Matilde Herrera (1931–1990) was an

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish ( masculine) or ( feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines ...

journalist, writer, and poet. She was a prominent militant against the self-styled

National Reorganization Process The National Reorganization Process (Spanish: ''Proceso de Reorganización Nacional'', often simply ''el Proceso'', "the Process") was the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983, in which it was supported by the United St ...

that took over the country between 1976 and 1983. She was one of the

Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo ( es, italic=no, Asociación Civil Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo) is a human rights organization with the goal of finding the children stolen and illegally adopted during the 1976–1983 Argentine military dicta ...

, for whom she personally contributed to the recovery of two children who had been illegally adopted.

Biography

Matilde Herrera married Rafael Beláustegui, with whom she had two children. They later divorced, and she remarried, this time to the artist

Roberto Aizenberg Roberto Aizenberg (22 August 1928 – 16 February 1996), nicknamed "Bobby", was an Argentine painter and sculptor. He was considered the best-known orthodox surrealist painter in Argentina. Early years Aizenberg was the grandson of Russian- ...

. She started working as a journalist in 1962, and carried on this work until her death. During the time of

state terrorism State terrorism refers to acts of terrorism which a state conducts against another state or against its own citizens.Martin, 2006: p. 111. Definition There is neither an academic nor an international legal consensus regarding the proper de ...

in Argentina, her three children, José, Valeria, and Martín, and their respective spouses – militants of the People's Revolutionary Army – were kidnapped by the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

. Valeria and Martín's partner Cristina were pregnant at the time. Herrera did not lose Tania (the first daughter of Valeria and Pepe who was around one year old) and Antonio (the son of José and Electra); these children were left at police stations and hospitals after the abduction of their parents. In 1977, Herrera went into exile in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

with her husband, where she founded the Commission of Relatives of the

Disappeared An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organiz ...

, together with Claudia Lareu, Diana Cruces, and other militants. In 1981 they moved to

Tarquinia Tarquinia (), formerly Corneto, is an old city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Central Italy, known chiefly for its ancient Etruscans, Etruscan tombs in the widespread necropolis, necropoleis, or cemeteries, for which it was awarded World ...

, Italy, and returned to Argentina in 1983, once the military dictatorship ended. Herrera died seven years later, in 1990, of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

Tributes

Herrera was honored in 2002 by the Legislature of the City of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the Capital city, capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata ...

, along with 17 other outstanding Argentine women of the 20th century, including

Eva Perón María Eva Duarte de Perón (; ; 7 May 1919 – 26 July 1952), better known as just Eva Perón or by the nickname Evita (), was an Argentine politician, activist, actress, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 19 ...

and

Alicia Moreau de Justo Alicia Moreau de Justo (October 11, 1885 – May 12, 1986) was an Argentine physician, politician, pacifist and human rights activist. She was a leading figure in feminism and socialism in Argentina. Since the beginning of the 20th century, ...

. The selections were made by the Commission for Women, Children, Adolescents, and Youth. In an official act carried out on 24 March 2010, the actress

Florencia Peña María Florencia Peña (born 7 November 1974) is an Argentine actress. She played Mónica Argento in the sitcom '' Casados con hijos'' (2005–2006). Filmography Television Theater Movies Television Programs Awards and nomin ...

read Herrera's poem "Seremos libres" (We Will Be Free) at the

Navy Petty-Officers School of Mechanics The Higher School of Mechanics of the Navy (Spanish: ''Escuela Superior de Mecánica de la Armada'', commonly referred to by its acronym ESMA) has gone through three major transformations throughout its history. Originally ESMA served as an educa ...

, one of the main clandestine detention centers during the military dictatorship. In the

Remembrance Park The Parque de la Memoria ( en, Remembrance Park) is a public space situated in front of the Río de la Plata estuary in the northern end of the Belgrano section of Buenos Aires. It is a memorial to the victims of the 1976–1983 military r ...

of Buenos Aires, there stands a statue (''Sin título''; Untitled) by Roberto Aizenberg in honor of Herrera's three disappeared children: José, Valeria, and Martín. In the sculpture, the contours of three geometric figures without faces are shown, representing all the young people disappeared during the military dictatorship.

Works

* ''Vos también lloraste''. Ed. Libros de tierra firme, Bs. As., 1986, 62 pp. With prologue by

Horacio Verbitsky Horacio Verbitsky (born February 11, 1942) is an Argentine investigative journalist and author with a history as a leftist guerrilla in the Montoneros. In the early 1990s, he reported on a series corruption scandals in the administration of Presi ...

* ''José'' (1987). Reissued Lulu.com, 2009, 447 pp. * ''Identidad, despojo y restitución''. Bs. As., 1990. As co-author with

References

External links

*
Identidad, despojo y restitución
' at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herrera, Matilde 1931 births 1990 deaths 20th-century Argentine poets Argentine journalists Argentine women journalists Argentine women poets Deaths from cancer in Argentina 20th-century women writers 20th-century journalists