Reflections on the OPANAL meeting
In this section:
- Carmen Ramirez
- Gabino Aguirre
- Debbie DeVries
"In Santiago, it was a pleasure to have the challenge of addressing the delegates from the countries of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, as well as from the observer nations of Iran, Switzerland, Russia and my own country, the United States of America.
I felt the burden of having to communicate effectively in a language to
which I have a birth right but did not own as a child. I tried to master
the metaphor and all the unknowable symbolism of each word and phrase to
try to speak as convincingly as I possibly could about what I as a citizen
of my country, and of this hemisphere and of the world want for my fellow
inhabitants of the planet. It is so important to our precarious lives and
all living things on the planet that we
communicate. Finding the magic words was my mission and as usual it's the
journey not the destination.
I was struck by the power of language which is the best tool that humans have. With these words I can hope to create the environment where we can speak and understand each other and move back from the brink. Let us not be intimidated by the words but look for the sacred ones that will change us and our environment. The words that will make the scales fall from our eyes so that we can see the precious beauty of life that we must try to preserve."
"I've always wanted to visit South America and the cultural and ethnic diversity it encompasses. I've had a particular interest in Chile since I was at UCSB [University of California, Santa Barbara] in the early 70s where I got to know a few Chilean students. When Allende was assassinated, there were many long discussions about the causes and implications of the military dictatorship that took power. The indictments of Pinochet a few years ago spiked my interest once again and it was with great anticipation that I prepared for our trip. It was with pleasure that I awoke during our flight at 6:30 am and looked out the windows at the magnificence of the snow-peaked Andes Range and reminisced into past Incan history and the great empire that paralleled our own Aztecas in MesoAmerica. Upon landing, I was impressed with the particular pronunciatory lilt that enriched the Spanish language. I became interested in the candidacy of Michelle Bachelet and her 'Estoy Contigo' campaign for the presidency. It was interesting to see how intense the general community engaged in politics and were very opinionated on her leftist politics and whether this would auger well for the future of Chile or not.
The OPANAL meeting was formal and very diplomatic. The issues related to NWFZs and policies to expand and strengthen this strategy. There was much hope for the Central Asian NWFZ and its impact on the northern hemisphere right in the heart of NWS [Nuclear Weapons State] territory between Russia and China. I am still still analyzing the many questions that were discussed and await an opportunity to share and dialogue with the local community. My only regret was the shortness of my stay and I hope to be back for an extended visit."
Atomic Mirror Reflections
"A mirror enables one to see more than the eye usually captures, and
provides moments in time for literal and figurative, internal and external
reflection of what surrounds society and the individual.
Such is true of my participation as an observer for the Atomic Mirror at the OPANAL conference recently held in Santiago, Chile on November 7th and 8th, 2005.
Images flood over me like the more than six hundred photos taken and quickly flashed in a rapid slide show. The images are first of the dedicated representatives, ambassadors, consuls and observers from the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as other interested countries: Korea, USSR, France, UK, Netherlands, Iran, Portugal and the US, and of organizations who have been dedicated to the elimination of nuclear weapons for over thirty years.
Following these images are those internal pictures of the power of communication of a message which transcended other national positions, historical antagonism, and local interests and individual language limitations. It was not only the power of almost simultaneous translation that was so amazing, but the will- power of those aggregate individuals from disparate backgrounds to unite their hearts and souls to communicate a message of consensus.
Although I have the image of the first day of individuals who didn’t know each other being respectful and formal, it is overwhelmed by a contrasting image of the second day, after lunches and breaks together, of individuals who felt closer, and exchanged other information on even personal levels.
Finally the image of a member of connection surfaces, the connection between the US and Chile in coping with their political divisions, and contrasts remains. Both are countries who are divided among diplomats who have survived changes in government. In Chile, the remnants of tore and tortured past surround the city and the citizens displaying itself in hearty disagreements between a human rights’ advocate former UN representative under Allende, to a career bureaucrat from the Pinochet era disagreeing on approaches to current issues to the many political election banners on bus backs and riverbanks, promising benefits of one party over another..
In the US we also have the party that says vote this way or your fears will become reality and the part that wants economic changes for those at the lower and lowest ends of the ladder of success. To see the parallels of using fear to promote power change, and hear the strong emotional divisive voices rising up to flood water stage in Chile brought chilling sensations and unforgettable images of how parallel our overlapping countries’ paths are and have been.
All the sensual clues were seen through my visit as an observer for the Atomic Mirror. I am reminded that a mirror is a powerful tool for reflection and visualization as well as widening our awareness and perspectives for what is possible."
