and bang on their instruments and marching again.
But the soda drivers were not the only union present. As they progressed down the street, they revealed an endless sea of marchers behind them, equally enthusiastic and equipped with noisemakers. Metalworkers. Cab drivers. Tobacco farmers. I kept wondering, what cause would prompt such an immense gathering of workers?
After a bit of digging, I discovered the march was in honor of Eva Perón, the beloved wife of former president Juan Perón. Today, July 26, was the 58th anniversary of her death, and as she had championed the labor rights that defined Peronist politics, the union members took to the streets to honor her. I am not very familiar with Peronism or even Argentinian politics in general, but the march, which lasted well into the night, at least gave me an idea of the political climate here.
To view additional signs, which happen to be printed in the Impact typeface, kindly click here.
Sindicato Unidos Portuarios Argentinos (port workers) |
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