Soccer in Argentina - Who is Maradona, and why does he divide opinion?

As the Soccer World Cup unfolds, it's very difficult to ignore the Argentinians. If not for being the only national squad with two victories in the group stage so far, their progress is shouted from the rooftops at press conferences and interviews by their colourful manager, Diego Maradona. If you're an Argentinian you probably love him, and if you're a soccer fanatic from anywhere else you probably can't stand him. So, who is Diego Maradona and why do so many people hate him?

Maradona was born into a poor neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, the first son after three daughters. Discovered by a talent scout at the age of ten, he played for the youth team of Argentino Juniors until the age of 12. Testament to his skill at such a young age, he would entertain spectators at senior league games as a ball-boy by showing off ball-juggling tricks at half time. This led rapidly into a string of successful contracts with clubs from Argentina and Europe, creating 258 goals from 494 appearances. Internationally his reputation is the strongest, embarrassing the best defenders in the world for 17 years whilst achieving 91 caps and 34 goals. Pretty impressive, but why does he have such a bad reputation?

A Professional Cheat; The "Hand Of God"
One of Maradona's most infamous goals was against England in the 1986 World Cup. During this time, Argentina was at war with England in the Falkland Island conflict, so much more was at stake than the match. Argentina went on to win the tournament, but as former Argentinian international Roberto Perfumo stated, "'In 1986, winning that game against England was enough. Winning the World Cup was secondary for us. Beating England was our real aim".

In a one-on-one contest with the English goalkeeper (who was about half a foot taller) Maradona won the ball from a challenge in the air by clearly using his hand to push the ball into the net. The referee didn't see the foul and awarded Argentina the goal. At a press conference after the match, Maradona claimed that the goal was scored "un poco con la cabeza de Maradona y otro poco con la mano de Dios" (a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God).

A Poor Example In His Personal Life
Not exactly a good example for young soccer players, Maradona became heavily addicted to cocaine in the 1980's, a habit that lasted almost twenty years. He gained a huge amount of weight after his retirement from professional football and became obese, requiring surgery to bring his weight down. In 2004 he was admitted to hospital for a heart attack following a cocaine overdose and alcohol abuse caused another admission to hospital in 2007. In accordance with the media circus that had evolved around his personal life, there were three false claims about his death in the month following his admission to hospital. Many of Maradona's professional peers acknowledge his problems, the following quote coming from international player Carlos Tevez;

"Although I believe in Maradona in football I sometimes question him when it comes to life, as he is wonderful in soccer and fabulous as a coach but lives a poor and dear life."

A Towering Ego
Outspoken Press Conferences and ridiculous quotes characterize Maradona; some favourites...

“The Lord helps those who help themselves.”

"I did it with the hand of reason." (After smashing the windscreen of a press photographer)

"I worked hard all my life for this. Those who say I don't deserve anything, that it all came easy, can kiss my arse."

“I am calm, ... My surname is not a burden for me. It might be for others, but not for me.”

Seen By Over 100,000 People As The Son Of God
In 1998 in the city of Rosario, founders created the "Maradonian Church", complete with ten soccer and Argentinian nationalist-based commandments. Maradona is referred to by followers as D10S, a fusion of the Spanish word "Dios" (God) and the number 10 that was on his shirt during his playing days. Christians worldwide are, naturally, offended.

Despite Everything, Still Better Than Everyone Else In The History Of Football
Despite the controversy surrounding the infamous "hand of God" goal, in the same match Maradona sealed Argentina's victory with a 60 yard run beating no fewer than five England players in ten seconds. The effort was labelled "Goal of the Century" because it was deemed the greatest individual goal in the history of the game. That wasn't just a flash in the pan either - in a FIFA internet vote, he finished in first place as "Player of the Century", testament to his incredible sporting skill, despite everything else. Makes that big ego even harder to swallow...

If Argentina make 2010 the year of their World Cup victory or not, the name of Maradona will no doubt prevail. Any visitors to Argentina who ask for local opinions about Maradona are more likely to get an animated reply about the man than a non-committal shrug of the shoulders; for all his faults, you can't deny that he's lived with typical Latin American passion, and aroused the same in others.

Author: Gary Sargent - Escaped to Peru / Escaped to Latin America

How To Dance The Tango Like They Do In Argentina

It's time to tango!  Few dances rival the passion and showiness of the tango, the dance that everyone associates with Argentina.  Celebrity dancing shows like Dancing With The Stars and Strictly Come Dancing are popping up all over the world, showing us all that anyone can have a go, but where do you start?  Try these useful pointers...

1) Listen to the music a lot to get the "feel"
Familiarity with music gets your body moving nicely to it, and feeling is everything with the tango; experts say that you must really learn to listen to the music before you start to dance.  Do it whenever and wherever you can; in the car, at work, just before you go to sleep.  If you find after a few weeks that you can't stop listening, you may have just found a life-long passion!

2) Get comfortable with the basic steps to find you dancing feet
Tango as a dance is very free-form, based in improvisation.  However, before you can let your feet do the talking, you need to train yourself in the basic moves and steps.  To get helpful pointers and be surrounded by others to keep you motivated, find a local dance school or, even better, dance with someone who already knows it.  Failing either of these, don't let circumstances kill your passion; try finding instructional videos on the Internet, a much easier alternative to reading a list of foot movements or trying to decipher pictures.

3) Persevere...
Like everything in life, only regular practice will get you going smoothly, and tango is no exception.  Beginners must devote lots of time to solo practice and it is widely acknowledged that big advances can, and must, be made in tango without a partner.  As you "walk your miles", try to move like you are already an excellent dancer; the dance is as much about attitude and communicating yourself as anything else.  You may find yourself more convincing than you think!  Also try and make your practice a regular commitment; it is common knowledge that the successful dancers are those that book a month of classes and show up to every one.

4) It takes two; find a partner
Once you've put in the time with your own steps, it's time to get someone else involved.  Even though tango isn't a subtle way to meet people, make sure you dance with lots of different partners so that you don't get lazy being accustomed to the way one other person dances; everyone is different, and if you are improvising you should be ready for that!

5) More practice; get out there and enjoy your dancing!
Hopefully if you've dedicated yourself regularly to the previous steps, you'll have a group of people with whom you can go out and dance for fun, as well as knowing some good spots.  The free-flowing aspect of the dance will come easier with time, as moves need to come automatically from "body memory" and not from actively thinking about them; this naturally only comes with a lot of practice.

Which style to learn?
Tango evolved in Argentina as a melting pot of cultural influences from world-wide immigrants that flooded into Argentina at the beginning of the 19th century.  Lonely and looking for company in their new surroundings, the arrivals developed tango as a means to mix and express themselves beyond language.  Thus, tango is a portrayal of Buenos Aires and its people.  Over the last 100 years many different styles have evolved, including Ballroom, Social and Stage.  Many consider the styles to be so drastically different that if you have learnt one, it won't form a basis to help you learn another. 

True or not, the best way to learn Argentinian tango is to follow it to the source.  Numerous companies run entire tours based around exploring Buenos Aires through learning to dance the tango.  As well as an unforgettable adventure, you'll be sure of learning a pure-blooded form of the passionate, dramatic and beautiful dance that everyone wants to be good at.

Eva Peron - The Princess Diana of Argentina?

The latest news about the return of the famous Broadway musical Evita with Ricky Martin in a starring role has the entertainment press whipped into a frenzy.  However, many of us are still wondering who Evita is, what she did, and why she deserves her own musical.

María Eva Duarte de Perón (1919-1952) was the second wife and political partner of President Juan Perón (1895–1974) of Argentina.  She's also popularly known by the affectionate Spanish diminutive Evita, which translates into "Little Eva".  Still a hugely popular figure in Argentina and a worldwide icon due to books, movies and musicals based on her life, many consider her comparable to another global superstar, England's Princess Diana.  Here we look at the similarities and differences of both women to see if the comparison is justified.

It's fair to say that both Evita and Diana, despite living almost 50 years apart on different continents, had similarities;

• Both married powerful men, Diana with Prince Charles and Evita with Colonel Juan Peron.  They met in 1943 when Peron had assumed the post of secretary of labor and social welfare in the military government that had recently come to power.  Two years later they were married in 1945 when Evita assisted Peron with his release from prison after his incarceration by military opposition.  Peron's presidency in 1946 assumed soon after, and Evita's close relationship with Peron gave her access to a lot of power. 
• Both Diana and Evita shared an affinity for the poor and sick; during the 1946 Presidential campaign Evita directed her efforts towards the "descamisados" (shirtless poor) and her efforts for woman's suffrage saw laws passed in 1947 that allowed women to vote in the 1951 elections for the first time in history.  She also devoted several hours every day to meeting with poor people and visiting hospitals, orphanages, and factories. Additionally, she supervised the newly created Ministry of Health, which built many new hospitals and established a successful program to fight different diseases.
• Much like Diana, Evita was a figure constantly in the public eye.  As a result she, like Diana, was immensely fashion-conscious.  Her clothes and hairstyle were avidly studied, commented upon and copied.
• Both women died young, Evita of cervical cancer at the age of 33.  In both cases, there were huge outpouring of public grief.  All activity in Argentina ceased; movies stopped playing; restaurants were closed and patrons were shown to the door.  The crowd outside of the official presidential residence after the announcement of her death was so dense that the streets were congesting for ten blocks in each direction.  The streets of Buenos Aires overflowed with flowers that were stacked in huge piles, and within one day of Evita's death, all flower shops in Buenos Aires had sold out.
• Just as Diana's legacy and reputation has endured after her death, Evita's passing doesn't seem to have stopped her international fame.  In 1980, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Timothy Rice's Musical "Evita" won a major award and started the ball rolling for a surge in her popularity.  After a nearly 20-year production delay, Madonna was cast in the title role for the film version, which brought Evita as a figure to the international public eye more than 50 years after her death.

However, for all the similarity, Diana and Evita shared some fundamental differences;

• Born into an unmarried family of 5 children, Evita's background was humble to say the least.  Her father left her mother a year after her birth and as a result of the impoverishment following the loss of his supporting income, the family moved to the poorest area of their city. In order to support herself and her children, Evita's mother sewed clothes for neighbors. The family was stigmatized by the abandonment of the father, especially since Argentine law frowned upon illegitimate children.
• Evita's strong political involvement throughout the majority of her public life stands her significantly apart from Diana.  Despite using it as a platform for humanitarian agendas, it also opened her up to criticism, as the Peron administration was viewed by many as fascist, ruthlessly suppressing political opposition from an authoritarian centralized government.
• Diana was well known for raising money for charitable causes, just as Evita did, but questions surrounded the money that Evita raised for some causes.  Many claim that she extracted large sums from wealthy businessmen by intimidation.  She was also accused of keeping amounts for her own ends, buying jewelery and dresses.  Her European tour in 1947, a much publicised affair in which Evita visited various heads of state, was derided by some as an excuse to deposit funds in a Swiss bank account, some of which was supposed to be earmarked for charitable donations.

Whatever the comparisons, Evita certainly stands alone as a unique historical figure that managed to achieve near-sainthood and phenomenal popularity with the Argentinian lower classes; visitors to Argentina can still see the enduring effect of Evita on the country.  It is said that in many homes, the image of Evita is on the wall next to the Virgin Mary.  On 26 July 2002, the 50th anniversary of Eva Perón's death, a museum opened in Buenos Aires in her honor called "Museo Evita". The museum, which was created by her great-niece Cristina Alvarez Rodriquez, houses many of Eva Perón's clothes, portraits, and artistic renderings of her life.

Argentina - Travel One Of The World's Best Wine-Growing Regions

No-one likes to be shown up in a restaurant when confronted with a wine menu. Most of us try to look knowledgeably through the confusing choices of countries of origin, grapes and wineries whilst trying not to panic. If all goes well, our fellow dinner companions will be impressed. It's even nicer if the wine actually turns out to be drinkable!

If there's a safe bet when confronted by a phone-directory thick wine list, its a wine from Argentina. As they are the 5th largest producer of wine in the world, there are bound to be a couple of their bottles to choose from. With a quick skim of this article, you'll hopefully have a good idea of the selection to expect and a bit of impressive chat to go with it.

How did Argentina get wine anyway?
The production and consumption of Argentinian wine has been around for more than 400 years, when the first specimens of 'vitis vinifera' were brought to the continent by the Spanish conquistadors at the start of the 1500's.

The catholic priests that arrived established vineyards close to their monasteries to be able to cultivate wine for celebrating mass. Thanks to the favourable climate close to the Andes mountains, the vineyards grew fast, showing great potential for a wine industry.

When European immigrants arrived in the 1800's, they brought new tools and techniques for cultivation as well as a wider variety of grapes. Construction of railroads in the late 1800's removed the final obstacle for large scale supply and the Argentinian market boomed.

Where do they grow the grapes?
The coverage of vineyards in Argentina is roughly 226,450 hectares. Despite the wide variety in climate from the change in Latitude (vineyards covering the country from the same level as Morocco in the north to New Zealand in the south) the higher altitude between 2000 and 3000 metres keeps growing conditions roughly the same.

Growing conditions in the Andean foothills prove ideal for Cabernet, Malbec, Pinot, Semilon, Merlot y Chardonnay varieties. In general, growing regions are dry and arid with low levels of rain and humidity; perfect for good, healthy grapes. Insects, fungi, mould and other diseases normally punishing European vineyard owners aren't an issue in Argentina, and this gives the added benefit of being able to grow with few pesticides. As a result, organic standard wine is much easier to produce.

The vast majority of cultivation happens in the Mendoza region in western Argentina at the foot of the Andes, where around 80% of the wine is grown. Other popular regions include Salta in the far north of the country and Neuquen and Rio Negro in the far south on the fringes of Patagonia.

What types of wine are there?
Red wine is most commonly produced in Argentina at 47% of total production. Rose make up 30% and the remaining 23% is white wine.

A wide variety of grapes exist in Argentina, including popular choices available in neighbouring countries such as Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. However Argentina also has a tradition of Spanish and Italian varieties like Tempranillo, Bonarda and Barbera that can make some excellent red wines.

A couple of grapes that have been cultivated and developed very well are Torrontes and Malbec. Torrontes is a white wine grape that according to experts, makes "Terrifically fragrant, perfumed yet rich and fruity wines with crisp acidity and plenty of body." When considering a red, Argentinian Malbecs are "Perhaps the best in the world, with powerful, smooth deeply-fruited inky black wines full of spice and character."

Get to know your grapes first-hand
Up until the 1990's, wine in Argentina was more focused on the national market; 90% of consumption was Argentinian. However, with a huge drop in national wine consumption, vineyards started a big drive to export more wines and focus their attentions on international markets. The strong increase in tourism has also encouraged them to open their facilities to the public. This now means that when confronted with the wine selection, you can name drop certain bottles that were tasted on your last trip to Argentina...

If you want to get deep into the Argentinian wine culture, tours are available on the 'wine route', a winding 2000km that traverses several provinces, altitudes and geographic regions. Its a great alternative way to discover a beautiful country, and with around 2000 wineries you'll never be short of options putting together your own unique trip. Sitting on the veranda of an Argentinian winery and sipping a glass of Malbec while the sun sinks below the grape-heavy vines may not appeal to everyone...but someone has to do it!

Author: Gary Sargent - Escaped to Peru / Escaped to Latin America

Ché Guevara - How Much Do You Really Know?

A good friend of mine from Argentina has a great Ché Guevara t-shirt. Beneath the iconic image of the revolutionary in bold letters are the words "No sé quien era, pero es la moda"; I don't know who he was, but it's fashionable.

El Ché has become the personification of rebellion and counter-culture, and you can find the world-famous photograph "Guerriero Heroico" printed on everything from posters to bikinis. Guevara no doubt would have despised the rampant consumerism built around his image having passionately pursued communist principles for most of his adult life.

We've all seen the photo, some have watched the movie and a few have even got the t-shirt, but how many of the following facts did you know about Ernesto Guevara?

1) Foreign Ché

Depite being instrumental in the Cuban revolution and poessing saint-like status amongst the Cuban population, Mr. Guevara was actually born in Rosario, Argentina. In reference to Che's "restless" nature, his father declared "the first thing to note is that in my son's veins flowed the blood of the Irish rebels", putting him about as far away from Cuban roots as a cup of Starbucks coffee. When you add to the mix that "Ché" comes from Argentinian slang meaning 'pal' or 'dude', you'll wonder why you ever thought our man was ever Cuban.

2)

Wheezy ChéFar from superhuman status, Guevara suffered from acute episodes of crippling asthma. In childhood, his fits were so frequent and violent that his family were forced to move from the damp coastal climate of San Isidro to the dry mountain region near Cordoba. His problems didn't stop him from being an athlete, enjoying swimming, soccer, golf and rugby. His asthma freqently incapacitated him on famous travels, documented in the 2004 film "The Motorcycle Diaries", and involment in active conflict in Latin America and Africa.

3)

Freebie ChéUpon capture in Bolivia, Ché was reputed to have shouted, "I am Ché Guevara, and I am worth more alive than dead!"He probably knew something we didn't, because Albert Korda, the photographer of the classic "Guerrillero Heroico" shot, never made a cent in royalties from his picture. Snapped at a memorial service, Albert was proud of the picture and hung it on his wall where it stayed until an Italian journalist asked if he could have it. Korda obliged, and the journalist dutifully used the image on a poster after Guevara's death, setting in motion the phenominal popularity that the photograph would eventually achieve.

4)

Sober ChéAlert Korda actually recieved $50,000 (which he donated to charity) as a result of a successful lawsuit with a British advetising agency who used Guevara's image to sell their vodka. He presumably saw this as the last straw following 40 years of happy-go-lucky abuse of his image because El Ché was a teetotaler; despite famously chugging on cigars for most of his life, he never touched a drink.

5)

No-votes ChéBefore we get all frothy about revolutionary spirit and the romance of rebellion, lets not forget that if we knew the full story about life under Guevara's administration, we probably wouldn't be voting him into a following term in office; during his tenure as Minister of Industry Cuba was forced to begin food rationing.

Don't expect much in the way of kissing babies and soft policies from Candidate Ché either; he stood out from his peers fighting Castro's cause in Cuba and was quickly promoted to comandante, where he enforced a zero tolerance policy toward deserters by sending execution squads to hunt them down. This was just a warm up for Guevara, and when he got into power he was appointed head of La Cabaña, a court in which he played judge, jury and executioner to purge Cuba of loyalists of the previous administration. Historians estimate that he did away with as many as 2000 people, and his activities earned him the cheery name of The Butcher of La Cabaña.

Love him or hate him, Ernesto Guevara's face isn't going anywhere; he'll be around on merchandise for a few years yet. It's always difficult to form opinions about a man how became famous as an image, a ghost associated with whatever people wanted to use him for, but hopefully these facts will have blown away a bit of the Cuban cigar smoke.