New series on Operation Condor seeks to recover the historical memory of Latin American dictatorships
“We know that the first victims of the dictatorships were education professionals, who were the targets of control, persecution, imprisonment, torture, death, disappearance and the curtailment of free thought.”
A new television series on Operation Condor seeks to examine historical facts in the context of the dictatorships in Latin America. Directed by Cleonildo Cruz and co-directed by Luiz Gonzaga Belluzzo, it offers an approach that examines not only the political but also the economic elements behind these authoritarian regimes.
Operation Condor or Plan Condor was a campaign of repression and state terrorism implemented by the dictatorships of South America in the 1970s and 1980s with the support of the United States.
For Heleno Araújo, CNTE President and EI Vice President for Latin America, “It is essential that we support the Operation Condor series by Cleonildo Cruz and Luiz Gonzaga Belluzzo. We know that the first victims of the dictatorships were education professionals, who were the targets of control, persecution, imprisonment, torture, death, disappearance and the curtailment of free thought. We must recover the truth and memory so that never again will we have dictatorial regimes in Latin America.”
Araújo added: “Today, we continue to fight for justice, so that the state agents who committed criminal acts are held accountable and pay for their crimes. Cinematographic works contribute to research and education on these historical matters and the impacts of dictatorships on society and human rights in the region.”
Economist Luiz Gonzaga Belluzzo is the face and voice covering the economic component of the Latin American TV series Operação Cóndor. “Belluzzo will take us through the seven episodes – Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay, providing an innovative economic analysis, covering all the countries, of those who financed Operation Condor in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the historical and political aspects,” says Cleonildo Cruz.
Cruz explains that the series will cover questions such as: “Who was the financial backer? Which multinational corporations contributed colossal amounts to legitimise and support these bloody military dictatorships in our Latin America, arresting people, torturing, killing and carrying out forced disappearances?”
The series has received the support of Education International’s regional office, which considers it important to examine the historical facts and their relevance in today’s world.
