is brewing Reynaldo Sietecase (Rosario, Argentina, 1961), one of the most prestigious journalists and writers in Argentina –interviewed in LD already in 2019 on the occasion of the publication of his first poetic anthology in Spain–, a new novel and another book stripped of fiction. His stories, carnivorous, violent, passionate and political, have become the meat of the seventh art: the film adaptation of an Argentine crime it’s going off the deep end and, furthermore, a Spanish production company has just bought the rights to don’t ask for anything. Supervised by their cat Teo, LD talk to the alma mater of the vast minoritythe successful magazine that is broadcast on Radio con Vos, about how things are going there, about democracy, journalism and, of course, about how they see us from ten thousand kilometers away.
Q: Mr. Sietecase, is abandonment still the great Argentine brand?
R: Abandonment characterizes the Argentinean from the coast, the Argentinean immigrant who came from the boats and who, in general, produced a “poetics of abandonment.” Jung and Freud say that the human mammal is the only one that, if abandoned, has a great chance of dying. The fear of abandonment is constitutive of the human being and, in particular, it is an Argentine brand. Most of the poets, especially tango, who are after the 20’s and 30’s, had multiple abandonments: that of the homeland, that of the family and, in the case of the Italians, that of the language. Yes, there is something of that in certain poetics that is found in music, in art and even in the theater, right? You see Darín and you don’t see him as a comedian, but as someone who tells the story.
P: And in politics?
R: We have all the vices and virtues of mixing Spanish and Italian. We are passionate, chaotic and messy. I think that the Spanish, when they come to Argentina, realize that, even with the complexity of Peronism…
Q: What the hell is Peronism?
R: It is a disruptive element, difficult to explain. A political force that has been in force for seventy years and that welcomes sectors of the left, right, liberals, progressives, populists in the same house… And even with this complexity, I think that the Spanish, here, are not so overwhelmed: there are things that are common. One sees what happens in Italy, for example, and Argentina is not so different. The Argentine model is similar to the Spanish and Italian ones.
P: The worldMarch 14, 2023: “Argentina exceeds all of Spain’s annual inflation in one month.” What happens to the patient?
R: It is almost inexplicable: Argentina has 102% annual inflation. Last month, it had 6.6% monthly inflation: it is what Latin American or European countries have in a year. I am not an economics specialist, but Argentina has a bi-monetary economy, everyone runs away from the peso. It is rare for a country in which its population does not want its currency, and that makes everything more difficult when it comes to planning and ordering. I think Argentina should have a plan ten years from now to lower inflation. For that, political consensus and agreements are needed. It is obvious that you have to spend less than what comes in, you have to issue fewer coins, but, in turn, there are structural problems in Argentina that generate inflation. And that requires long-term projects. You can lower inflation with a shock, but the consequences could be catastrophic.
Q: As Kuznets said, “There are four kinds of countries: developed, developing, Japan, and Argentina.”
R: Because Japan, without resources, has an extraordinary development model, and Argentina, with all the resources, does not have harmonious development. It’s like a mystery Argentina.
P: Orson Welles, one the third man: “In Italy, in thirty years of Borgia domination, there were wars, killings, assassinations… But also Michelangelo, Leonardo and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, on the contrary, they had five hundred years of love, democracy and peace. And what was the result? The cuckoo clock!” whatthat happens to you?
R: A little, it’s true. Argentina, in the midst of chaos, produces wonderful things: Borges, Messi, Maradona, Piazzola, Barenboim… I don’t know what relationship there is between art and political news. Brecht said: “In dark times, will it be sung too?” And he answered himself: “It will also be sung about the gloomy times.” Someone always sings. In Argentina, you can see the glass half empty if you look at the economy. But now, this year, we celebrate forty years of democracy. It is the longest period of democracy in the history of Argentina. And in social rights there has been extraordinary progress. However, in socioeconomic matters, it is becoming poorer, more indigent, and educational degradation is increasing. It’s very strange… (Think) In human rights, Argentina’s policy regarding judging State crimes is exemplary. But, at the same time, when you see what has happened at the socioeconomic level, the forty years of democracy have been for the worse. That is why I say that it is a very unique country. I wish, at some point, we were more normal (laughs).
Q: By the way, what does Argentina get from the political situation we are experiencing in Spain?
R: I am a journalist and I am more attentive to everything that happens. I watched, very carefully, the entire process of Podemos and that of Vox. In America, the non-democratic right has much more violent characteristics than in Europe. It is probable that we will have to end up defending democracy, even with all its defects, as a bastion that guarantees freedom. Even with all its problems, democracy does not satisfy everyone, it does not guarantee decent work or decent housing, at least in America… but the process of disbelief in democracy must be reversed. One can defend freedom with a full belly, but when you have 40% poor, suddenly, a Bukele can appear, as he appeared in El Salvador, he boasts of a heavy hand, puts criminals in jail, supposedly, and grows the risk that, in exchange for more security and a certain basic income, freedom will be limited. For me, it is the great risk that democracy has on this continent.
Q: Let’s talk about freedom of the press: have you always said or written what you wanted?
R: Yes Yes. The truth is that, in that aspect, everything is said here. Later, it can be discussed, and it seems necessary to me, because we are further behind than Western European countries, it is the regulation of the amount of media that companies have. For me, there cannot be groups that have dominant positions, because they end up being power factors. It is a discussion that costs a lot. Here, a few years ago there was a media law, then it was repealed… There should be a consolation law and say: “What is the media map that democracy allows for things to work well?” In general, in Latin America there are large concentrated groups: here it is Clarion; in Mexico, Televisa; in Brazil, The globe… It seems to me that having the regulations that Western countries have, such as the Spanish or the United States, would already be revolutionary in Latin America.
Q: Is self-censorship confused with prudence?
R: Don’t know. I don’t see that there is a lot of self-censorship in Argentina, I think there is a lot of freedom. Then there are the conditions that someone in a private environment who has particular interests may have. The logic of the crack, as it is called here in Argentina, has led to highly segmented media. I call them “journalism for the fans”: many messages are issued to ratify the prejudices that listeners, viewers, readers already have…
Q: And they put you in “Central Korea”.
R: I don’t like the name very much, but I understand the logic by which there are people who place me there: there is North Korea, South Korea, and a small sector of journalism that is trying to get out of that logic, to break with the swollen Let’s see, if we go to a soccer match, and your team beat mine 2-1, I can write the Time.news I want, but the result is 2-1, we lost. Here the result is changed: the truth stopped being important at one point. The truth was something that was not touched and, at some point, that was broken: to please the fans, my audience, they began to falsify the facts.
P: ¿LAre you still enthusiastic about the exercise of journalism?
R: Yes, but a little less. I’m a bit exhausted from this binary logic. It seems lazy to me. The reality is very complex. I refuse to categorize things into good and bad, and I start to have some wear on that look. Luckily, I found the refuge of literature, which has allowed me to come and go, to come and go… I try to suggest, not only me, there are many of us who try to escape from this logic of good and bad, that reality is much more complex. This implies an effort that, moreover, is not usually rewarded by the audience. Audiences feel more comfortable with simplification. Sometimes they tell me on television: “Make a thick line.” No, they pay me to do fine lines! I try to do something else. It’s my way, and I don’t even know if it’s the best. I don’t want to teach ethics or morals classes to anyone.
Q: in what fregaos literary are you involved?
R: I am with a finished novel that I hope to publish at the end of the year, with another non-fiction book… I am always trying to write.
Q: And finally, do you plan to visit Spain in the short term?
R: Hopefully. The rights to my latest novel were sold, don’t ask for anything, to a Spanish production company. It is a good excuse to travel.