It was so sad to leave Chile for Lima in such a dramatic fashion in 1974. The coup of the 11th of September of 1973 was a devastating experience for a country accustomed to live in peace and in democracy. My life changed for ever because Sra Yolanda Huapaya, was so worried about me that she invited me to go Lima. She kindly sent me a Braniff ticket to travel to Peru. Afterwards, I had a brief talk with my mother and my uncle to explain of my decision to leave Chile for Peru. Of course, at this point I did not know in which way my life was to going to change or what experiences I was about to have. Once in Peru, the Peruvian family were marvellous giving me a lot of support and encouragement. Not easy to leave my old mother, who depended on me, alone in Chile.
The photographs below shows part of this story: In December 2010, I visited Chile with my wife after an absence of 15 years and it was a marvellous experience. I visited my barrio and I was able to meet friends that I had not seen for 30 and 40 years. I gave a concert for them with a good Chilean bagpiper included. 'Viaje a Chile' above on the left, narrate in Spanish my experience of that journey to Chile.
Recordando
mi barrio y mis amgos a travez de un poema mio
Remembering my barrio its people, my friends.
La Nueva Matucana.
“A famous Santiago’s shanty town which I kew well as it was located, not so far away from my barrio. Padre Antoine Knibily, nacido en Alsacia en 1920, ordenado en Francia en 1945 y que estuvo destinado en Chile desde 1947 por muchos años.
En 1958, decide vivir día y noche en el basural de la Nueva Matucana, en Santiago, junto a miles de desechados de la sociedad, "En medio de la mugre y de las pulgas". Su entrega fue total, hasta el colapso de su sistema nervioso. Esos dolorosos momentos fueron los escogidos por Dios para regalarle un camino diferente para expresar su Amor a Dios y contárselo al mundo: El camino del arte.”
La Nueva Matucana. A chanty town located not so far from my barrio and Antoine Knibily its French Priest.
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