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‘This Isn’t Goodbye’: Gilda, the Cumbia Saintby Michalina Kowol, 25 June 2015.

7th September 1996 was a rainy day. But it was a Saturday, and Hugo Alejandro Pastorini and his friends werepreparing for a night out when his grandmother told him that popular cumbia artist Gilda was on the TV. “Wehad a combi that night, you see,” he recalls. “We were going to dance. I couldn’t believe what I saw on thenews. They said Gilda died in a car accident.”

An Argentine sweetheart, Gilda was coming back from a tour when a truck crashed into the bus she wastravelling in, killing her, her mother, her daughter, three musicians, and the bus driver. Many clubs closed insolidarity with the loss that night; Hugo did not feel like dancing anymore anyway.

Gilda’s portrait, used as a cover for her CD “Pasito a pasito con Gilda” (Photo: archive)

Many stars have died prematurely, leaving their fans heartbroken. Gilda’s case, though, is somehow different.

Almost 20 years after her death at the age of 34, dedicated followers continue to worship her, with someclaiming they have experienced miracles caused by the artist.

Silvina Alejandra Soto was watching TV with her mother when the news of the fatal crash came up. Hermother was a fan of Gilda, and Silvina, who was training to be a singer herself, felt jealous about all theattention given to a cumbia artist they didn’t even know.

She stood up to leave the room, but suddenly sat back down. She says she could feel a pressure on hershoulders, as if somebody was pushing her down, and she was unable to stop crying. She wasn’t a big fan ofGilda, and did not even really like her songs, but says she had experienced contact with the departed beforeand immediately realised it was the singer’s spirit touching her. She felt she was close to passing out so shetold her mother to ask Gilda to let go; only then was she finally able to stop crying. Silvina then dreamt ofGilda alive every night for the next five years, and she decided to devote herself to the singer.

As an artist herself, Silvina says she lets Gilda inspire her when she paints her portraits. It is the singer whotells her how she should be painted through her visions, they co­produce the artwork. She calls this process“channelling”. Silvina also claims that the singer’s energy remains in the photos of her, as well as in her ownpieces. “You can see her eyes follow you across the room,” she says “her photograph is a window throughwhich she remains present, keeps you company, brings you peace, and helps you as much as she can, yearafter year.”

It’s hard to say how many people consider themselves devotees of Gilda. Many of her fans only admire hermusic, or worship their idol in the privacy of their own homes. But some openly follow her as a kind of“popular saint“.

It was already like this when she was still alive, says Alejandro Margulis, author of the book ‘Gilda, laabanderada de la bailanta’. People would follow her after her shows, asking her to touch them as they believedshe could cure their diseases. Being superstitious (she would write prayers against evil spirits in her diary) andChristian herself, Gilda didn’t like it when people called her a saint. She didn’t think she had any sort ofsuperpowers, yet said she believed in the miraculous potential of her music.

After her death, the singer’s most dedicated followers sought out a place where they could express their griefand devotion freely. They gathered in two places in Argentina: the 24th gallery of the Chacarita cemetery inBuenos Aires, where the singer and her family are buried, and Gilda’s ‘sanctuary’ at Km 129 on RutaNacional 19, where the fatal accident took place.

Gilda’s tomb in La Chacarita, decorated with flowers and letters from her fans. (Photo: Michalina Kowol)

The shrine to Gilda in Chacarita fills up at least twice a year: on the anniversaries of her birthday, 11thOctober, and the accident, 7th September. Some devotees come more frequently, and travel from afar. Hugolives in Entre Ríos, the province where Gilda’s accident took place. His colleagues cover him at work fromtime to time when he wants to visit Chacarita. “As a matter of fact, they are pretty tired of doing it,” he admits.“They think I should be more serious about my life.” To avoid trouble at work he tends to visit the roadsidesanctuary more often, as it’s not that far from where he lives.

Hugo claims he has been blessed with Gilda’s miracles more than once, and attributes them to helping himmake important decisions. He recalls the time when he had no idea what to do with his life and Gilda“appeared on his wall”. That day he realised he wanted to quit his previous job and find a new one. He alsostarted going out more in order to find somebody to share his days with. All of that, he says, was guided byGilda, and that’s the reason he wants to keep visiting her tomb, in spite of the logistical challenges.

Hugo says he also witnessed a miracle at the scene of her death, when a flag with Gilda’s face painted on itstarted to cry. Other people saw it too, though some of them think it was a trick, a cheap prank. But Hugoknows it was for real. He owns a photograph of Gilda, and says he chats with her every morning, as if shewere his flatmate.

Hugo Alejandro Pastorini with a hand­painted flag of Gilda/Maxi Bianchi taking a selfie with his idol’stomb. “I always say hello to Gilda when I come here, then I take a photo and send it to other fans”, says

the teenager. (Photo: Michalina Kowol)

Other followers also claim to feel the presence of Gilda under their roof. “Wherever you look, there is apicture of her,” explains Maxi. “I had to hide most of the things in the boxes though. They were taking up somuch space, and I have a baby brother now.”

At 15, Maxi is one of the youngest devotees of Gilda, born a few years after her death. He calls himself MaxiBianchi (Gilda’s actual name was Miriam Alejandra Bianchi), though this is not his family name. “My parentsused to have to bring me here,” he says, “but now I can travel on my own.” It takes him more than an hour toget to Chacarita from his home in La Matanza. “I can’t really feel her here,” he says, about the cemetery. “ButI still come every Saturday.”

Maxi started listening to Gilda’s music about five years ago, after he heard a special radio programme on theanniversary of her death. He would confuse her with other cumbia singers, yet he liked her music so he started

looking for more information about her. He then noticed that her presence was surrounding him – hisneighbours were listening to her, and he himself became obsessed with some of her songs, like ‘Paisaje’ or‘No me arrepiento de este amor’.

During his summer holidays he decided to visit the sanctuary, where he was given a vignette with Gilda’sphotograph. About a month later his pregnant mother suffered from internal bleeding and the family thoughtshe would lose the baby. Maxi decided to ask Gilda for help. “I promised her I would visit her in Chacarita ifeverything went fine,” he says. The next day his mother was able to return home, and although she needed torest, she was feeling good. Just as he had promised, Maxi went to Chacarita, where he got in touch with otherfans. He started coming every Saturday. “I let them know when I come,” Maxi says “otherwise I have to spendthe whole day here alone.” When asked about his peers, Maxi say they admire her as an artist, but are not asdevoted to Gilda as he is. His parents don’t join him at Chacarita either. “There is just something about herenergy,” he says. “She makes me feel positive. I definitely am a believer.”

Maxi holding his first vignette of Gilda in front of the Chacarita cemetery. (Photo: Michalina Kowol)

Despite their apparent devotion, none of the Gilda fans spoken to to considers their faith in the cumbiera asidolatry. “I’m Catholic, and I actually think it’s God speaking through Gilda,” says Maxi. According to theteenager, you can consider anyone who has proven miracles to be a saint. “It could be Gilda, it could be mygrandfather…” he says. “I don’t want to be mixing things. But if you ask for a favour, and it becomes true, Ithink this person is a saint.”

Silvina also sees a profound connection between her admiration for Gilda and religion. She doesn’t thinkGilda is a pagan saint, but an angel, who not only helped her with her art through her visualisations (“Shegives me visions I didn’t have before”), but also brought her closer to God. “In my dreams Gilda would tell memany times that the miracles are God’s blessings, not hers. She prays to God for my health on my behalf, andthen miracles happen,” Silvina explains. “Gilda also helped me understand the Bible, not through the religion,but through my heart. She made me see the value of Christ’s sacrifice.” Silvina makes it clear that she doesn’tconsider herself a fan of Gilda, although she knows many who are. “She’s a kind of an older sister to me,maybe a teacher. She’s strict, but loving, and she makes you feel it.”

But there is also a darker side to the Gilda legend. Humberto Grillo, the guard of the gallery where Gilda’stomb is placed, explains that some people would get upset about her followers gathering at her grave. Two ofthem were especially unhappy about it, claiming the devotees were too loud. They both died on the 7thSeptember, same date as Gilda. Now they are buried in the same building as her, forever hearing Gilda receivevisits from her followers.

“It’s like they had been trying to take ‘Gil’ down you see,” explains Maxi, “and she ended up taking themdown herself.” Isn’t that a cruel thing to do? “It’s weird, right?” says Maxi. “But she used to say her characterwas pretty complicated. She would say things right into your face. They probably really pissed her off.”

Gilda - No me Arrepiento de este Amor (Video Oficial HD)

Claudio Milano admits that not all of Gilda’s followers respect the place. They write things for Gilda on othertombs, forgetting she isn’t there alone. He and some others come and clean the place for everybody.

Unlike many of the fans at Chacarita, Claudio actually got to see Gilda sing live, a thing that Maxi can onlysee in documentaries. He says that when she was singing in clubs, she would really devote herself to her fans,giving them advice. “But she wouldn’t make you feel weird,” he admits “she was just a normal person.” Afterthe shows she would take photos and talk to the people. Claudio started following her shows (“I would ask herwhere she would be singing next”) and formed her fanclub. He became involved in a conflict with a presidentof another fanclub of Gilda. “We were young and stupid”, he says “we wanted to be important, and moreimportant than the other. We forgot it was all about Gilda and that she is the only one that matters.”

Claudio even got to know her family, after becoming a father for the first time as an unemployed teenager.Gilda’s brother agreed to be his lawyer and he won the custody over his oldest daughter, something that hadseemed to be impossible. This was after Gilda’s death, and for Claudio, it could have been a miracle. Henamed one of his daughters Gilda, and says his kids are all fans of Gilda’s music.

Part of Gilda’s appeal, according to both Maxi and Claudio, is that she herself didn’t have an easy life. Theysay she was close to the people because she herself was one of the people. She had to drop out of school afterher father’s death and started her own family at a young age. According to Claudio, you can understand hermusic regardless of where you are from or who you are.

Another fan, Alejandro Margulis says that Gilda first became popular among the poor, before her fame spreadto middle and upper classes. She’s also an idol for the LGBT community in Argentina. Even high­levelpoliticians are believed to be fans.

“I have given President Cristina tonnes of photos of Gilda,” Claudio says. “She’s also a fanatic.”

“And so’s Mauricio Macri,” adds Maxi. The latter uses Gilda’s songs in his political campaigns.

A tribute mural to Gilda on the walls of La Chacarita. (Photo: Michalina Kowol)

There’s an urban legend about one of Gilda’s songs, ‘No es mi despedida’ (This isn’t goodbye). Many claimshe knew she was going to die when she recorded the song. Maxi is not so sure. “I don’t know…” he says.“She was so special. Maybe she really knew something was going to happen.”

Claudio is is more sceptical – “That’s just marketing” – as he believes she sang the song for her Bolivianfriend, hoping to see her again soon.

But they both agree though that Gilda is still present and that you can feel it through her music – or hermiracles. “You go for it,” Claudio says. “Ask her for something. You’ll see she will help you too.”

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