Tell Me the Truth: Who am I?

What would life be like if you didn’t know your true identity? Many young women in Argentina are living with that question every day, but the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo are helping!

From 1976 to 1983, during a period known as the Dirty War, Argentina’s violent military dictatorship kidnapped thousands of children from their birth parents who were suspected of disloyalty to the military and sometimes even killed. Families were torn apart, and the surviving children were placed with adoptive parents (many of them members of the military) or given fake birth certificates, leaving them confused about their real origins. Since 1977, the Grandmothers have been reclaiming the true identities of their missing children and grandchildren.

For 30 years, the Grandmothers have held a vigil every Thursday at the Plaza de Mayo, a public square in Buenos Aires. They also reach out to youth by using popular culture, including radio, TV, and public events, to ask the question “Vos sabes quien sos?” (“Do you know who you are?”). Many performers have helped raise awareness of their cause by performing with Theater for Identity, Music for Identity, and Dance for Identity.

The Grandmothers have combined forces with young people to set up the Identity Archive, a collection of life stories from the families and friends of the missing, which will guarantee that the recovery of the kidnapped children continues even after the Grandmothers have passed. As a result of the Grandmothers’ efforts, approximately 87 missing children have been reunited with their birth families, but there is much work still to be done. Go get ‘em, Grandmas!

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