thursday green: eva peron

How does one write about someone like Eva Perón? At once revered and disdained by Argentines, her status as a cult figure is undeniable.

Coming from humble beginnings, Eva Duarte moved to Buenos Aires at the age of 15 in 1935 with aspirations to make it as an actress. She met Colonel Juan Perón, at a fund-raising gala in 1944. She became his wife and played an important part in his rise to power.

With Evita at his side, Perón focused on the needs of the laborers living in the slums of Buenos Aires. A minimum wage and better living conditions were instituted. The descamisados or the "shirtless ones" as Eva called the poor workers, suddenly had a voice. And Juan Perón found himself with formidable numbers behind him.

He became president. Eva had hospitals and schools built and she dispensed money to the poor. While snubbed by Argentina's elite, she became extremely popular among the poor and to this day, her supporters refer to her as Santa Evita.

Evita died in 1952 and the country mourned for weeks.

When Madonna's film Evita came out in 1996, the outrage was palpable. How could they cast the "material girl", a pop star, an American as their beloved Evita? The fact that decades after her death, Eva Perón can evoke such a reaction is telling.