"Return to El Salvador" - A fresh recollection of Salvadoran death squad years and crimes
Filmmaker Jamie Moffett was in Kansas City to screen and discuss the film at Screenland Crossroads on August 1. The film is a riveting retelling of death squad crimes, but leads to a hopeful outlook for present-day Salvadoran society and challenges US audiences to keep El Salvador in their sights.
The film explores a first-hand recollection of the years when El Salvador was inflicted with US-trained death squads leading to the deaths of 70,000 civilians between 1980 and 1992. "Return to El Salvador" follows the lives of two families -- one where a union leader was threatened by security forces and another with a former FMLN militant. The well-organized and flawlessly-produced film steps through the history of El Salvador from the days of the 1992 peace accords, back through years describing large landowners domination of the economy, forward through 15 years of horrendous death squad crimes committed against teachers, union organizers, and peasants by US-trained military forces, and to present-day with the victory of the FMLN presidential candidate Mauricio Funes.
Listening to the former FMLN combatant we hear an account of unthinkable torture and savagery committed -- repeated countless times during the civil war.
By following the union leader and his wife's return to El Salvador, the film tells the stories of Salvadoran refugees to the US. Salvadoran status was an often misrepresented designation since many US government agencies did not acknowledge the threats to their lives. Salvadoran refugees in many cases were sheltered by US churches, which boldly provided sanctuary despite violating US immigration laws.
"Return to El Salvador" threads the needle of justifying armed struggle by having a former FMLN militant describe his motivation for joining the resistance. This position was not a popular one in the 1980's when US peace groups advocated for negotiations between Salvadoran military and rebels without supporting any notion of a justified armed struggle. In a similar vein it's nearly impossible today to hear arguments advocating for armed groups throughout the Middle East protecting their homeland -- to do so brings labels of pro-terrorist -- despite a decade of US-sponsored war and occupation.
The film expanded the story by delving into a description of how the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) has destroyed agriculture prices in El Salvador, ruining opportunities and livelihoods for many farmers there. "Return to El Salvador" also follows a significant US movement to close the School of the Americas in Ft. Benning, Georgia.
A pivotal part in the film is the tragic disappearance and murder of activist Marcelo Rivera, who opposed gold mining by the Pacific Rim company. The Salvadoran military lied about his death. Filmmaker Jamie Moffett described after the film screening in KC (see photo) how several people in El Salvador have been indicted for the murder, but the architects of the crime have slipped prosecution. In answer to a question about what can people in the US do to support Salvadorans, Moffett shared the work of several organizations and encouraged people to take action in other ways.
Perhaps the lesson for audiences today is that the horrendous crimes committed in El Salvador are not isolated, and US complicity in the crimes is not a left-wing conspiracy. The thread of a destructive US foreign policy weaves its way through Vietnam, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Grenada, Panama, Iraq, and Afghanistan, among other nations. We may not agree on the cause or reasons, but these US-sponsored wars leave in their wake the tragic deaths of millions of civilians and destroyed societies.
The film explores a first-hand recollection of the years when El Salvador was inflicted with US-trained death squads leading to the deaths of 70,000 civilians between 1980 and 1992. "Return to El Salvador" follows the lives of two families -- one where a union leader was threatened by security forces and another with a former FMLN militant. The well-organized and flawlessly-produced film steps through the history of El Salvador from the days of the 1992 peace accords, back through years describing large landowners domination of the economy, forward through 15 years of horrendous death squad crimes committed against teachers, union organizers, and peasants by US-trained military forces, and to present-day with the victory of the FMLN presidential candidate Mauricio Funes.
Listening to the former FMLN combatant we hear an account of unthinkable torture and savagery committed -- repeated countless times during the civil war.
By following the union leader and his wife's return to El Salvador, the film tells the stories of Salvadoran refugees to the US. Salvadoran status was an often misrepresented designation since many US government agencies did not acknowledge the threats to their lives. Salvadoran refugees in many cases were sheltered by US churches, which boldly provided sanctuary despite violating US immigration laws.
"Return to El Salvador" threads the needle of justifying armed struggle by having a former FMLN militant describe his motivation for joining the resistance. This position was not a popular one in the 1980's when US peace groups advocated for negotiations between Salvadoran military and rebels without supporting any notion of a justified armed struggle. In a similar vein it's nearly impossible today to hear arguments advocating for armed groups throughout the Middle East protecting their homeland -- to do so brings labels of pro-terrorist -- despite a decade of US-sponsored war and occupation.
The film expanded the story by delving into a description of how the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) has destroyed agriculture prices in El Salvador, ruining opportunities and livelihoods for many farmers there. "Return to El Salvador" also follows a significant US movement to close the School of the Americas in Ft. Benning, Georgia.
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| Filmmaker Jamie Moffett discusses the film in Kansas City (8/1/10) |
Perhaps the lesson for audiences today is that the horrendous crimes committed in El Salvador are not isolated, and US complicity in the crimes is not a left-wing conspiracy. The thread of a destructive US foreign policy weaves its way through Vietnam, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Grenada, Panama, Iraq, and Afghanistan, among other nations. We may not agree on the cause or reasons, but these US-sponsored wars leave in their wake the tragic deaths of millions of civilians and destroyed societies.
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