Sawt Falasteen - Maradona's birthplace repurposed as soup kitchen for Argentina's hungry

The childhood home of the late Argentine football legend has been transformed into a soup kitchen for people squeezed by President Javier Milei's austerity policies.

The needy can also ask for clothing at 523 Amazor street in the Buenos Aires suburb of Fiorito, where the player dubbed Argentina's "Golden Boy" grew up in grinding poverty.

In this neighborhood of around 50,000 people living in modest brick homes, dozens of murals depict key moments in the career of the illustrious number 10, who died in 2020 at the age of 60.

On Tuesday, a new trial for criminal negligence will begin of the seven-strong medical team that was caring for Maradona in his final days, as he was recovering from brain surgery.

In Fiorito, neighbors come and go to "Diego's house," as they call it, lugging containers which volunteers fill with chicken stew or other meals cooked in giant cauldrons in the yard.

Cumbia music -- Maradona's favorite genre -- blares from speakers.

If he were alive "Diego would say there is a lot of hunger and we have to help, because the need is so great," Diego Gavilan, one of the kitchen's beneficiaries, told AFP.

- 'Can't make ends meet' -

Gavilan collects cardboard and scrap metal for a living but it no longer puts food on the table.

He started coming to the soup kitchen after Milei was elected in December 2023 and embarked on a radical free-market agenda of deregulation and steep cuts to public spending.

"You can’t make ends meet," Gavilan said.

Although statistics show a decrease in poverty under Milei, mainly due to a sharp drop in inflation, family finances are in crisis, according to Central Bank reports.

A surge in imports and a collapse in consumption have resulted in the closure of over 20,000 businesses, according to official reports.

Gavilan said he was glad to accept help from Maradona's old home.

"He suffered so much hunger here as a child. For the people of the neighborhood to receive a plate of food is special," he said.

- Full stomachs -

There are no tables or chairs for diners at this establishment.

The food prepared by volunteers over open fires in the yard is handed out in bags to people queueing at the door.

Maradona often spoke of his humble beginnings in a community that lacked running water and paved streets.

Sixty-six years after his birth, hardship is etched in the faces of those queueing for food.

"People are going hungry," Maria Torres, one of the center's cooks, told AFP, adding she was convinced Maradona would be very happy at the sight of his old home being used for a charitable cause.

Father Leonardo Torres is one of the driving forces behind the soup kitchen.

He recalls Maradona recounting how his mother, Dalma "Tota" Franco, would go without food so he could eat his fill.

"Diego said that his mother would pretend her stomach hurt so he could eat," he said.

"We want many 'Totas' and many 'Diegos' to leave here with a full stomach," he added.

R.AbuNasser--SF-PST