Not so long ago in Argentina it was pos- sible to be abducted by strong-arm strangers while standing ata bus stop in full daylight. It would not matter if several other people stood there with you. There would be no trial for your kidnappers, and in all likelihood, you would never be seen alive — or even dead — again. Such is still the reality in today’s Chile, the narrow ‘Pacific coastline state that is Argentina’s neighbour. Argentineans, how- ever, through mass political action follow- ing the defeat of the Malvinas/Falkland Islands war, forced their dictators out of office and now many of them face trial under the first civilian rule the country has enjoyed since the mid-70s. In both countries — and in several other Latin American nations where U.S.-backed henchmen rule — it has been the mothers of the victims of state-enacted “disappear- ances” who have brought the situation to world attention, and, in their own way, con- tributed to the eventual downfall of the oppressive regime which killed their child- ren. In Argentina, only 14 such mothers orig- inally braved the death and torture that befell their sons and daughters, by marching in the Plaza de Mayo, outside the govern- ment palace in Buenos Aries. But even before the dictatorship fell, the numbers of “Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo” had swelled to thousands. Many of them now bear witness in court against those accused of murdering some of the more than 30,000 disappeared Argentineans. Las Madres — The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo isa film that tells the story of these courageous women. It plays, along with several other social and political offerings, at the Pacific Cinematheque this month. The showings are presented by IDERA Films, the Vancouver-based organization that has been supplying films and tapes to progressive organizations for the past sev- eral years. Although Pacific Cinematheque is a membership theatre, no card is required BETHUNE: THE 5 MONTREAL YEARS - | By Stanley Ryerson | : $9.95 (paperback) SALE $4.99 DIRTY BUSINESS: The inside story of the garbage agglomerates By Harold Crooks $9.95 (paperback) SALE $2.99 FIRE FROM THE MOUNTAIN: The making of a Sandinista By Omar Cabezaf $18.95 (hardcover) SALE $7.95 (while supplies last) Mail orders please include 50¢ per book. VANCOUVER, B.C. V5L 3X5 TELEPHONE 253-6442 — for the IDERA shows. Promising to be as interesting as Las Madres is Fire From the Mountain, a doc- umentary account of Nicaraguan revolu- tionary fighter and author Omar Cabezas. The film, by director Deborah Shaffer, explores Cabezas’ personal journey from student activist to guerilla fighter against the former Somoza regime to his role in the Sandinista government fighting the U.S. backed contras. An appropriate companion film is Wit- ness to War: An American Doctor in El Salvador. As with the book of the same name, this film, also directed by Shaffer, explores the life of Dr. Charles Clements, a former top-honours Air Force pilot who refused to fly any more bombing missions in Vietnam and who, almost.20 years later, provided medical aid to Salvadoran victims of the bombing by government forces using the same planes Clements flew in Vietnam. Intriguing also is Girls Apart, in which filmmakers Chris Sheppard and Claude Sauvageot interview two teenagers from vastly different backgrounds in South Africa. Contrasted are the views of black student activist and Soweto resident Sylvia, and Sisca, the daughter of a privileged white family. Two Cuban dramas are included: the acclaimed The Last Supper, about an 18th- century slave revolt, and Up to a Certain Point, an examination of post-revolutionary machismo from director Tomas Butierrez Alea, known for his critical dramas and comedies. The schedule of the films is: @ Las Madres: The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, Friday, March 4, 7:30 p.m., and Fire from the Mountain and Witness to War, begin- ning at 9 p.m. Tom Paxton plays March 8 Folk music fans who want to be part ofa recorded audience should take note of a taping this Saturday, March 8, at the Van- couver East Cultural Centre. Renowned social satirist and singer-songwriter Tom Paxton heads a list of performers being CBC Stereo Simply Folk presents SIMPLY FOLK LIVE CBC Stereos national folk music program brings the show west featuring Connie Kaldor Tom Paxton Jim Post Uncle Bonsai Randy Raine-Reusch Rick Scott Peter Paul Van Camp Performances will be taped for future broadcast March 8, 8 pm Vancouver East Cultural Centre 10 « Pacific Tribune, March 2, 1988 For Reservations taped for the CBC-FM show, Simply Folk. Humour promises to be the major item on the bill, which includes singer Jim Post, Seattle trio Uncle Bonsai, drummer Randy Raine-Reusch, Vancouver singer and actor Rick Scott and poet Peter Paul Van Camp. Tickets are $10 (call 254-9578) and the per- formance begins at 8 p.m. Simply Folk, hosted by Winnipeg Folk Music Festival organizer Mitch Podolak, airs every Saturday morning at 11:30. a ell FT oebilinn F LAWYER a Uncontested divorce $150 (plus disb.) Conveyancing $150 (plus disb.) Incorporation $200 (plus disb.) Probate of will $500 (plus disb.) Wills $50 ICBC Welfare/UIC appeal Contingency fee agreement No fee 108-2182 West 12th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. V5K 2N4 Telephone 732-7678 call 254-9578 Story of ‘Las Madres’ tops films list Police surround mothers of disappeared persons in Las Madres. © Fire from the Mountain and Children in Debt, Saturday, March 19, 7:30 p.m., and Martin Chambi and the Heirs of the Incas; Our God The Condor, at 9:15 p.m. ® Girls Apart and several short docu- mentaries from director Santiago Alvarez, Saturday, March 26, 7 p.m., and Naked Spaces: Living is Round, at 9 p.m. Up to a Certain Point, Saturday, April 2, 7:30 p.m., and The Last Supper, at 9 p.m. Admission for all films is $3 per single, $5 for the double bill. Pacific Cinematheque is at 1131 Howe St., Vancouver. Brecht-Weill featured “He who laughs has not heard the bad news,’ German poet, playwright and left- winger Bertolt Brecht states. But those who have gone to see Threepenny Opera at the Firehall Theatre in Vancouver have proba- bly been laughing anyway. An organization called The Vancouver Season is helping to spread Brecht’s sar- donic humour and insight, and the music of collaborator Kurt Weill, around Greater Vancouver, with a series of performances, . lectures and discussions entitled The Brecht Coincidence. It runs through most of March. Performances include Threepenny Opera, running at the Firehall Theatre, 280 E. Cor- dorva St., until March 12; The Brecht Cabaret, March 3-6 at the Fringe Club in Vancouver (873-3646); Happy End, at the Richmond Gateway Theatre (270-1812), March 17-26. Other events: a showing of the film Mut- ter Courage at the Goethe Institute, 944 W. 8th Ave., Vancouver, March 6 at 7 p.m.; A discussion, “The Brecht I Knew,” with stage director Uta Birnbaum, who worked with Brecht in East Germany, at the Goethe Institute on March 13 at 3 p.m.; “The Brecht-Weill Partnership” with live and recorded music at the Richmond Gateway Theatre on March 20 at 3 p.m.; and a roundtable discussion, ‘“Why Brecht? Why Now?” at the Arts Club Review Theatre on Granville Island, March 27 at 3 p.m. i For more information on these and addi- — tional events, phone Simon Fraser Univer- sity (downtown) at 687-2677 or 685-6911.