"Where are they, where are they?" Pursued by this question, Emma Sepulveda moved to Camp Hope shortly after hearing the news of the mine collapse in San Jose and stayed there, becoming a silent gap between fear and solidarity of women patients. There he remained for two months until the day that the 33 miners trapped 700 meters deep got at last out of the bowels of the earth.
Now, published a book entitled "70 Days of Night" (Editorial Platform) to reconstruct that experience, armed with dozens of letters from women awaiting the return and the same number of men seeking the light. Question: Why did you decide to move to the San José mine? Answer: Some years ago I wrote a book with the testimonies of women of the disappeared in Chile during the military government.
When I heard that the accident had occurred in the San José mine followed the news and I started thinking about the parallels that exist in these searches and how women fought for miners to find them alive. It was the echo of that eternal and desperate "Where are they?" I had heard many times before.
I went to camp with the idea of collecting testimonials of women who were behind each miner's life was now gone. Q: Why is it important to highlight the role of women in history? A: For me they are the heroines of history. Before anyone came to the desert to seek to rescue his men. They stood waiting day and night, protesting and fighting.
When the government told them there was only a 2% chance of finding them refused to accept that reality. Organized a camp (which was almost a village) and stayed 70 days and 70 nights in the desert to wait. Q: Were the women who managed to keep alive the hope of rescuing the miners? A: I think so.
For example, a few days after the accident, when rescuers tried to lower the underground and the chimney collapsed, the women in the camp watched as rescue workers began to leave the mine. Were grouped in front of the exit and did not let them or the trucks or the rescuers. Some stood defiant against the vehicles, others took rocks and blew his hands until they bled palms.
Forced to seek rapid and multiple alternatives. Q: How will the story of the miners of Chile to the country's image as the rest of the world? A: I think that will help a lot to the image we have of the country outside. The accident occurred at a time when the eyes of the world were in Chile.
People knew how to Chile jointly faced misfortune and how the country was united in difficult times. Q: How will it affect mining in Chile? A: I think it's a lesson. The government needs to have better control over the medium and small mining for these accidents do not happen again. It is shameful that a country that lives and eats constantly exposed copper the lives of workers who draw the same copper.
Q: How are women outside the camp? "There was also a leader? A: The women were very organized. Some of them quit their jobs (or asked for permission) to stay in the camp two months. They had meetings with psychologists, ministers, senators, mayors. Daily washing clothes sent them miners from underground.
Wrote letters and went down to the place where they had telephone communication with their peers. Was noted for its strength in the protests 'The Mayor Segovia' (title that gave the other women in the camp), sister of miner Segovia, was instrumental in the claims that women did to the authorities and the government.
Q: What angered him most and what he admired? A: The use made by the government of the tragedy. A president can boast not only about rescuing miners. What I admired most was the courage, faith and strength of women miners. Q: What is your opinion of the media covering the news, especially in recent days? A: They like vultures over the past days to find the most extreme angle of the news.
Some journalists went as far as clothing for nurses to get to the hospital and see how they were treating the miners and see if they could interview them. Q: Was it difficult to access all the letters of these women and the miners? A: It was not easy. But I was fortunate that many people showed me letters and I could save a lot of women reading letters they received from their partners.
Marta Salinas, the wife of miner Jonni Barrios (who had two lovers), I gave all the letters he sent her for 2 months. It is a historical document that I hope to donate to a museum someday. Q: Have you kept in touch with the miners? And with their wives, mothers or daughters? A: Yes, with some of them now I have a real friendship.
Visit me at my home in Chile and they invited me to their homes on several occasions. Q: Have you gone back there? Will he return one day? A: Not yet. I locked myself up to write the book for two months and then returned to the U.S.. This week I go back to Chile and will travel to the site where the camp.
Q: How long do you think will happen before this story is sure? R: I do not forget. Not be forgotten. We have to remember to never happen again another tragedy similar to a mine that should have been closed. I think it's a historical fact and as such live in the collective memory in the pages of many books, visual images of many films and in all areas that help us remember. 
Now, published a book entitled "70 Days of Night" (Editorial Platform) to reconstruct that experience, armed with dozens of letters from women awaiting the return and the same number of men seeking the light. Question: Why did you decide to move to the San José mine? Answer: Some years ago I wrote a book with the testimonies of women of the disappeared in Chile during the military government.
When I heard that the accident had occurred in the San José mine followed the news and I started thinking about the parallels that exist in these searches and how women fought for miners to find them alive. It was the echo of that eternal and desperate "Where are they?" I had heard many times before.
I went to camp with the idea of collecting testimonials of women who were behind each miner's life was now gone. Q: Why is it important to highlight the role of women in history? A: For me they are the heroines of history. Before anyone came to the desert to seek to rescue his men. They stood waiting day and night, protesting and fighting.
When the government told them there was only a 2% chance of finding them refused to accept that reality. Organized a camp (which was almost a village) and stayed 70 days and 70 nights in the desert to wait. Q: Were the women who managed to keep alive the hope of rescuing the miners? A: I think so.
For example, a few days after the accident, when rescuers tried to lower the underground and the chimney collapsed, the women in the camp watched as rescue workers began to leave the mine. Were grouped in front of the exit and did not let them or the trucks or the rescuers. Some stood defiant against the vehicles, others took rocks and blew his hands until they bled palms.
Forced to seek rapid and multiple alternatives. Q: How will the story of the miners of Chile to the country's image as the rest of the world? A: I think that will help a lot to the image we have of the country outside. The accident occurred at a time when the eyes of the world were in Chile.
People knew how to Chile jointly faced misfortune and how the country was united in difficult times. Q: How will it affect mining in Chile? A: I think it's a lesson. The government needs to have better control over the medium and small mining for these accidents do not happen again. It is shameful that a country that lives and eats constantly exposed copper the lives of workers who draw the same copper.
Q: How are women outside the camp? "There was also a leader? A: The women were very organized. Some of them quit their jobs (or asked for permission) to stay in the camp two months. They had meetings with psychologists, ministers, senators, mayors. Daily washing clothes sent them miners from underground.
Wrote letters and went down to the place where they had telephone communication with their peers. Was noted for its strength in the protests 'The Mayor Segovia' (title that gave the other women in the camp), sister of miner Segovia, was instrumental in the claims that women did to the authorities and the government.
Q: What angered him most and what he admired? A: The use made by the government of the tragedy. A president can boast not only about rescuing miners. What I admired most was the courage, faith and strength of women miners. Q: What is your opinion of the media covering the news, especially in recent days? A: They like vultures over the past days to find the most extreme angle of the news.
Some journalists went as far as clothing for nurses to get to the hospital and see how they were treating the miners and see if they could interview them. Q: Was it difficult to access all the letters of these women and the miners? A: It was not easy. But I was fortunate that many people showed me letters and I could save a lot of women reading letters they received from their partners.
Marta Salinas, the wife of miner Jonni Barrios (who had two lovers), I gave all the letters he sent her for 2 months. It is a historical document that I hope to donate to a museum someday. Q: Have you kept in touch with the miners? And with their wives, mothers or daughters? A: Yes, with some of them now I have a real friendship.
Visit me at my home in Chile and they invited me to their homes on several occasions. Q: Have you gone back there? Will he return one day? A: Not yet. I locked myself up to write the book for two months and then returned to the U.S.. This week I go back to Chile and will travel to the site where the camp.
Q: How long do you think will happen before this story is sure? R: I do not forget. Not be forgotten. We have to remember to never happen again another tragedy similar to a mine that should have been closed. I think it's a historical fact and as such live in the collective memory in the pages of many books, visual images of many films and in all areas that help us remember.
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