Hebe had felt out of place during an official ceremony at the Libertador Hotel in Buenos Aires, surrounded by soldiers in their full dress. She had accepted the invitation only after discussing it with the other mothers, her old friends, and, together, they had come to the conclusion that it was worth going. They were presenting a report of the Ministry of Defence on the equality of the sexes and on the role of women in the Army, a role which is crucial since women have distinguished themselves as strong and determined.

Apologize. At the end of the ceremony, the elderly mother of desaparecidos was sneaking off, a white scarf on her head, as usual, the symbol of the 30-year-old struggle engaged by the mothers of Plaza de Mayo for justice and against impunity. “Could we have a word with you?” she was asked by a group of five or six women soldiers stepping towards her with a stern look. “We wish to apologize to you for what happened”. Then they just gazed at each other in silence. “That was all. We couldn’t say anything else. At the end we simply greeted each other. I was really touched.” That was the first time a mother was offered a soldier’s apologies in 30 years and in that group there were officers, too.

“They are women belonging to the Army who dissociate themselves from what happened in the past and they thought that that was the right occasion to communicate their views to me”, added Hebe, “I think it was really brave and heartfelt, I definitely did not expect anything like that in such a place. I can’t say if it was something decisive, what I know is that, sometimes, small moves bring about big changes.”

Pictures to remember. Now Hebe and las madres are getting ready to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the Association with this recent unforeseen and surprising result. In April there is a month-long programme of events and lectures with a final concert in Plaza de Mayo featuring outstanding South-American guests. South-American and European delegations are expected to come and the mothers will welcome them with special lessons and guided tours to the most interesting places in the city such as a new area and some factories whose building and restoring respectively they have promoted. The anniversary will be also celebrated with a photographic book about the history of the Association and with a photo exhibition at the National Museum in Parque Lezama. Besides the final concert, there will be at least two more musical events. The first one will take place at the Cervantes Theatre where the composition which won the competition “Winning Death for Thirty Years” will be played, while the second concert will be performed by the Juan de Dios Filiberto Orchestra.

An opportunity no to be missed to remember that the strength of maternal love has been able to knock down the wall of indifference and silence which allowed a bloody dictatorship to subdue Argentina.