The Obelisk illuminated with the image of Maradona on Thursday night (Credit: City Government)
Editor's Note:
Pedro Brieger is an Argentine journalist and sociologist, author of several books and contributor to publications on international issues.
He is currently the director of Nodal, a portal dedicated to news from Latin America and the Caribbean.
He is also a television columnist on C5N in Argentina and on the program «En la frontera» on PúblicoTV (Spain), and on Argentine radio on Radio10, La Red, La Tribu and LT9-Santa Fe. Throughout his career, Brieger has received important awards for his informative work on radio and television in Argentina.
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author.
(CNN Spanish) -
Diego Armando Maradona's public wake was one of the most impressive in recent decades, and not only due to the fact that a popular figure was fired.
Also due to its characteristics: it is not very common for thousands of people at a funeral to mix the cry of pain with the joy of singing;
something, a priori, inexplicable.
A Diego Maradona fan lines up to enter the Casa Rosada for the soccer star's wake on November 26, 2020 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
(Credit: Rodrigo Valle / Getty Images)
As I approached the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, an emblematic place of the popular demonstrations, to attend the wake, I wondered how thousands of people would do to fire their idol in the middle of a pandemic and with the government's recommendations to keep their distance. which, of course, were not fulfilled.
Under a sun that split the earth, people huddled together defied the covid-19, sang and danced in front of the Casa Rosada, the government house, which sported a gigantic black crepe.
Thousands sang "maradó maradó" or "diegoooo diegoooo" extending the letter "o" to infinity.
And of course, how could it be otherwise, against the English;
remembering the victory of the 1986 World Cup. They sang and jumped with that way of jumping so characteristic of Argentine soccer stadiums, when there were no individual seats that limit the collective movement, a song that was transferred to popular demonstrations in the streets.
(Tomas Cuesta / Getty Images)
During the proscription of Peronism, between 1955 and 1973, in the stadiums people sang "Give him champion, give him champion" to encourage their favorite team with the music of the chorus of the Peronist march that says "Perón, Perón, how great you are."
Popular lore channeled its rebellion through an apparently sporting spirit, because Peronism and the popular are in the veins of this country.
And in Maradona's veins.
The popular represented by humble, poor people, who have few joys in life.
For this reason, despite its recognized problems, the word joy is the one that is repeated the most in the testimonies.
As in that of that man, who before the television cameras on a makeshift altar with candles said that while they had nothing to eat, Diego gave happiness to the poor.
As it happened in Naples, where Maradona, arriving in the 80s of the last century, said that he wanted to be the idol of the poor children of that city.
Deacon Ricky Carrizo explained it to me very clearly: “Do you know what happens Pedro?
The poor man is the only one who understands the poor and Diego never forgot his origins ”.
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At one point there is a confrontation between a small group and the police, while others try - and manage - to enter the very Casa Rosada, where President Alberto Fernández is.
But do not spread panic.
«Calm down, calm down ... Don't let the cunic panda!
- Maradona himself would say, playing with the phrase of his great idol Roberto Gómez Bolaños, "they are not coming to take over the Palace."
There is chaos and after a few minutes they withdraw.
Yes, there were riots and some damage, but the matter did not go to major.
A "Maradonian" chaos, how could it be otherwise.
They entered because they wanted to be close to "Diego", as the majority call him.
"El Diego", one more member of the family, the one who brought them the most joy, the one who never forgot his origins, the one who enjoyed facing the most powerful, those who just denigrated him - and still denigrate him - for that that the poorest loved.
And to think that there are people who still believe that a soccer player died.