Argentina cries for help! An economic crisis has sparked angry protests. Now Argentines are seeking solutions. (World).

On a hot summer night last December, Juan Chacon (chah-COHN) and his family were eating supper in their Buenos Aires apartment. Suddenly, they heard a tinny, rhythmic sound outside. As the sound drew near, they ran to the window.

A large group of people moved slowly up the avenue, blocking traffic. They carried pots and pans, which they banged noisily to the beat of a chant. The chant wasn't clear, but the words "el pueblo unido"--people united--could be heard above the clatter.

Juan, a 14-year-old high school student and amateur drummer, immediately ran out to join the march. His mother and sister followed.

Marching in Protest

The march was a cacerolazo (cahseh-roh-LAH-soh)--taken from cacerola, which means kitchen pot in Spanish. Argentines filled the streets to protest the worst economic crisis in their nation's history.

Until recently, Argentina had the largest middle class of any country in South America. Now, more than half of the population has dropped below the poverty line.

Young Argentines are passionate about politics, and students often organize demonstrations to show their opposition to an issue. But this was a different kind of protest. "These were whole families, not just students," says Juan about that December night. "There were children and grandparents marching and banging pots. Everybody wants change now."

Once one of the richest nations in Latin America, Argentina is bankrupt. The people blame the actions and policies of corrupt politicians for their plight.

How Did This Happen?

In the 1990s, Argentina's government decided that the country's economy should be tied more closely to the global market. To accomplish this, Argentina borrowed billions of dollars from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Backed by major industrial nations, including the U.S., the IMF lends money to countries in need.

Argentina's government also lowered import taxes, making it less expensive to import goods from other countries. For a while, the economy seemed to be booming. But the government was running up a huge foreign debt.

Meanwhile, items made in Argentina became more expensive than the same items imported from elsewhere. This caused local factories to produce less. As Argentine industry produced less, there were fewer jobs. The country headed toward recession.

In December 2001, Argentina defaulted (failed to pay) on its IMF loans. As a result, the government could not borrow any more money.

A Fight for Survival

"There is no money, no jobs, and no place to turn," says Ani, Juan's 17-year-old sister. Ani has just finished high school and is looking for a job. So far, she has found nothing.

We talk in her brother's bedroom, where everything is about music. There are tapes, CDs, a boom box, and posters of Argentine rock bands, like Los Piojos (the Lice). Juan's drum set takes up half the room.

Ani says that Argentines are tired of leaders who lie, steal, and do nothing to help people in need. "It doesn't matter who is in power," she says. "The story is always the same. The politicians get richer, and the rest of us get poorer."

Such beliefs are held by many people in Argentina and have even led to physical attacks on politicians.

Last year, as the economy worsened, people around the country broke into supermarkets and stole food. Then, just before New Year's, the government limited the amount of money citizens could withdraw from their bank accounts. This caused many people to riot. Mobs smashed bank windows and broke down doors. People lost faith in the banking system.

The final blow came when the peso--Argentina's currency--was devalued (reduced in value). Until early this year, one peso was worth one dollar. Now, it is worth only about 35 cents, so people have 65 cents less to spend for every peso.

"Before, you could buy a dress or a CD you liked," Ani says. "Now, you can only afford to buy what is absolutely necessary, like the food you need for that day."

Moving On

Despite the uncertainty, Argentines are moving beyond protest marches. They know that they must take action to bring about change.

In many neighborhoods, people have organized assemblies and discussed the need to find leaders who will truly represent them.

Argentines have also gone back to an ancient way of acquiring goods. If you have no money to buy what you need, you barter (exchange one item for another). There are now barter centers in many communities, where people exchange food and other items. At Juan's school, parents gathered in March, at the start of the school year, to exchange textbooks.

Many Argentines are leaving the country to find a more secure future elsewhere. But others prefer to stay.

"I think about leaving to get away from this and study music," says Juan. "But I'm pretty sure I'll never leave, because if I go, I'm not helping the country or anybody. I'm only benefiting myself."

That kind of thinking may enable Argentina to resolve its problems.

RELATED ARTICLE: ARGENTINA

Argentina is famous for its sophisticated capital, Buenos Aires, its rough-riding gauchos (cowboys), and the towering Andes mountains that form its western border. Argentina is the second-largest country in South America in area and the third-largest in population.

Spanish settlers, who arrived in the 1500s in search of silver and gold, named Argentina after the Latin word for silver, argentum. But the only riches they found were fertile grassy plains-- which eventually proved more valuable.

Argentina was a Spanish colony for nearly 300 years.

FACTS TO KNOW

AREA: 1,073,514 square miles, almost twice as large as Alaska.

POPULATION: 37,500,000; 90% urban. About 85 percent are of European descent. The rest are mostly Mestizo (people of mixed Indian and white ancestry).

GOVERNMENT: Presidential-legislative democracy; Eduardo Duhalde is President.

ECONOMY: Argentina is in the midst of an economic crisis. The country became rich in the 1800s on exports of cattle and grain. Today, most of its income comes from service industries and manufacturing.

* PER CAPITA GDP: $12,900.

CURRENCY: Peso, worth about 35 U.S. cents.

LITERACY RATE: 96% for men and women.

(*.) The value of all products produced by the country in a year, divided by the population. (GDP stands far gross domestic product; per capita means per person.)