Name Joan Jara Role Dancer | Children Manuela Bunster | |
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Full Name Joan Alison Turner Born 1927 (age 88–89) England Spouse Victor Jara (m. 1960–1973), Patricio Bunster (m. 1954–1957) Books An unfinished song, Victor: An Unfinished Song, Victor, an Unfinished Song People also search for Victor Jara, Patricio Bunster, Roberto Jara | ||
Frost over the world joan jara 27 june 08
Joan Jara (born 1927) is a British-Chilean dancer, activist, and widow of Chilean icon and folksinger Víctor Jara. Since his death, she dedicated herself to perpetuating the memory of him, his work, and his values. She wrote An Unfinished Song: The Life of Victor Jara in 1984, and founded the Víctor Jara Foundation.
Contents
- Frost over the world joan jara 27 june 08
- Joan jara viuda de victor jara cuenta de que forma pudo obtener el cuerpo de su marido
- Early life and career
- 1973 Coup
- Civil lawsuit
- References
Joan jara viuda de victor jara cuenta de que forma pudo obtener el cuerpo de su marido
Early life and career
Jara was born Joan Alison Turner in England in 1927.
Jara met Víctor at the University of Chile in 1961: he studied theatre and she gave dance classes in the theatre school. At this time, Jara also danced in the national ballet. When she was recovering from an illness once, Víctor brought her flowers that Jara surmises he stole from the park due to his budget. Jara had a daughter less than a year old at this time from a previous husband, from whom she was separated. The daughter and Víctor were close.
1973 Coup
Her husband died in the 1973 coup. He left the morning of the coup to defend the university and was corralled with others into the stadium, which became "a makeshift concentration camp". Jara sought assistance from the British embassy, which was closed. Jara identified his body in the Santiago morgue within a pile of corpses, where his wrists and neck were broken, his abdomen gory, and his body shot with 44 bullets. Before he died, he arranged for a message to be smuggled out of the stadium to his wife, telling her where he had last parked their car and saying that he loved her. He became one of the best-known victims of the coup.
She left Chile in 1973, changed her surname to Jara, and dedicated herself to perpetuating the memory of her husband, his works, and his values. She returned to Chile in 1984 to revive his memory.
In an interview, Jara said the Chilean military would not tell her the names of the officers at the stadium where Víctor died. As court cases proceeded, the military underlings outed their officers. Her lawyer added that the Chilean military has a "pact of silence" against providing information to the families of the disappeared, and that the low-level soldiers' testimony was pivotal to their officer identification efforts.
Civil lawsuit
In 2013, Jara initiated a civil lawsuit against Pedro Barrientos, a former military officer she accuses of being accountable for her husband's death. Barrientos, who has resided in Florida for approximately 20 years, obtained American citizenship via marriage. The legal action was brought under the Torture Victim Protection Act and the Alien Tort Statute. This federal legislation permits U.S. courts to adjudicate on human rights issues originating from abroad. Barrientos and six others were charged in Jara's murder in December 2012 based on a conscript's corroborated testimony.