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IFrame MultiplyLogo Join Multiply to get updates from Evita Imelda IRON BUTTERFLY: Evita and Imelda HomeBlogPhotosVideoMusicReviewsLinks DOCUMENTOS imeldificevita imeldificevita Blog TALASTASAN SERIES: Xiao Paper on "Ang Bahay ni Mommy Imelda", 26 Feb 22, '08 8:51 AM * Photos of Entry February 2008 for everyone Evita Imelda [IMG]The College of Social Sciences and Philosophy * Personal University of the Philippines-Diliman Message * RSS Feed "TALASTASAN SERIES" [?] 2008 * Report Abuse Tuesday, 1:00 - 2:30 PM, CSSP AVR, Palma Hall 207 FEBRUARY 26 ANG TUNAY NA DIWA NG "IMELDIFIC" Representasyon at Kapangyarihan sa Sto. Nino Shrine sa Lungsod ng Tacloban MICHAEL CHARLESTON CHUA Department of History CARLOS TATEL, JR. Discussant SARAH JANE TOLEDANO, Moderator Abstract (Filipino): "...what makes a home? Love. What is love made real? Beauty." -Imelda Romualdez Marcos Matagal na akong namamangha sa dating Unang Ginang Imelda Romualdez-Marcos (at may ilan taon ko na ring binabasa at sinasaliksik ang kanyang buhay at mga kagagawan (life and deeds). Subalit napagtanto kong hindi ko pa lubos na naunawaan ang salitang "Imeldific" hanggang mapuntahan ko ang Sto. Nino Shrine (Romualdez Museum) sa Lungsod ng Tacloban sa Leyte. Ang mansyong kanyang ipinatayo noong mga simula ng Dekada 1980. Ang papel ay isang pag-uulat ng aking pagbisita sa museo noong ika-25 ng Oktubre 2006 at personal na pagmumuni-muni ukol sa kahulugan nito. Gamit ang Kapanahong Kasaysayan (metodo ng pagsusulat ng kasaysayan sa kasalukuyang panahon na kaiba sa contemporary history at investigative journalism ng Kanluran), ang mga pagmumuni-muni ay ikokonsulta sa mga bagay na isinulat na ukol kay Gng. Marcos, mga pahayag ng mga taong malapit sa kanya, at sa panayam ng may-akda sa mismong unang ginang. Ang mga kahulugang ito ay ikokonteksto sa mas malawak na kasaysayan at kulturang Pilipino. Ayon sa kanyang biographer na si Carmen Navarro Pedrosa, hindi naman talaga ipinatayo ang bahay upang matirhan, kundi upang ipamalas (1987, 222). Mababanaag sa disenyo ng bahay at sa iba't ibang mga kasangkapan mula sa buong kapuluan at sa buong daigdig, hindi lamang ang napakalaking kayamanan at kapangyarihang kanyang natamo, kundi pati na rin ang sinasabing niyang kanyang pinagmulang aristokrata, "I was born ostentatious. They will list my name in the dictionary someday. They will use 'Imeldific' to mean ostentatious extravagance" (Associated Press 1998). Masasabing bagama't kamangha-mangha na ang aking nakita sa loob ng museo, naisip kong maliit na bahagi lamang ito ng kung anumang natanganan nila ng kanyang asawang si Ferdinand noon. Makikita rin sa iba't ibang mga kagamitan sa loob ng bahay kung papaanong nais ipakita (represent) ng unang ginang ang kanyang sarili sa mga dayuhan at sa kanyang mga kababayan: Isang babaeng may pinagmulang aristokrata na nararapat sa pamumuno-ang Rosas ng Tacloban; Ang mapagmahal at mapagbigay (compassionate) na unang ginang mula sa Pilipinas na nagdulot ng maraming magagandang bagay sa kanyang mga kababayan at sa buong daigdig; Ang Aserong Mariposa (Iron Butterfly); Ang mitikal na si Maganda, ang unang babaeng Pilipina, samakatuwid si Inang Pilipinas mismo; Ang Diwata ng Kagandahan na umaahon mula sa Karagatan. Ina ng Bayan. Sa aking personal na opinyon, kung susumahin, ang imahe na nais niyang ipakita ay tulad ng sa sinaunang Babaylan-Daluyan ng Buhay at Ginhawa. Makikita rin na sa kabila ng sapilitang pagkukubli ng mapait na nakaraan at katauhan ng unang ginang, ang Sto. Nino Shrine ay nananatiling salamin at paalala ng isang madilim na katotohanan. Ang mansyon ay repleksyon ng megalomania na kung minsan ay nasa sa atin. Mga grandiyosong mga pangarap para sa ating sarili ng kayamanan at kapangyarihan. Ang mansyon ay repleksyon din ng panganib na nagbabadya kung may kakanyahan kang matupad ang mga grandiyoso, o Imeldific, na mga pangarap na ito. Sa huli, anumang representasyon ang nais ipamalas at ilagay ng mga personalidad o institusyon sa pambansang alaala (national memory) sa pamamagitan man ng teksto o kongkreto, at kahit gaano kalaking kapangyarihan ang gamitin upang maitatag ang representasyong ito, ang karanasan at pinagmulan pa rin ng indibidwal ang magtatakda ng imahe ng isang pigurang pangkasaysayan. Ang indibidwal ay may kakayahang sumalungat sa imaheng inimbento lalong-lalo na kung nalalayo ang representasyon sa kanyang karanasan sa kasaysayan. Kanya-kanyang Imelda at kanyang-kanyang Imeldific. ------------------------------ [1] Binasa sa ikalawang araw ng Ika-18 Pambansang Kumperensya sa Kasaysayan at Kalinangan ng ADHIKA ng Pilipinas, Inc. na may temang "Mandala: Mga Salaysay ng Batas Militar" noong hapon ng ika-29 ng Nobyembre, 2007 sa Central Luzon State University, Munoz, Nueva Ecija. Unang isinumite kay Dr. Maria Mangahas para sa klase ng Anthropology 219 (Special Problems in Museology), Pangalawang Semestre, 2006-2007 sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas sa Diliman. Binasa sa unang sesyon ng "Narratives of Display: The Graduate Student Talks at the UP Anthropology Museum" (bahagi ng pagdiriwang ng pagbubukas ng bagong UP Museo Anthro), Bulwagang Palma, UP Diliman, Lungsod, hapon ng ika-28 ng Pebrero, 2007. Pasasalamat sa mga unang nakarinig ng papel na ito nang aking basahin at nagbigay ng mga mahahalagang komento: Prop. Carlos Tatel, Jr., Prop. Rosa Castillo, mga kaklase sa Anthropology 219, at mga mag-aaral ng Anthropology 219. Marami ring salamat kay Dr.Rolando S. Fernando, II ng Departamento ng Agham Pampulitika para sa mga karagdagang komento nang ang papel ay mapili sa CSSP Summer Fellowships 2007. [2] Si G. Michael Charleston "Xiao" B. Chua, 23, ay kasalukuyang instruktor at mag-aaral ng masterado sa Departamento ng Kasaysayan, Unibersidad ng Pilipinas sa Diliman, kung saan din siya nagtapos ng kanyang BA sa Kasaysayan (2005). Siya ay tubong Lungsod ng Tarlac at kasamang awtor ng Mga Dakilang Tarlakin (Diliman, Lungsod Quezon: Bahay Saliksikan ng Tarlakin at Balanghay Kalinangan, 2007). Abstract (English): I have long been fascinated with the former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos (and for eight years now, I have read and studied her life and deeds. But I realized I really never knew the "extent" of being "Imeldific" until I visited the Sto. Nino Shrine (Romualdez Museum) in Tacloban City in Leyte Province, Philippines, the mansion she ordered built in the early 1980's. The paper is both reportage of my 25 October 2006 visit, and reflection on the meaning of the museum. Using Kapanahong Kasaysayan (method of writing contemporaneous history as different from contemporary history and investigative journalism as defined by the West), the reflections will be corroborated with data from her biographers and statements of people close to the first lady, including the author's interview with Madam Marcos herself, and will be contextualized to Philippine history and culture. According to Carmen Navarro-Pedrosa, she never lived in the mansion, it "was meant only to be viewed." The house cum museum reflects the official representation of the first lady's past and her role as mother of the country. The design of the house and the many objects collected from all over the archipelago and the world show, not only the great wealth and power that she gained, but also her claim of foreign and aristocratic origins, "I was born ostentatious. They will list my name in the dictionary someday. They will use 'Imeldific' to mean ostentatious extravagance." But despite the grandness of it all, the extent of the extravagance of the mansion is but a small part of whatever power and wealth Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos had during their conjugal presidency. The many objects inside the mansion also conveys a representation of the first lady that she wanted to make her people and the world believe: A woman with aristocratic origins who is destined to lead, along with her many titles: The Rose of Tacloban; The Muse of Manila; the Compassionate First Lady from the Philippines who brought love and so many other beautiful things to her people and to the world; Iron Butterfly; the mythical Maganda (Beauty), the first Filipina, therefore, Mother Philippines herself; the Goddess of Beauty who rose from the sea. In my opinion, she wanted to show an image of herself just like the ancient Filipino Babaylan-narrator of the people's story, healer of physical and social ills, spiritual leader of the people-the bearer of "ginhawa"-Lady Bountiful. Despite the deliberate attempt to hide the painful past and personality of the first lady, the Sto. Nino Shrine is still a reminder of a dark truth. The mansion is a reflection of the megalomania that is actually in all of us: grandiose dreams of power and wealth for ourselves. The mansion also reminds us of the danger of being able to fulfilling these grandiose, or should we say Imeldific, dreams. Whatever representation a personality or an institution would desire to ingrain in the national memory through text and concrete, and however great power is used to establish this representation, in the end, it is the experience and socialization of the individual which will determine his image of that historical figure. The individual has the prerogative not to believe such fabricated image especially if it doesn't square with one's experience of history. To each his own Imelda, to each his own Imeldific. ------------------------------ Tags: xiao, imelda biography 0 comments share Blog ANG MAYNILA NI IMELDA: Sa wakas! thesis proposal defense na Aug 14, '07 10:36 PM Entry mamaya! for everyone Sana po ay isama niyo po ako sa panalangin niyo sapagkat mamaya sa ganap na ala-1 po ay dedepensahan ko na ang aking panukalang tesis-masterado. Ang aking tagapayo ay si Dr. Ricardo Trota Jose at ang aking panel ay sina Dr. Evelyn Miranda at Dr. Ma. Luisa Camagay. Ito po ang abstrak ng aking magiging tesis. ANG MAYNILA NI IMELDA: Karanasan, Kapangyarihan, Kaisipan at Kinahinatnan (1965-1986) (Isang Kapanahong Kasaysayan at Biograpiya) "Our dream for Manila is to create a city of man. Our hope for the world is to create cities for humanity."[1] -Imelda Romualdez Marcos PANIMULA Kung tagal lamang ng saklaw ng panahon ang pag-uusapan, masasabing napakaimportanteng nang yugto sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas ang administrasyon ni Pang. Ferdinand E. Marcos. At isang aspekto ng administrasyon na magandang tingnan ay ang papel ng kanyang unang ginang na si Imelda Romualdez-Marcos, bukod sa pagiging diplomat at pagiging "the other president," kundi ang kanyang mga plano at nagawa para sa / kaugnay ng Maynila. Nais saliksikin at unawain ng may-akda ang impact ng kanyang mga proyekto para sa pangkabiserang rehiyon ng bansa, hindi lamang sa Kalakhang Maynila, kundi pati na rin sa mas malaking Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas. Bukod pa dito, nais makita ang relasyon ni Imelda sa Maynila at mailagay ito sa isang madaling maunawaang pagsasapanahon. At upang makita ng mas malaliman sa teoretikal na perspektibo ang ugnayang Imelda/Maynila, piniling talakayin ito gamit ang metodo ng Kapanahong Kasaysayan. ------------------------------ [1] Marcos, Imelda Romualdez, "Earth: The City of Humanity," sa The Compassionate Society and Other Selected Speeches (Maynila: National Media Production Center, 1977), 155. Tags: imelda biography, xiao 0 comments share Blog Marcos family launch books on the late Philippine dictator's years Jul 17, '07 6:13 AM Entry in power for everyone http://sg.news.yahoo.com/ap/20070707/twl-as-gen-philippines-marcos-ef384bd.html Marcos family launch books on the late Philippine dictator's years in power By TERESA CEROJANO The Associated Press Saturday, July 7, 2007 MANILA, Philippines: The family of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos launched seven books on Saturday that aim to give a kinder view of his 20-years in power as president, including former aides' accounts of his years in office. The books and the Marcos Presidential Center within the National Library were launched on July 7, 2007, because Marcos considered seven a lucky number, his family said. "It is time that we respect what was past and what was part of our story, and it is time indeed that all these stories be told ... as many times as they need to be told until they are heard," said the late president's eldest daughter, former House Rep. Imee Marcos. Apparently alluding to the many unfavorable accounts of her father's year's in office, she said it was important "that history write both sides of the story, or better yet, write all sides of the story." A "people power" revolt ousted Marcos in February 1986, forcing him and his family to flee to Hawaii, where he died in exile in 1989. The Marcoses have been accused of amassing billions of dollars in alleged ill-gotten wealth, and of alleged human rights violations. The government said it has recovered at least US$1.7 billion in cash and assets from the Marcoses and their associates over two decades, including Swiss bank deposits worth at least US$680 million. The launching of the books and the library comes at a time when the Marcoses have been recovering some of their seized assets, and seeing the dismissal of ill-gotten wealth cases filed against them. Court records released Friday showed an anti-graft court has dismissed the government's claim to over 220 million pesos (US$4.78 million; EUR3.52 million) in Marcos deposits at the Security Bank and Trust Company, saying prosecutors have failed to back up the 10-year-old case with evidence. "This is really bringing out the truth about the Marcoses who I think played a very major role for 20 years in this country's history," Marcos' widow, Imelda, said in a speech at the book launch, attended by her children, grandchildren and former officials of the Marcos government. "The Marcos era ... really set the foundation of our nationhood." At a press forum on Thursday, she protested against the "dictator" tag given to her late husband, calling him "a great democrat" who held 15 elections and plebiscites during his term to consult the people. http://services.inquirer.net/mobile/07/07/09/html_output/xmlhtml/20070708-75458-xml.html 07-07-07 with the Marcoses Sylvia L. Mayuga INQUIRER.net July 08, 2007 MANILA, Philippines -- With Al Gore's Live Earth concert accessible from Manila only in cyber space, where else would this Filipino's sense of history land in the Philippine time zone than in the National Library on 07-07-07 - with Imelda, Imee, Irene and Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., their nuclear families, sympathetic relatives and graying loyalists? No formal invitation came for the Inquirer media or the other broadsheets as they apparently did for the tabloids, the wire agencies and ABC-5, but here we all were anyway. Serendipity had unexpectedly delivered an EDSA veteran to the Presidents' Room, Filipiniana section for the launching of 7 books on the Marcos era 21 years since it ended. Divided by 3, 21 is also a 7. But what's this talk about numbers? For those too young or too new to this story to appreciate what it is about the number 7 and the Marcoses, the reason is numerological. What Westernized reason calls "superstition" and psychology calls "intuition" had the late President Ferdinand Marcos believing in the power of this number to enlist cosmic forces to his side in a long life of major warring, not the least of them Cold War between communism and capitalism. Laughing, Imee admitted to me that it was she who decided on 07-07-07 as a fortuitous date to launch those 7 books - "telling the truth," as her mother put it, on different aspects of the Marcos era 21 years later. The whole thing began when the former National Library director Serafin Quiazon requested the Marcos family to turn over the late president's papers to the library for posterity's sake. Then UP Professor of History Samuel K. Tan suggested writing those books. Dr. Tan was the man to make that suggestion. It was he who ran "the Mindanao desk" for the first Marcos history-writing project that produced the two-volume book "Tadhana" in the `70s. Signed by an absolute ruler as author, "Tadhana" not only put the scholarly reputations of its ghost writers in serious question. They also failed to inspire the nation to the lofty "transformation of oligarchic Philippine society" that was President Marcos's stated ideal for the declaration of martial law. That part of history and the Marcoses remained unspoken, however, as his eldest child, now old enough to be a congresswoman, greeted the launching crowd. Imee introduced her mother as "First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos," referred to Cesar Virata as "Prime Minister" and affectionately acknowledged the presence of "Cabinet members" Cedito (Placido) Mapa and Badong (Salvador) Escudero, former NFA director Jess (Jesus) Tanchanco, the famous Turing (Arturo) Pacificador, Teddy (Teodoro) Encarnacion and Gen. Pete (Pedro) Dumol. The nicknames and clubby back-patting were followed by Madame Imelda Marcos intoning, "This country can be great again," segued by the National Library Choir singing "Pamulinawen" and "Dahil sa Iyo" - weaving in the last strands of a time warp where the past is present, with the grinning portrait of a youthful Ferdinand Marcos at the peak of his powers taking pride of place on a library wall. Back then, it was said and widely believed that the power of 7 was indeed working for him - until two more crucial 7's came into play: Feb. 7, 1986, the date of the snap elections he had to suddenly call under U.S. pressure, and January 25, the birth date of his unexpected challenger for the presidency, Cory Aquino. Again, for the newbies, numerology adds 2 and 5 to make 7. The way these two other 7's turned the tide of Philippine history against the Marcoses had just been pointed out to me by an astrologer the night before. Stranger was how that astrologer also set off an unexpected turn of events that led to my unplanned, last-minute presence at the National Library on 07-07-07. There was no chance just then for journalist's banter on the subject with Imee, whose occultist bent is a match for her father's. But as the crowd of Marcos loyalists and aging Blue Ladies thinned, Professor Tan's earnest remark became the last word, echoing remarks increasingly circulating in Filipino art and culture circles today: "It's time to look back," he said. Had the moment indeed come for public reassessment of the Marcos era's impact on Philippine history weighed against the record of his successors Aquino, Ramos, Estrada and Arroyo and where the nation is today? By now, the unease of a stranger in a strange land had vanished as Professor Tan's words summoned back a moving personal experience of his finely nuanced understanding of Islamic Mindanao as peace talks with the MNLF began on the first year of the Cory government. Among the political "outs" under a new government, Sammy Tan lent me his wisdom and scholarship from the sidelines. His own passion for history had helped me immeasurably in telescoping three centuries of history for a TV documentary called "Autonomy or War: The MNLF Report" in 1987. That effort 20 years ago had also become the Filipino people's property at the UP Department of History, I mused as I walked out of the National Library with a heavy bag of books. Who knows what students it may have guided to the right perspective of continuing restiveness and division that keeps this nation from jelling? This division was part of the evening's experience. Without Marcos loyalist credentials or P5000 plus handy in my pocket, Imee gave me an initial runaround while trying to acquire those books published by "The Marcos Presidential Center" to bring home and examine. But I did, in the spirit of the accident and the openness of Irene Araneta that took me to smack to the bosom of Marcos country on 07-07-07. More on the books themselves next week when I've had enough bookworm time with Remigio Agpalos's "A Hero in History," Dr. Samuel K. Tan's "The Filipino Military Tradition," Benjamin Domingo's "The Marcos Foreign Policy," Antonio Hila's "The Musical Arts in the New Society" and Reynaldo P. Silvestre's "The AFP During and After Martial Law." The other two books, "The FM Law Book" whose authorship is written simply as "U.P. Law," and "Light This Beloved Land," whose authorship is written as "Rural Electrification Advocate of the Philippines" (REAP) were simply too large and expensive to bring home just yet. They will surely tell more stories the nation still needs to learn. If there's one thing 21 years have taught me, it's that propaganda has not been an exclusive preserve of Marcos rule. Now I can hardly wait to discover whether the Marcoses, the community of Filipino scholars and the rest of the nation have learned, or at least begun to learn, enough history to finally stop repeating it. Respond to: slmayuga@yahoo.com http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2121700,00.html Marcos clan publish 'bright' side of dictator's life Teresa Cerojano and Associated Press in Manila Monday July 9, 2007 The Guardian The family of the late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos has launched seven books that aim to give a kinder view of his 20 years in power, including former aides' accounts of his years in office. The books and the Marcos Presidential Centre within the national library were launched on July 7 2007, because Marcos considered seven a lucky number, his family said. "It is time that we respect what was past and what was part of our story, and it is time indeed that all these stories be told ... as many times as they need to be told until they are heard," said Marcos's eldest daughter, Imee. Alluding to the many unfavourable accounts of her father's year's in office, she said it was important "that history write both sides of the story, or better yet, write all sides of the story". A "people power" revolt ousted Marcos in February 1986, forcing him and his family to flee to Hawaii, where he died in exile in 1989. The Marcoses have been accused of fraudulently amassing billions of dollars and of alleged human rights violations. The government said it has recovered at least $1.7bn (-L-846m) in cash and assets from the Marcoses and their associates over two decades. The launch of the books and the library comes at a time when the Marcoses have been recovering some of their seized assets. Marcos's widow, Imelda, who was at Saturday's launch, said in a speech: "This is really bringing out the truth about the Marcoses who I think played a very major role for 20 years in this country's history. The Marcos era ... really set the foundation of our nationhood." The launch was also attended by her children, grandchildren and former officials of the Marcos government. Tags: imelda biography 1 comment share Blog Entry QUOTES: Evita and Imelda On Dressing Up Jun 2, '07 12:40 AM for everyone The poor like to see me beautiful... They do not want to be protected by a poorly dressed woman. You see, they dream about me. How can I let them down? --Eva Peron, quoted from Alicia Dujovne Ortiz, Eva Peron, trans. Shawn Fields (New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1997) p. 156. Sabi ko doon mismo maliit pa ako sabi ko, pagka ako naging VIP kung isang oras akong pagbibihis para sa kapwa ko VIP pagpunta ko sa probinsya sa Tondo, sa mga mahihirap, dukha at maralita ako nagbibihis ng dalawang oras, kasi sila naghahanap ng isang ilaw sa karimlan, they're looking for someone to look up to, they want somebody who is a standard, magbibigay sa kanila ng kasiyahan, and they, they ask me when I was First Lady, Mrs. Marcos, what is your role as a First Lady? I had to be a star to look up to and standard, I have to be a slave that everybody becomes a star. S and S, Star and Slave because you were mother eh, because you were mother of a big way of selfless and endless giving.... --Imelda Marcos, Interview by Michael Charleston Chua and Co., 26 August 2004 Tags: evita quotes, imelda quotes 0 comments share Blog Entry QUOTES: Imelda On Evita Jun 2, '07 12:39 AM for everyone Imelda hated it (the musical Evita) and banned the play from performances in the Philippines. "I'm not a whore," she would proclaim when someone, usually from the foreign press, would indelicately compare the two. --Quoted from Charles C. McDougald, The Marcos File (San Francisco: San Francisco Publishers, 1987), p. 133. When I was asked who is your idol in World History? Was it Cleopatra, was it Shiva (sic-Batsheeba?), was it Eva Peron. Neither! Not one of them, why? Because they used beauty for conquest, beauty for seduction, and beauty even for prostitution, and so when I thought, when I was being interviewed and of all interviews the Playboy magazine, "who's your idol Mrs. Marcos?" I said the Blessed Virgin Mary and of course they ridiculed me and laughed at me. But it was true because I could not find somebody known in history and in the world as somebody...How did they use beauty? Beauty is for giving, beauty is for nurturing, caring, for love... --Imelda Marcos, Interview by Michael Charleston Chua and Co., 26 August 2004 Tags: imelda quotes, eva peron biography 0 comments share Blog Entry A GRANDNIECE ON EVITA May 30, '07 6:57 AM for everyone http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/mycentury/transcript/wk39d2.shtml Broadcast on Tuesday 28th September 1999 BBC WORLD SERVICE: MY CENTURY CHRISTINA ALVAREZ RODRIGUEZ IN SPANISH ENGLISH VOICEOVER My name is Christina Alvarez Rodriguez. I am the President of the Eva Peron Historical Investigation Foundation (http://www.evitaperon.org/). I am also related to Evita. I am her grand-niece. My grandmother, Blanca Eduarda Rodriguez, was the sister of Eva Peron. My knowledge of her is one of the heart, because I couldn't know her personally, as I was born in 1967 and Evita died in 1952. Her life was made up of great decisions. She decided to go to live in the capital, to be an artist, at a time when it was difficult to be an artist, and more difficult still for a woman. Ten years later, she met Peron. Her public life was demanding. Her working day would run from seven in the morning until two or three the next morning. For example, she would directly attend the people that would go to the Peron Social Help Foundation. They went there knowing they could wait and be seen by Evita, and that they were going to be able to explain their needs. She had a lot of contact with people and felt the pain of people as if it were her own. When Eva became the First Lady of Argentina, all of her family came to live in the capital with her - including my grandmother, who was a teacher and worked in the Ministry of Education. I can speak about Evita's childhood. Evita was a very lively child. And my grandmother says that she spent her childhood playing and creating. She was very creative and was always reciting and singing. And my great-grandmother would call the five children "her little tribe". And Evita was the leader. One sister tells of when Evita was eight. There was no television, only the radio. And Evita came into the room which she shared wth her sister Herminda. And this was when she was just eight. She was all dressed up, with a long dress and with her hair braided and with my great-grandmother's lipstick on. And so the rest of her sisters said: "Evita, what are you doing? Are you going to a party?" And she replied: "No, girls. Don't you know that Braslavsky's playing tonight on the radio, and we have to listen and we have to dress up?" If we think about the most famous events in which Evita took part, there are certain strong images which come into my head. An image of the political Evita is that, on the 22nd of August 1951, when Evita announced that she was not going to accept the position of Vice-President, in front of 2,000 people, she made her announcement from the heart and head. This is the strongest thing I remember about her: that she rejected the honour but not the political fight. I think that they have constructed many myths about Evita. There is a white myth, which was constructed within the Peronist movement, in which they speak of a Saint Evita. After, we have the black myth, which is the myth constructed after 1955, when the military overthrew the constitutional government of Peron. And this myth is one of an absolute monarch Evita. She's a prostitute, without scruples - an ambitious person. And after there is the red Evita, the Evita of the '70s, the revolution. After this, we have a transparent Evita. It's an Evita of the films, the operas, the musicals, of fashion, who is logically represented by Madonna. Well, if we have to speak or think about the true Evita, it seems that we have to think about a woman of action who, in just six years of work, without occupying a political post, did a great work of social work for Argentina and the world. An Evita who made mistakes and abused power. But she was a very ethical woman, because she believed fundamentally in what she did: to try to make equal all the people of Argentina. Tags: eva peron biography 0 comments share Blog Entry GUARDIAN NEWS: Eva Peron's lying-in-state May 30, '07 6:48 AM for everyone Eva Peron's lying-in-state Many Injured in Crowd