The Power of Speech

Hardy Vallejos is a hawker of cheap goods on the buses of Santiago, Chile. And he's not the only one, for a whole legion of peddlers earn a meager income on the city's public transport system. In 2005, though, the government suddenly decided that Chile should move with the times, and that required a shakeup of the mass transit: it was to be made cleaner, more professional, and elegant. In short, it was to become Transantiago, and that meant the peddlers had to go. \i The Power of Speech \i0 follows Hardy Vallejos as he sets up a union together with fellow peddlers. They do their utmost to build a new and respectable image for themselves -- new uniforms, no illegal wares on sale -- because they understand that the past is gone for good. Two thousand men and women gather to protest, and they plead their case to politicians. Then there is nothing to do but wait. This is a humorous but primarily critical take on Chilean modernization. The politicians may sing its praises, but it is not providing solutions to all problems. As it turns out, history can have some unexpected outcomes.