Colonia Dignidad By Daniel SalazarVik Summary of Colonia
Colonia Dignidad By Daniel Salazar-Vik
Summary of Colonia The Movie portrays Lena and Daniel, a young couple, who become entangled in the Chilean military coup in 1973. When her boyfriend is abducted by Pinochet's secret police. Lena tracks him to a sealed off area in South America called Colonia Dignidad. The Colonia presents itself as a charitable mission run by ex-Nazi Paul Schäfer but, in fact, is a place from which no one has ever escaped and people who are taken there are tortured and killed. Lena joins the cult in order to find her boyfriend, Daniel and help him escape through various catacombs beneath the village.
Perspective 1 Colonia Dignidad was a utopia like society that stretched 70 miles long, both men and woman were separated and were not able to have any contact with each other. The leader Paul Schäfer was an ex-nazi who spoke mostly German he created the colonia as a type of cult where he made the children sing for his own pleasure. He sexually abused the children while they sang in a type of group choir and forced everybody to take a type of medicine that made you not have any sexual desires. Schäfer designed the colony as he imagined it, “ His heaven on earth”. There was a real secret behind the colony was that, underneath the whole colony there were underground tunnels were torture chambers. The tunnels were used as interrogation rooms. This is also where weapon stashes were kept. https: //theamericanscholar. org/the-torture-colony/#. WAPGj 9 Ar. Ln. A
Perspective 2 Germany refused to declassify documents on the secretive colony – run by a Nazi pedophile in Chile. It was used as a torture site by the dictator Augusto Pinochet who secretly funded the colony. Announcing the move, foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed regret at German diplomats' failure to take action and stop abuses at Colonia Dignidad, or “Dignity Colony” but stories say that the embassy knew all about it but evidence was never found. The Dignidad colony was founded in 1961 by Paul Schäfer who ran the camp during the time. He was a former Nazi soldier and convicted pedophile who fled for South America after the end of World War II. Schafer turned the commune into a sect where daily physical and mental abuse took place. The German immigrants who populated it were virtually enslaved and the prisoners were chilean and german people. http: //www. ibtimes. co. uk/colonia-dignidad-germany-declassifies-files-chilean-sect-ran-by-nazipaedophile-paul-schafer-1557080
Global Issue The global issues that occurred at the colony were the human rights violations under military rule. The use of military torture methods: Under the rule of dictatorship Augusto Pinochet the colonia dignidad served as a torture center there they kept foreign ambassadors or supporters. Nazi ties: There has been evidence presented proving the presence of the colony was similar to a Nazi concentration camp. The colony was similar to the harsh conditions, as well as violence and mass graves. Sex abuse: Paul Schäfer was convicted of child abuse by the chilean police and multiple other countries.
Opinion My opinion is that the german government should have been held accountable for the crimes. It was due to the help of the german government that these atrocities took place, and how had so much influence. Schäfer had much influence he ended up making a deal with the german The embassy knew about the colony all along. When the colony was discovered, the german embassy said they had no prior knowledge of the colony ever existing. The other countries involved seemed to turn a blind eye.
Awareness When Colonia Dignidad was first established as an immigrant community by a group of German people after World War II. The creation of the colony was originally meant to celebrate their language and culture after fleeing Germany. The goal changed when Schäfer took over the colony. He then manipulated the people to see the way he saw through pain and suffering and discipline. We should be aware that even after WWII, Nazi Germany still had great influence in the heart of Hitler's followers. In the 40 years the colony was in existence, only 5 people ever escaped.
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