Las Malvinas Son Argentinas
The Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands had been held by Britain for 150 years when Argentina invaded the Islands on 2nd of April 1982.
The Argentines surrendered on 14th of July, after 74 days of war. Though the Argentines surrendered it did not mean that they did not think the Islands still belonged to them. They still believe the islands should belong to Argentina.
On 11th-12th of March a referendum on political status was held on the Islands. The result was that 98.2% of the votes wish to stay British.
Las Malvinas Son Argentinas
“Las Malvinas son Argentine” is the 7th chapter of the travel book “Bad Times in Buenos Aires” by the brit Miranda France. The chapter focuses on the conflict regarding the Falkland Islands. In the chapter she presents multiple opinions she came across during her time in Buenos Aires.
Queuing to pay an electricity bill she had an argument with a man in his sixties. When the man discovers she is british he asks her, like she has been asked many times before, when they (the British) are going to give them (the Argentines) back the Falkland Islands. Normally she would ignore these questions but for a change she replies, “Why do you want them?”. After a short thinking pause he says, “Because they are ours”. He does not have a good argument because they are not taught the history about the Falkland Islands. Nor the fact that the Argentines were not the first ones on the Falkland Islands. As all Argentines he is taught the phrase “Las Malvinas son argentinas” which means “The Falkland Islands are Argentine”, without questioning it. Neither are they taught the history behind it.
Another man she meets is Walter, a veteran of the Falklands war, whom she visits. He tells the horror of being a part of the war and how he thinks the Falkland Islands are a part of the Argentine identity. He believes the Islands will save Argentina from corruption. After meeting Walter she comes to realise that the Islands had come to symbolise everything that Argentina had lost which was a huge loss since Argentina used to be the sixth richest country in the world.
The Falkland Islands had been held by Britain for 150 years when Argentina invaded the Islands on 2nd of April 1982.
The Argentines surrendered on 14th of July, after 74 days of war. Though the Argentines surrendered it did not mean that they did not think the Islands still belonged to them. They still believe the islands should belong to Argentina.
On 11th-12th of March a referendum on political status was held on the Islands. The result was that 98.2% of the votes wish to stay British.
Las Malvinas Son Argentinas
“Las Malvinas son Argentine” is the 7th chapter of the travel book “Bad Times in Buenos Aires” by the brit Miranda France. The chapter focuses on the conflict regarding the Falkland Islands. In the chapter she presents multiple opinions she came across during her time in Buenos Aires.
Queuing to pay an electricity bill she had an argument with a man in his sixties. When the man discovers she is british he asks her, like she has been asked many times before, when they (the British) are going to give them (the Argentines) back the Falkland Islands. Normally she would ignore these questions but for a change she replies, “Why do you want them?”. After a short thinking pause he says, “Because they are ours”. He does not have a good argument because they are not taught the history about the Falkland Islands. Nor the fact that the Argentines were not the first ones on the Falkland Islands. As all Argentines he is taught the phrase “Las Malvinas son argentinas” which means “The Falkland Islands are Argentine”, without questioning it. Neither are they taught the history behind it.
Another man she meets is Walter, a veteran of the Falklands war, whom she visits. He tells the horror of being a part of the war and how he thinks the Falkland Islands are a part of the Argentine identity. He believes the Islands will save Argentina from corruption. After meeting Walter she comes to realise that the Islands had come to symbolise everything that Argentina had lost which was a huge loss since Argentina used to be the sixth richest country in the world.