In ousted dictator's death, relief
It seemed fitting that she was in Paraguay this month when the former dictator died.
For more than three decades, Teresa Méndez-Faith and her family had been exiled during the reign of General Alfredo Stroessner , who ran the Latin American country through terror, torture, and murder.
Though he was ousted in 1989, Stroessner continued to loom large in the consciousness of Paraguayans at home and overseas. When Méndez-Faith heard that he had died this month, she at first thought it was a cruel joke. Many times before, she and other Paraguayan exiles had heard rumors that Stroessner's death was near, that it was any time now.
Those tales always turned out to be false. But when Paraguayan television stations this month began showing images of the former dictator, Méndez-Faith knew it was it true -- and felt relieved.
The news was official: Stroessner, 93 , died of a stroke Aug. 16 in his Brazilian home.
``It was a sense of big relief because his death symbolically was important for the peace of mind of those who are left and are still alive," said Méndez-Faith, now a Bedford resident and a Spanish literature professor at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. ``He is responsible for a thousand people who `disappeared,' and for the deaths of many."
Still, the streets of the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion were silent when the news broke.
Paraguayans had become so conditioned to not express themselves, they hardly said anything about the Stroessner years. Or maybe they forgot?
Méndez-Faith, the daughter of one of Paraguay's best-known dissidents, is determined that history doesn't have the same fate.
Since Stroessner's ouster, Méndez-Faith has been on a campaign of remembrance in honor of her father, Epifanio Méndez Fleitas, who was a democracy advocate Stroessner considered persona non grata número uno.
Stroessner seized power in 1954 and became South America's most enduring dictator during the Cold War.
Under his regime, his security forces intimidated opposition through torture, murder, and mass arrests.
The Paraguayan dictator was also known for giving refuge to former Nazi leaders, including Josef Mengele , the so-called ``Angel of Death" who conducted brutal medical experiments on victims at concentration camps.
Méndez Fleitas, a young political leader when Stroessner took power, was considered by many at the time to be a candidate for president once fair and free elections were called.
But Stroessner prevented Méndez Fleitas, president of the Paraguay
Exiled to Uruguay, and later Argentina, Méndez Fleitas dedicated his life to creating a democratic Paraguay by writing articles, composing music, and giving speeches. As the leader of the Paraguayan dissident movement, Méndez Fleitas was viewed by Stroessner as an enemy of the state.
Méndez Fleitas never gave up his dream of returning to his homeland, no matter how dire the situation looked.
He worked as a grocer and store clerk in Montevideo, Uruguay, while continuing his political activities. He also wrote some of Paraguay's best-known songs while in exile, including ``Amanguy Jave" and ``Serenata."
``Every time we celebrated Christmas or New Year's . . . he would toast that next year, `We're going to be in Paraguay,' " said an emotional Méndez-Faith. ``It never happened."
Méndez Fleitas died in 1985.
Stroessner was ousted four years later by General Andrés Rodríguez , a relative by marriage, and lived in Brazil until his death.
If her father were still alive, Méndez-Faith said she believes he would be neither happy nor sad about the dictator's passing.
Like his daughter, Méndez Fleitas would be relieved, she said.
But he would probably be heartbroken for what Stroessner's Paraguay has become, she said. The small nation is plagued by corruption, an uneven distribution of land and wealth, and a struggling economy.
``Stroessner has died, but the structure he left is still in Paraguay," said Méndez-Faith. ``There's so much corruption. It's going to take forever for it go away, and I don't know if it ever will."
Almost 20 years since Stroessner's ouster, however, there are signs of hope in the small South American nation. The country has had open and free democratic elections for president, scholars are uncovering the truth about the horrors of the dictatorship, and the country is seeing its own literary boom.
Méndez-Faith is a chronicler of that literary boom and is the editor of an anthology of Paraguayan literature, now in its third edition. She also has been an international observer of the elections.
Though she is married and living her own life in Bedford, she can't forget her family's past.
It was her father who convinced her that despite Stroessner, Paraguay was a place of strong culture and a unique history. That drive, she said, is what keeps her going in her work and her dedication to remember her father's legacy.
In 2004, after years of political jousting, Méndez Fleitas was allowed to be buried in Paraguay. A funeral caravan went on a three-day journey from Buenos Aires to Paraguay, drawing national attention and crowds to pay their last respects.
Strangers greeted them at various towns as bands played songs he had written.
When Stroessner died this month, the country saw no funeral caravan or long tributes. There were no parades or rallies, no songs or speeches -- just images on a screen and the people's murmurs in the street.
Pondering the difference, Méndez-Faith wiped a tear from her eye, smiled, and said: ``It was poetic justice."
Russell Contreras can be reached at rcontreras@globe.com.
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