Clandestino, from the Latin clandestinus, is something secret, hidden and said or done in secret for fear of the law or the authorities.
According to DigoPaul, this adjective can be applied to people or objects that, for ideological reasons, are condemned to a life in complete anonymity. They acquire special relevance in contexts of political persecution.
In times of military dictatorship, there are individuals who go underground to avoid being caught by the de facto government, which often leads to torture and assassinations: “I cannot believe that I have to be clandestine in my own country to avoid let them shoot me ”.
These times are also proper for the development of clandestine activities, which are those prohibited or punished by the authorities: “The Communist Party has a clandestine newspaper that is distributed at the meetings of its members. “
People who are part of a clandestine group are not necessarily peaceful; The reason why they must live in silence is that their ideas are opposed to the political hegemony of the moment and, as their objective is to fight against this group, they are persecuted.
In Argentina, a group of paramilitaries that emerged in the 1960’s was the Montoneros. They were members of the Peronist Youth, post-conciliar Catholicism and certain left-wing groups. Among whose fundamental founders were Fernando Abal Medina, Mario Firmenich, Carlos Mujica and Norma Arrostito.
Argentina was going through a situation of absolute control, after the overthrow of the Illia presidency, and the unconstitutional assumption of General Juan Carlos Onganía. A dictatorship without limits was announced, which would be ended only if Perón (then exiled in Spain) died.
With this panorama, the revolutionary groups, inspired by the actions of the Cuban Revolution, set to work on something different; to leave the dictatorship by proposing a new form of organization, based on the model of guerrilla warfare.
The main ideas that these groups mobilized were: Peronism, armed struggle and socialism. In order to achieve the merger of the three and to carry out a completely different government project, they began to develop strategies against the current dictatorship.
All their actions were carried out secretly, trying not to be found by the military and, if they were, confronting them in defense of the cause. Clandestinity is the alternative that many people find to avoid being abused by those who lead a country politically and socially.
Other meanings of Clandestine
Beyond political issues, clandestinity can refer to actions or organizations that operate in a murky environment and that act against the law to commit illicit acts: “We have detected a clandestine shipment of imported products”, “The official he was arrested when his responsibility was proven in the installation of a clandestine casino two blocks from the municipality ”.
In turn, it is said that many people live in hiding because they cannot regularize their papers to stay in a country; therefore, he must hide from justice and settle for a disorderly and illegal life.
Around this theme, the musical album “Clandestino”, edited by the French musician Manu Chao in 1998; where the homonymous song deals precisely with this topic. The singer-songwriter tries to describe the penalties suffered by immigrants in an irregular condition and denounces the lack of will of the government authorities to solve immigration problems. These artistic manifestations are linked to the fact that immigrants who do not have the necessary documentation to reside legally in a country must become clandestine to avoid deportation.
