Sitting in one of the armchairs in the living room of her house, she says: “Before he leaves, let him take a sprig of Saint Rita.” On the walls, paintings of all sizes and styles. “Do you want coffee? Water? Something?”. Nestled between pillowswith cane in hand She pretends to be an ordinary grandmother, but, no. It is not.
Dolores Noemí López Candán de Rigoni is Lolín, grandmother of the Plaza de Mayo subsidiary Neuquén and Alto Valle. He holds in his right hand a paper with notes and It pretends that today is just another day. But, neither is it. Lolín, big smile, short gray hair, today, May 8, turns 99 years old.
Lolin puts on her glasses and approaches the paper. She looks over the glass and says: “Throughout my life what I have proposed is”, he lowers his gaze and reads what he wrote a few minutes ago, as a summary, “not lose tenderness, talk to wisdomTo help with strengthkeep the temperancehold the happiness”.
“This I have been doing itperhaps with some flaws,” he says and laughs, “I’m not wonder woman”. Although if the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo are recognized for something, it was their ability to confront the worst evils in history.
From Lolín it can be said that was born in Daireaux, in the province of Buenos Aires. After she moved to May 25, to Buenos Aires, to La Plata, to Bahía Blanca. And In 1965 he set foot in Neuquén. “My husband was an Olivetti typewriter dealer and that’s how we got here.”
It can also be said that he worked 25 years of volunteering at the Castro Rendón Hospital; that She doesn’t have candy like any grandmother but TITAs strategically saved for when one of her seven great-grandchildren visits her, who has a large family with whom she likes to hang out, who accompanied the Zanon workers on their marches; also to those of Neuquén Ceramics; who has a degree Doctor Honoris Causa awarded by the National University of Comahue, which adopted the claim of the textile workers of the “Traful Newen” cooperativealso that of mapuche communities for the restitution of their ancestral lands. And it can also be said that 47 years ago, on April 30, 1977, founded together with Inés Rigo de Ragni the Neuquén and Alto Valle subsidiary of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo.
A few blocks from his house, on the sidewalk of Colegio San Martín, on Argentina Avenue, you can see a plaque with Your son’s name: “Roberto “Champa” Rigoni studied here. Montonero militant. Killed by State Terrorism. 07-01-1953; 04-16-1977. Neuquén x Memory and Justice”.
Roberto Rigoni was kidnapped in Isidro Casanova, province of Buenos Aires, in 1977. After his disappearance, the Rigoni family received a habeas corpus petition and were informed that their son was dead. Four years later they handed him his body. “I never left the Plaza, the fight does not end with a son having been kidnapped and in our case, recovering his remains: we look for them alive, we come out defending life. We defend life by seeking health, education, and well-being for people. We have learned that It’s not just personal, we learned it from our children“Lolin said in an interview last year.
“Inside Mothers of Plaza de Mayo we are non-partisan“, he explains, “our children were all different, some communists, others radicals and so on.” Even so, there is unity in rejecting the statements of Javier Milei and his vice president Victoria Villarruel that deny and vindicate the state terrorism committed during the last civil-military dictatorship. Lolin goes to the bone: “Milei is a despicable person.”. That is the word I feel for him” and asks: “How did we get to that?” and he answers: “it is a setback.”
Today May 8 celebrates with family his 99 years. “Life has given me many opportunities and a very beautiful family. A family very committed to each other. And like every family we have had beautiful moments, others difficult ones. And absences of everyday presences, absences that hurt.”
The celebration is at home. “Will I cook?” She is surprised, “nooo, my grandson will cook. “What are you going to do?” she shouts at him sitting from the couch. Without an answer, she insists: “Potato cake? I reached 99 years old and there is one thing that I have not lost, do you know what it is? He pauses and smiles, “Is the joy noticeable?”.
