The first month of this new year 2014 is about to end and we do not want to miss, from this blog dedicated to issues of education and culture, a posthumous mention and tribute to some of the national and international personalities who left during the past twelve months. Famous names from politics, art, literature, music and sports that will never be forgotten due to the mark they left after passing through the world. Some for their sublime attitudes and others for their controversial nature, some for their genuine talent and others for their passion for social struggle and justice for all, all have gone down in the history of Humanity and leave behind stories, families and memories that Regardless of who judges them at the end of time, they set standards in their earthly activities.
During 2013, various international political figures who were characterized by leaving dark marks on their countries died:Lino Oviedo , Paraguayan general who wanted to install himself in power by force in 1996, ceased to exist on February 2, 2013 at the age of 71. His actions as leader of the Army were marked by violence and corruption, with serious accusations against him that even led him to jail.
On March 5, the world saw the death of Hugo Chávez Frías , Venezuelan leader and undercover dictator in democracy, whose charisma and highly histrionic and frontal nature caused as much sympathy as antipathy in the world order in recent years. His foul-mouthed bravado against the US government of George W. Bush is famous. and the comings and goings of him in the relationship with the former Peruvian president Alan García Pérez . Also accused of corruption and autocracy, cancer ended his physical presence but started a myth that even Venezuela cannot get rid of.
One of the most powerful images occurred on April 8, when we saw hundreds of British people on the streets celebrating the death of Margaret Thatcher Known as "The Iron Lady". Likewise, thousands of Argentine families celebrated the death of Jorge Rafael Videl a, dictator who left this world at the age of 87, on May 17.
On the other shore of political and human behavior was Nelson Mandela , the legendary South African leader and activist who went from imprisoned to president and who died at the age of 95, on December 5. The massive farewells during the funeral and the global tributes he received show his high stature, in times of moral and political degradation.
The art world was also in permanent mourning during the year. Writers of the stature of the North American Elmore Leonard (August 20, 87 years old) and the English Doris Lessing (November 17, 94 years old) disappeared leaving behind an intense body of literary work, with works that will go down in the history of contemporary narrative as Out of sight or The Golden Notebook , respectively. Lessing was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007.
Outstanding musicians also disappeared in 2013:the Cuban pianist Bebo Valdés (March 22, 94 years old), star of Latin music during the 50s and reborn in recent decades, he was also the father of the great pianist Jesús “Chucho” Valdés , one of the most recognized Latin jazz musicians in the world. Another Cuban, César Portillo de la Luz (May 4, 90 years old), composer of immortal boleros such as With you at a distance and You, my delirium , which have been interpreted by artists of the stature of Plácido Domingo, Pedro Vargas and Luis Miguel . Likewise, the North American singer Eydie Gormé (August 10, 84 years old), known for interpreting boleros and rancheras in Spanish in the decade of the 50s and 60s, with great success.
On April 18, the designer of rock and jazz LP covers Storm Thorgersson passed away at the age of 69 , famous for his creations for legendary albums like The dark side of the moon by Pink Floyd , among others. Ray Manzarek , keyboardist and founder of the North American band The Doors , passed away on May 20, at the age of 74; and Lou Reed , singer and guitarist of great influence in contemporary popular music, died at the age of 71, on October 27. Other known names are those of Tony Sheridan (February 17, 72), Alvin Lee (March 6, 68), among others.
Joaquín Cordero (February 19, 89 years old), Carmen Montej o (February 25, 87) and Enrique Lizalde (June 3, 76), well-known actors with a great career in Mexican cinema and television, mourned their country with their heartfelt departures. Likewise, the famous interpreter of the film Lawrence of Arabia , Peter O'Toole , passed away at the age of 81, on December 14.
For Brazilian football it was also a year of sad losses:the defenders Djalma (84) and Nilton Santos (88), who shared the same surname but were not brothers, world champions in 1958 and 1962 -in which they shared a team with Pelé- both died on 2013, on July 23 and November 27 respectively. Gilmar , goalkeeper of those legendary Brazilian soccer teams, also died on August 25 at the age of 83. For its part, Ecuadorian and Latin American soccer was shocked by the sudden death of the young striker Christian “Chucho” Benítez , barely 27 years old, which occurred on July 27.
And in our country it was also a year of unfortunate losses in various fields of knowledge, art, politics and sports:Armando Villanueva del Campo (April 14, 97 years old); Javier Diez Canseco (May 4, 65); the actress María del Carmen Ureta (Aug. 17, 70); the historian Estuardo Núñez (Aug. 29, 104); and the actor Aristotle Picho (December 21, 56), are just some of the personalities who died between January and December 2013.
In our house, Spill Magisterial, we also had two losses that are worth remembering for their contributions to education and culture:the journalist Juan Carlos Vicente Castro (November 28, 51), Head of the Institutional Image Office of Spill Magisterial and the R.P. Jesus Herrero Gomez , Spanish by birth, president of the National Education Council and one of the visible heads of the Fé y Alegría schools (December 10, 71 years old).