Salta

Salta. We have arrived in the most Catholic and Orthodox region of Argentina. While demonstrations for and against the legalization of abortion are taking place throughout the country, in Salta we see  only demonstrations “for the two lives”. Almost no-one wears a green scarf, green hair or green fingernails to express consent to legalization. We are told that car windows have already been smashed if someone had left his green cloth in the car. Spraying on house walls “pro aborto” seems to be the only safe way to express your opinion. Whereas we previously met feminists and leftists in Cordoba, we have now reached the other extreme.

We want to stay a little longer here, because the weather in Salta is pleasant and there are Spanish courses. Matthias would like to be able to have better and more fluent conversations. I would like to use the tenses correctly and eliminate unconscious errors. In order to be able to apply our Spanish right away we book an AirBnB room with a couple named Daniel and Ana. We feel comfortable right from the start. The day begins with breakfast in Spanish. Daniel and Ana ask us if we’re okay, if we slept well, if we need anything. And the giant flat screen TV brings the latest news to the breakfast table, in Spanish of course. Right now, it’s all about the abortion debate.

We do the dishes, pack our things and take the bus to town. This is an advanced matter, because the stops are not marked or only with a small sign on the road and there is no connection schedule from A to B either. In the language school we go our separate ways: Matthias learns with Carmen, I with Graciela. Two hours a day is plenty enough, the brain is fried. Not only because of the foreign language, but also because of the topics: Abortion, media independence, politics, drug trafficking, corruption and human trafficking. My teacher is a little left-wing revolutionary and has many exciting things to say.

In the evening we are back with Daniel and Ana. The giant flat screen TV has news. The former left-wing government allegedly has accepted millions of euros in bribes. A chauffeur, who has been driving senior officials back and forth, meticulously documented everything in diaries. You can watch live on TV how every single accused official is arrested. The journalists besiege the apartment entrances, dramatic music in the background. Our hosts Ana and Daniel are happy that finally the corruption comes to light. They say the previous government has thrown out money that was never there. I ask again in the language school. My teacher responds that the driver’s diaries are not real evidence, how should the driver know how much money was in the bags? The government was certainly not free of corruption, but the current investigation is most likely a politically motivated action. She continues that Argentina also has a completely different problem: the media is monopolistic and in the hands of the current government.

Back at dinner, the giant flat screen television documents the debate on the abortion law in the parliament live. Politicians talk for hours. The law is discussed all night. At night around 3 o’clock everyone has spoken and voting starts: No! Abortion remains illegal except in the case of rape. But the very next day, television reports even more about the corruption scandal. The ex-president is supposed to come to a hearing. Every day the television shows more witnesses and more politicians are accused. As outsiders, we have the impression that the publication of the diaries is orchestrated. Why are they being published now that the Argentinians are suffering and the country is in an economic crisis? Assignment of blame? Distraction? Coincidence?

Here the accused persons are quickly convicted and incarcerated after only a few days. At home such a process would take years. How can that be? There will be elections next year. And those Argentineans who now believe that the previous party embezzled millions will probably no longer vote for them. The last night in Salta, Daniel says it’s crazy. Half of Argentines still think the diaries are fake. Or that the current government wants to defile the image of the previous government. But one has to face the facts. If this is not done, the country cannot move forward.

For us the feeling remains that we cannot grasp the political context sufficiently. Too many entanglements in the past and too many family ties between politicians make it too complex for us as outsiders in such a short time. Our impression is that there is currently only black and white in Argentinean society. Balanced news reporting? No such luck! Everyone supports his personal opinion with the respective friends and media who agree with him – like everywhere in the world.

We say goodbye to Salta with heavy heart just as we did to the other cities. There are warm people everywhere in Argentina.