Hardships During the “May Guinda”

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Aníbal describes the hardships he and his mother experienced during the “May Guinda.”

Interviewee:

Transcription

The Guinda de Mayo happened in '81.

[Where were you?]

We were always moving from one place to another other. The Sumpul River had risen a lot during that time. It was very full. I want to add that I thank God we are still alive today, because the Sumpul River almost took me and my mom away. My mom had to get help from another person who was crossing the river, and she held onto that person’s waist to help us get across. I swallowed a bunch of water, but that day we managed to cross the river.

[How did you manage to get across?]

I went across with my mom. Many times, we were left behind by everyone else, because my mom, my mom never left me. She says she would have dropped everything she was carrying, but she would never have left me behind. That’s why she and I were alone much of the time. But thank God nothing ever happened to us. We never had any security with us, nothing. We didn’t know if the soldiers used the road we were on. Thank God we always got home. Right at the tail end of the crowd, we’d always show up.