Since the death of Diego Maradona, nicknamed ” God “ in his country of origin, the message “Adios”, which means ” Farewell “ but can also be read ” Farewell “, is everywhere: on billboards in Buenos Aires, on the front page of newspapers … This is also what the actress Thelma Fardin has published, caption of a photo of the player, on her Instagram account: ” Farewell. I am waiting for the critics, which are sure to come, saying that as a feminist I cannot publish this. “
The young woman, who was at the end of 2018 at the origin of the #metoo movement in Argentina after accusing actor Juan Darthes of having raped her as a teenager, has drawn the wrath of certain feminist activists: “Thelma, what are you doing? “ ; “After what happened to you, I do not understand that you publish this”… Anticipating criticism, the actress wrote: “Feminism embodies liberation, not accountability. Diego’s football has amazed me throughout my life. ”
The tributes that followed the death, caused by cardiac arrest, “ Pibe de oro ” (“Gamin en or”), have caused a fracture within the feminist movement, extremely active and powerful in Argentina since 2015, year of the first Ni Una Menos demonstration (“ not one less “, massive mobilization against feminicides). Is it possible, as a feminist activist, to salute the memory of a man with a sometimes macho speech, who for years refused to recognize some of his biological children, calls on prostitutes suspected of being underage, and was accused by two ex-companions of physical and psychological violence ?
Gentleness for a man of the left
María Florencia Alcaraz is one of those who thinks so. Journalist and co-director of the feminist site LatFem, she mourns the death of Diego Maradona every day: “I grew up in a family with a passion for football. But Maradona was more than a footballer, he was a vigilante. “ María Florencia Alcaraz particularly appreciated the social and political commitments – Peronist and very marked on the left – of the champion. He had notably campaigned alongside the Mothers of Place de Mai, who are looking for their children who disappeared during the Argentine military dictatorship (1976-1983). “He had a deep class consciousness”, she defends.
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