Ola Uruguay Real Estate and Investments

There is an orientation process involved in moving to and living in a new country. A lot of research happens before you move, but other understanding takes longer to assimilate. I was reminded of this fact recently when we rented a movie.

The residency status granted to immigrants moving to Uruguay does not include the right to vote, so often immigrants remain a bit detached from politics. I had read some of the history of Uruguay, including the time of dissent, protest, and repression that led to the era of military government and the eventual return to civilian government. That period has come back into focus with the campaign and election of Jose Mujica, once a member of the MLN (Movimiento de Liberación Nacional), the Tupamaros.This former guerrilla was not only elected to a majority government, but also has increased significantly in approval ratings according to polls conducted after one hundred days of government.

Now, four and a half decades after those tumultuous political events began to occur, it is easy to forget that Uruguay was not alone at that time in experiencing political unrest with violence. Some other countries with problems included the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, Italy, and Czechoslovakia. It is too easy to be boxed-in by imported political viewpoints or simply by ignorance. As immigrants it seems more pragmatic and intelligent to broaden our understanding. The Uruguayans who have voted are aware of their past and are moving forward. It seems that we should try to understand why.

El Circulo, is a documentary film released in 2008 that focuses on former Tupamaro, Henry Engler. Engler was not just a Tupamaro, but was also one of the nine rehenes (hostages) who were selected for special treatment by the military regime. Engler was a prisoner for thirteen years; eleven in solitary confinement. Mujica was also one of the rehenes.

Today, Engler is a renowned neurologist whose work on Alzheimer’s led to consideration for a Nobel prize. He lives in Sweden. This film follows Engler as he returns to Uruguay and meets some of the other surviving members of the hostages. Through the meetings we learn how Engler, the grandchild of Russian religious refugees who founded a colony at San Javier north of Paysandu, was raised peacefully with a good education, but gradually turned from his study of medicine to become a political activist. It details his violent arrest and subsequent imprisonment. When the select group of hostages were removed from the mainstream prison system and interned in various camps throughout the interior, their lives dragged through years of isolation, torture, and torment. The conversations in the documentary reveal some of the details.

However, Engler survived; later, he thrived. Invited by the government of Sweden to start a new life, he accepted, met and married his Swedish wife, resumed and completed his education, and found an environment where he could work and conduct research. His own mental turmoil during his years of imprisonment led to his interest in the mind. Out of a negative mental state, came forgiveness, and, eventually, great understanding. In fact, Engler has made a special effort to share his scientific knowledge with his country of birth. As the film reveals, the other survivors, most of who remain in Uruguay, have also been able to move on. As one of them said, “We realized the fight was with ourselves.”

It is a remarkable documentary, and I encourage all new arrivals to Uruguay to watch this movie. It is much more than politics; it is an understanding.

El Circulo is in Spanish with English subtitles.