Carmen Aguirre - Something Fierce

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First
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20111017

Born a week after the death of Che Guevara, Carmen Aguirre was always destined to become a revolutionary. After Pinochet's violent coup in Chile in 1973, her family is forced to flee to Canada. And when, a few years later, the Chilean resistance calls for exiled activists to return to fight the cause, Carmen's mother heeds the call. Determined to make mini revolutionaries of her two daughters, she takes them with her - and so Carmen's double life begins. Posing as a westernised teenager by day, at night she is drilled in surveillance techniques, cryptography and subterfuge, not to mention political theory and revolutionary history. It is a time of high excitement, but also one of fear and paranoia, of who to trust, and who to fear.

From Pinochet's repressive rule in Chile, to Shining Path Peru, dictatorship-run Bolivia to post-Malvinas Argentina, this is a darkly comic coming-of-age memoir is a rare first-hand account of a life as teenage revolutionary. It is also the story of a young girl trying to reconcile her commitment to the cause with her very unrevolutionary new interests in boys, music and fashion.

Today: dressed as an all-American teenager, Carmen returns to Latin America with her mother and sister to join the underground, and a new life of subterfuge and danger.

Author: Carmen Aguirre is a playwright and actor, now living in Vancouver.

Reader: Mia Soteriou.

Carmen returns to Latin America with her mother and sister to join the underground.

20111018

Mia Soteriou reads Carmen Aguirre's coming-of-age memoir of life as a revolutionary in Latin America.

Born a week after the death of Che Guevara, Carmen Aguirre was always destined to become a revolutionary. After Pinochet's coup in Chile in 1973, her family is forced to flee to Canada, but a few years later return to join the underground movement against Pinochet. And so Carmen's double life begins. Posing as a westernised teenager by day, at night she is drilled in surveillance techniques, cryptography and subterfuge. It is a time of high excitement, but also one of fear and paranoia, of not knowing who to trust, or who to fear.

Today: After a perilous visit to her beloved Chile, Carmen finds herself questioning her commitment to the cause.

Author: Carmen Aguirre.

Reader: Mia Soteriou.

After a visit to Chile, Carmen finds herself questioning her commitment to the cause.

20111019

Mia Soteriou reads Carmen Aguirre's coming-of-age memoir of life as a teenage revolutionary in Latin America.

Born a week after the death of Che Guevara, Carmen Aguirre was always destined to become a revolutionary. After Pinochet's coup in Chile in 1973, her family is forced to flee to Canada, but a few years later return to join the underground movement against Pinochet. And so Carmen's double life begins. Posing as a westernised teenager by day, at night she is drilled in surveillance techniques, cryptography and subterfuge. It's a time of high excitement, but also one of fear and paranoia, of not knowing who to trust, or who to fear.

Today: when the situation in Bolivia becomes to dangerous, Carmen finds herself in rural Argentina in the depths of a harsh winter.

Author: Carmen Aguirre.

Reader: Mia Soteriou.

20111020

Today: a mission across the Andes goes perilously wrong, and Carmen is forced to risk all.

Author: Carmen Aguirre.

Reader: Mia Soteriou.

05 LAST

20111021

Mia Soteriou reads Carmen Aguirre's coming-of-age memoir of life as a revolutionary in Latin America.

Born a week after the death of Che Guevara, Carmen Aguirre was always destined to become a revolutionary. After Pinochet's coup in Chile in 1973, her family is forced to flee to Canada, but a few years later return to join the underground movement against Pinochet. And so Carmen's double life begins. Posing as a westernised teenager by day, at night she is drilled in surveillance techniques, cryptography and subterfuge, until she finally takes the resistance oath herself.

Today: secret police, paranoia and mistrust, as the resistance begins to falter...

Author: Carmen Aguirre.

Reader: Mia Soteriou.

Secret police, paranoia and mistrust as the resistance begins to falter.

Episodes

Episode	First Broadcast	Comments
01	20111017	Born a week after the death of Che Guevara, Carmen Aguirre was always destined to become a revolutionary. After Pinochet's violent coup in Chile in 1973, her family is forced to flee to Canada. And when, a few years later, the Chilean resistance calls for exiled activists to return to fight the cause, Carmen's mother heeds the call. Determined to make mini revolutionaries of her two daughters, she takes them with her - and so Carmen's double life begins. Posing as a westernised teenager by day, at night she is drilled in surveillance techniques, cryptography and subterfuge, not to mention political theory and revolutionary history. It is a time of high excitement, but also one of fear and paranoia, of who to trust, and who to fear. From Pinochet's repressive rule in Chile, to Shining Path Peru, dictatorship-run Bolivia to post-Malvinas Argentina, this is a darkly comic coming-of-age memoir is a rare first-hand account of a life as teenage revolutionary. It is also the story of a young girl trying to reconcile her commitment to the cause with her very unrevolutionary new interests in boys, music and fashion. Today: dressed as an all-American teenager, Carmen returns to Latin America with her mother and sister to join the underground, and a new life of subterfuge and danger. Author: Carmen Aguirre is a playwright and actor, now living in Vancouver. Reader: Mia Soteriou. Carmen returns to Latin America with her mother and sister to join the underground.
02	20111018	Mia Soteriou reads Carmen Aguirre's coming-of-age memoir of life as a revolutionary in Latin America. Born a week after the death of Che Guevara, Carmen Aguirre was always destined to become a revolutionary. After Pinochet's coup in Chile in 1973, her family is forced to flee to Canada, but a few years later return to join the underground movement against Pinochet. And so Carmen's double life begins. Posing as a westernised teenager by day, at night she is drilled in surveillance techniques, cryptography and subterfuge. It is a time of high excitement, but also one of fear and paranoia, of not knowing who to trust, or who to fear. Today: After a perilous visit to her beloved Chile, Carmen finds herself questioning her commitment to the cause. Author: Carmen Aguirre. Reader: Mia Soteriou. After a visit to Chile, Carmen finds herself questioning her commitment to the cause.
03	20111019	Mia Soteriou reads Carmen Aguirre's coming-of-age memoir of life as a teenage revolutionary in Latin America. Born a week after the death of Che Guevara, Carmen Aguirre was always destined to become a revolutionary. After Pinochet's coup in Chile in 1973, her family is forced to flee to Canada, but a few years later return to join the underground movement against Pinochet. And so Carmen's double life begins. Posing as a westernised teenager by day, at night she is drilled in surveillance techniques, cryptography and subterfuge. It's a time of high excitement, but also one of fear and paranoia, of not knowing who to trust, or who to fear. Today: when the situation in Bolivia becomes to dangerous, Carmen finds herself in rural Argentina in the depths of a harsh winter. Author: Carmen Aguirre. Reader: Mia Soteriou.
04	20111020	Born a week after the death of Che Guevara, Carmen Aguirre was always destined to become a revolutionary. After Pinochet's coup in Chile in 1973, her family is forced to flee to Canada, but a few years later return to join the underground movement against Pinochet. And so Carmen's double life begins. Posing as a westernised teenager by day, at night she is drilled in surveillance techniques, cryptography and subterfuge. It is a time of high excitement, but also one of fear and paranoia, of not knowing who to trust, or who to fear. Today: a mission across the Andes goes perilously wrong, and Carmen is forced to risk all. Author: Carmen Aguirre. Reader: Mia Soteriou.
05 LAST	20111021	Mia Soteriou reads Carmen Aguirre's coming-of-age memoir of life as a revolutionary in Latin America. Born a week after the death of Che Guevara, Carmen Aguirre was always destined to become a revolutionary. After Pinochet's coup in Chile in 1973, her family is forced to flee to Canada, but a few years later return to join the underground movement against Pinochet. And so Carmen's double life begins. Posing as a westernised teenager by day, at night she is drilled in surveillance techniques, cryptography and subterfuge, until she finally takes the resistance oath herself. Today: secret police, paranoia and mistrust, as the resistance begins to falter... Author: Carmen Aguirre. Reader: Mia Soteriou. Secret police, paranoia and mistrust as the resistance begins to falter.