Don Nobody and the Bohemian Life of La Pampa
One of them, without hesitation, decided to respond to an article by the first secretary of the Sahrawi Movement for Peace (MSP) recently published in La Provincia and Atalayar. However, instead of refuting ideas and historical facts, he resorted to the classic “shoot the messenger” tactic.
As a tragicomic touch, an Argentine bohemian lost in the Pampas joined the fray. Our anonymous character presents himself as the unofficial spokesperson for the Polisario to counter what I consider to be very mild criticism of the origins of this organization and the systematic marginalization suffered by the Sahrawis in the disputed territory.
His foolishness reaches the point of reproaching newspapers for giving space to free opinion on verifiable historical facts, but—curiously—he does not dare to ask for it himself. And it is not surprising: no decent newspaper would publish a reply signed by a “nobody.”
It is surprising that he invokes courage and extols the “dignity of silence” while turning a deaf ear to the bitter frustration of the indigenous Sahrawis, who have had to face jealously guarded lies and atrocities perpetrated by those he defends. Innocent victims—hundreds of them, perhaps even a relative of Mr. Nobody—stand as silent witnesses to this uncomfortable truth.
Such an attitude is not a mere slip-up: it is complicity bordering on moral indecency. The inevitable question is: what prevents him from showing his face? Perhaps “unmentionable reasons” that accompany those who live comfortably in ambiguity, hoping, perhaps, for some benefit by cozying up to a famous surname.
In any case, it is much more comfortable and profitable to be a armchair patriot from a distance. “Patriotism” over beers in Madrid, tapas in Andalusia, or drinks in Buenos Aires is always easier and involves no risks or sacrifices.
The most absurd, almost tragicomic thing is that today anyone—a nobody with no history or an Argentine hippie who pretends to embody Che on Instagram—feels entitled to lecture those who have buried their dead, exhausted their strength, and spent their days in camps for a cause that they can barely distinguish in other people's stories or Google images.
At least there is the irony of noting that those who have the least at stake are always the ones who shout the loudest. And that those without a name or a face rarely manage to inspire credibility.
