Global Voices » Spanish

Argentina: Stand Up Comedian on Women and Catcalls

Juliana Rincón Parra — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:16:08 +0000

Argentinean stand up comedian Malena Pichot, best known for her webshow “La Loca de Mierda” has a new series, Cualca! and on this first episode[es], she shares her perspective on how women really feel when they receive unwanted attention from strange males like catcalls and genital exposure on the street.

Peru: The Water March Approaches Lima

Kathryn Morgan — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:42:43 +0000

The Water March that set off from Cajamarca on February 1, 2012, continues on. After a warm welcome [es] in La Libertad region and more support [es] from farmers, fishermen and ecologists [es] on passing through Ancash, the March is now approaching Lima.

Meanwhile, various independent journalists and foreign websites are talking about and giving their opinions about the March. For example, El Ciudadano [es], PiensaChile [es] and Mapu Express [es] of Chile, the Agencia Latinoamericana de Información [es], Rebelión [es], Infolatam [es] are all reporting on the March. In Lima, however, some media are revealing [es] alleged political reports that denounce the March organisers as “reds and extremists” and “experts in the mobilisation of masses”.

The following video, uploaded to YouTube by noenhucal on February 5, captures the beginning of the March in the village of Santa, a little before Chimbote.

In the previous post we left the March on its fifth day, leaving [es] Chimbote and headed for [es] the city of Casma and then on to Huarmey. From there they continued on [es] to Paramonga, which now belongs to the Lima region, where they spent the night. On the Chungo y Batán blog they repost photos [es] of the march through Trujillo and Chimbote, as well as the arrival in Casma on Sunday night.

Al promediar las 8 de la noche, llegaron a la provincia de Casma, conocida como la ciudad del eterno sol, hasta cerca de la media noche realizamos una manifestación cultural, también agradeciendo al alcalde que recibió a los marchantes. Al cierre de la presente edición, nos preparamos para salir marchando hasta Paramonga.

At around 8 o'clock in the evening, they arrived in the province of Casma, known as the city of eternal sun. Until about midnight we held a cultural protest and thanked the Mayor for receiving the marchers. On ending this post we are preparing our march to Paramonga.

The Water March in Santa

The Water March in Chimbote

The Water March in Casma

La Misión de Observación (The Observation Mission) issued [es] their report on the fifth day in which they announced, among other things, the motives of the various Ancash collectives that have supported the March:

Almenzor Gómez y Javier Castro, representando a cientos de pescadores de la provincia de Chimbote, explicaron que ven amenazado su trabajo y la biodiversidad de su costa por la inminente presencia de la petrolera Savia Perú (ex –Petrotech) que pretende levantar una plataforma a 20 millas de Chimbote. […] Por su parte, Javier Castro, […] se refirió al gran riesgo que correría el zócalo marino de Áncash, rico en nutrientes y pesca, si se produjera un derrame de petróleo. Los ancashinos concretaron 4 reivindicaciones centrales por las que se unen a la Marcha: intangibilidad de cabeceras de cuenca, prohibición de la minería con cianuro y mercurio, derecho a la consulta de los pueblos y declarar el agua un derecho constitucional.

Almenzor Gómez and Javier Castro, representing hundreds of fishermen from the province of Chimbote, explained that their work and biodiversity on the coast is threatened by the iminent presence of the oil company Savia Perú (formally Petrotech) that intends to build an oil rig 20 miles off the coast of Chimbote. […]. Javier Castro, […] makes reference to the large risk of oil spillage posed to the marine base at Áncash, rich in nutrients and fish. Áncash locals summarized four main demands to go along with the March: Intangibility of the headwaters, prohibition of using cyanide and mercury in mining, the right to consultation with the towns and the declaration of water as a constitutional right.

After staying overnight [es] in Paramonga, the March set off for Pativilca, Barranca and Supe, where the day ended [es]. In the blog Frente de Defensa Ambiental de Cajamarca (Cajamarca Environmental Defence Front) there is a report [es] with photos.

The Water March in Paramonga

The Water March in Pativilca

The Observation Mission issued its report of the day in which it identifies [es] certain problems related to the March that we have mentioned in previous posts.

En torno al rosario de problemas sociales y ambientales, con sus correspondientes conflictos, que van federándose en torno a la Marcha del Agua, la Misión de Observación toma nota de la denuncia de una campaña de descrédito, según los organizadores, con acusaciones de “politización interesada de la Marcha” e incluso “connivencia terrorista de sus dirigentes”; recientemente viene apareciendo la acusación de que “Chile financia la Marcha”, para que las empresas se vayan allá … Los portavoces de la Marcha insistieron en que su objetivo es poner en la agenda nacional la prioridad del derecho al agua desde la movilización no violenta.

Around the miryad of social and environmental problems, with their associated conflicts, which all cluster around the Marcha del Agua, the Observation Mission takes note of a campaign to bring it into disrepute, with accusations of “politicisation of the March” and even “terrorist collusion amongst its leaders”. Recently the accusation that “Chile finances the March” has arisen with the aim that businesses go there… The spokespeople for the March insist that its objective is to make the right to water a priority on the national agenda through non-violent movement.

From Supe the marchers headed for Huaura and then [es] to Huacho, the city where they spent the night. Holding [es] a meeting the next day and spreading its proposals through the city streets. Earlier, in the city of Barranca, the members of the Observation Mission and the Water March met. The Mission's report [es] on the day talks about this meeting, highlighting the motives for the March as explained by its organisers:

Jorge Spelucín, maestro, e integrante de la Comisión Nacional del Agua, suscitó la denuncia del largo proceso de criminalización que los distintos dirigentes sufren, “no queremos que continúe la criminalización de la protesta que impuso el anterior gobierno, los pobres hemos soportado por 20 años la violencia política y social de Yanacocha”, dijo.

Jorge Spelucín, schoolteacher, and member of the National Water Commission, complained of the long process of criminalisation that the different managers suffered. He says “we want the criminalisation of the protest that the previous government imposed to stop. The poor people have put up with the political and social violence of Yanacocha for 20 years”.

On February 8 DLOOCHI uploaded the following YouTube video about the Water March in Huacho:

Meanwhile in Lima the March's sympathisers are already preparing to receive them on Thursday, February 9. The organisers that live in the city are meeting to prepare different activities like “Foro Hídrico: Agua, Minería y Desarrollo en el Perú” [es] (Water Forum: Water, Mining and Development in Perú) that begun on February 8 (here you can access its programme [es]) and the Tribunal Nacional de Justicia Hídrica [es] (National Water Justice Tribunal). “Voluntary work for reception, food, adjustment and National Great Water March marcher registration logistics” have also been announced [es] and organised [es] for their arrival in Lima. The Great Water March blog posts [es]the marching route for Lima and on the Seamos Un Río blog they ask for [es] donations:

Este esfuerzo [la marcha] se está realizando de manera autogestionada y autofinanciada, por lo que nos vemos en la necesidad de apelar a su solidaridad y animo de lucha para ayudarnos a cumplir con las metas trazadas durante los 3 días que nuestros compañeros caminantes de la Gran Marcha Nacional del Agua permanecerán en la ciudad de Lima.

El presupuesto que estamos manejando son para la realizacion de las siguientes actividades: **Albergue y Tribunal Hídrico**, **Foro Hídrico**, **Acto Político Cultural**, **Marcha**, **Comunicación, movilidad**

This effort [the March] is self-managed and self-financed. We see the need to call on your solidarity and to encourage the struggle to help us to achieve the goals that were drawn up during the three days that our fellow marchers on the National Great Water March stayed in the city of Lima.

The proposal that we are managing is for the execution of the follwoing activites: **Hostal and Water Tribunal**, **Water Forum**, **Political Culture Act**, **March**, **Communication mobility**

Freddy Otárola, the Nationalists congressman, has recently issued a controversial statement. He said [es]: “We hope that the ‘Water March' will be a failure”. The Prime-minister, Óscar Valdés, hopes [es] that the “March for water” will show a techincal stance rather than a political one. In the meantime from the city of Puno they have announced [es] that the representatives of the struggle committes and the defence fronts of the regions of Puno, Cusco, Arequipa, Madre de Dios, Moquegua and Tacna, will carry out a march and a protest in support of the Water March.

Finally, in this video filmed in the Fórum Social Mundial [pt] (World Social Forum), held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, between January 24 and 29, they have put together some testimonies and messages from participants expressing their support and solidarity with the Water March.

Post originally published on Juan Arellano's [es] personal blog.

Puerto Rico: Life One Photo a Day

Firuzeh Shokooh Valle — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:47:27 +0000

The artist and producer Jose Marti (@Jose_Marti) has shot one picture a day for the past two years as part of his online project “Fotos de Hoy” (Photos of Today).

He explains:

Dentro de los temas que publico en su mayoría son fotos casuales donde la foto me encuentra a mí en vez de yo buscarla y bien pueden ser fotos de la ciudad, de mi casa o donde quiera que me encuentre por que en realidad lo importante es expresar algo sobre el momento, donde estoy, que estoy haciendo, etc. Ese es el elemento que me ha llevado ha constantemente publicar en Fotos de Hoy, el poder visualmente resumir semanas y diversas experiencias en un compilado accesible por internet.

They are mostly casual photos, where the photograph finds me instead of me looking for the photograph, and they may well be pictures of the city, my home or wherever it finds me because what is really important is to express something about the moment, where I am, what I'm doing, etc.. That is the element that has led me to constantly publish in “Photos of Today,” to be able to visually summarize weeks and diverse experiences that are accessible online.

I have selected some of his pictures of Old San Juan, the colonial city of the capital of San Juan, Puerto Rico (all photos are republished with his permission). You can follow his visual life daily at Fotos de Hoy.

City with a View.

San José Church.

The window.

Beach El Escambrón.

Fort El Morro.

Bar El Batey.

Luna Street.

Spain: The Rebel Grandparents of the 15M

Marianna Breytman — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:25:57 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.

They call themselves “the children” of 15M despite the fact that the majority of them far exceed the age of 60, they are retired, they are “iaios” (grandparents, in Catalan) and they are veterans of long-term activism.

Celestino Sánchez, Antonia Jover, Adrián Rísquez, and Rosario Cunillera are some of the members of the the “Iaioflautas,” a collective that emerged in Barcelona last October alongside the camping grounds in Plaza Catalunya. Its objective is to support the youth in their own way. But the fight, they assert, is the same: “for a dignified democracy by name and social justice against conspiratorial bankers and politicians.”

The “iaioflautas,” whose name was invented in solidarity with the “perroflautas” (gutter punks) — a derrogatory term with which the president of Madrid used to refer to the young occupiers — combine some of the methods they used in the anti-Franco, labor union, local or leftist fights with their learning about new technologies. To summarize, they organize a “direct action” in the street once a month, almost in secret, and do not announce it on their Twitter account, @iaioflautas, or blog [es] until it has already begun. That way, they avoid problems with the police.

The first event took place in November, when they occupied a Santander Bank office in Barcelona. The most recent one, called “Operation #RebelionBus,” occurred on Wednesday, February 1. Some 70 “yayos” (grandparents) arranged to meet in the very center of the Catalan capital and “hijacked” a bus in protest of the abusive increase in public transportation fares.

They chose Line 47, in reference to the missing bus driver and syndicalist Manuel Vital [es] that hijacked a bus on this line in May of 1978 to demonstrate that he could get to his neighborhood. The following is part of a series of tweets that they started writing a few days before with the help of young activists:

January 30:

@iaioflautas: #eldía1F los @iaioflautas vamos a hacer algo muy loco. (puenting…como que no). Filosofía #occupy 99% ¿Le dais un meneito? Gracias!

@iaioflautas: #Feb1 the @iaioflautas are going to do something really crazy. (bungee jumping… but of course). #occupy 99% Philosophy. Will you give it a little shake? Thank you!

@celescolorado: Miércoles 1 por la mañana nueva travesura de @iaioflautas, síguenos

@celescolorado: The morning of Wednesday, the first, a new @iaioflautas prank. Follow us

January 31:

@iaioflautas: Tic-tac, tic-tac…cuenta atrás para una travesura más. Será #eldia1f ¡especuladores, os vais a enterar! Somos el 99%. No olvidamos.

@iaioflautas: Tick-tock, tick-tock… counting down to one more prank. It will happen on #Feb1. Speculators, you're going to find out! We are the 99%. We don't forget.

February 1:

@iaioflautas: En marcha! Hoy será un día largo. No olvidéis el bocadillo, medicaciones varias… Hoy entramos en acción. ¡Atentos!

@iaioflautas: Marching! Today will be a long day. Don't forget your sandwich, various medications… Today we start the action. Watch out!

@iaioflautas: Calentando motores, q frío que hace!

@iaioflautas: Starting our engines, it's so cold out!

@iaioflautas: Hemos ocupado un autobús, el 47, en pl. Catalunya. Somos más de 70 @iaioflautas, la acción ha empezado, seguidnos en #rebelionbus

@iaioflautas: We've occupied a bus, the 47, in Pl. Catalunya. There are over 70 of us @iaioflautas, the action has started. Follow us with#rebelionbus

@iaioflautas: [Calle] Industria con Sardenya. Que se escuche: rechazamos las reducciones de tarifas y el plan de recortes salariales #rebelionbus

@iaioflautas: On Industria and Sardenya Street. Listen: we reject the reduction in prices and the plan for salary cuts #rebelionbus

@iaioflautas: Aquí podéis ver algunas fotos de #rebelionbus. Vamos por Ronda Guineueta. Estamos ocupando el bus 47 http://www.iaioflautas.org/2012/02/operacio-rebelionbus/

@iaioflautas: You can see photos from #rebelionbus here. We're going along Ronda Guineueta. We're occupying the 47 bus. iaioflautas.org/2012/02/operac…

@iaioflautas: Bueno, el trayecto de ida ha acabado. Ahora, volviendo para la Plaza Catalunya. Sobre las 12:30 haremos una asamblea allí #rebelionbus

@iaioflautas: Well, the trip there has ended. Now we're returning to Plaza Catalunya. Around 12:30 we're going to have an assembly there #rebelionbus

@iaioflautas: Final del trayecto mañanero de la #rebelionbus. La lucha continúa con #yonopago esta tarde. pic.twitter.com/8GaRmzSw

@iaioflautas: The end of the morning trip on the #rebelionbus. The fight continues with #yonopago (#Iwontpay) this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/8GaRmzSw

@celescolorado: En la asamblea final en pz. Catalunya @iaioflautas hemos cantado el cumpleaños feliz a un compañero, Manolo González cumplía 80 años

@celescolorado: At the final assembly in Pl. Catalunya @iaioflautas We sang Happy Birthday to a friend, Manolo González, who turned 80

And here is the video that @15Mbc_tv recorded and edited:

The #RebeliónBus operation had been prepared a week before, during a meeting I attended. I had been following the Iaioflautas for some time online, and I wanted to get to know them. There they finalized the details of the action and began planning the “prank” that they will carry out in March. This is part of what some of them told me:

Celestino Sánchez, 61 years old:

Celestino. (Screen shot taken by the author)

El 15M representó para gente como nosotros una especie de aire fresco. La situación ha cambiado y hay un nuevo escenario y tenemos que volver a aprender. Eso no quiere decir que nuestro pasado no sirva, pero las cosas son diferentes. Por ejemplo, hace diez años era impensable que se convocara a través de las redes sociales la ocupación de la plaza Catalunya. Se decía que la gente joven no hacía nada, y hace, hace mucho. La gente de las generaciones futuras vivirá peor que la del pasado, ese es otro cambio. Lo que creo que no ha cambiado son los objetivos: una sociedad en las que las personas podamos vivir libremente, que tengamos vivienda, transporte, que estudiemos. Eso lo queríamos hace treinta años y ahora también, sigue siendo vigente.

The 15M represented a sort of breath of fresh air for people like us. The situation has changed and there is a new scenario, and we have to go back to learning. This doesn't mean that the past no longer serves a purpose, but that things are different. For example, ten years ago, it was unthinkable for the Plaza Catalunya occupation to be organized through social networks. People said that the youth did nothing, but they do quite a lot. Future generations will live worse than those of the past, that is another change. I believe that the objectives are that which hasn't changed: a society in which we as people can live freely, where we can have homes, transportation, where we can study. This is what we wanted 30 years ago and now it also continues to be the case.

Antonia Jover, 72 years old:

Antonia. (Screen shot taken by the author)

Me gusta mucho esta forma de lucha, porque pienso que es una forma directa y, además, responde a la concepción que siempre he tenido de la democracia. La democracia es poder del pueblo, ningún gobierno puede ser democrático, porque los gobiernos son represivos. La verdadera democracia está en el pueblo y en la vigilancia del pueblo de que los gobiernos cumplan lo que prometen. Los iaioflautas podemos aprovechar las experiencias que teníamos del franquismo. Entonces los que queríamos una sociedad democrática teníamos un enemigo común, el franquismo, un sistema bárbaro y represivo. Y ahora, ¿por qué no hacer una misma experiencia de la unidad contra los especuladores y los financieros? Nos afecta al 99% de la población y sólo es el 1% el que se beneficia. Ésta es la idea.”

I really like this form of uprising, because I think it is direct and also responds to the conception that I have always had of democracy. Democracy is power of the people, no government can be democratic because governments are repressive. True democracy lies with the people and in the peoples' vigilance that the governments deliver their promises. We iaioflautas can take advantage of the experiences we had with the Franco era. So those of us that wanted a democratic society have a common enemy, Franco's regime, a barbaric and repressive system. And now, why not create the same experience of unity against speculators and financiers? It affects 99% of our population and it is only the 1% that benefits. That is the idea.

Adrián Rísquez, 77 years old:

Adrián. (Screen shot taken by the author)

En los iaioflautas me siento muy bien. Llevo cinco años encerrado en la Federación de Asociaciones de vecinos hablando de la sanidad sin salir a la calle y como nuestra trayectoria fue en la calle, dentro de los locales no me aguantaba. Con los iaios hacemos lo que me gusta, en la calle, porque lo hicimos en aquellos tiempos y lo estábamos echando en falta. Decíamos que era necesario que la juventud saliera a la calle, pues ya está en la calle y ahora lo que tenemos que hacer es estar con ellos, que ellos aprendan de nosotros y nosotros de ellos. No se puede estar en casa porque las cosas que tenemos no las hemos conseguido en casa. La sanidad pública se consiguió en la calle y tenemos que conseguir en la calle para que no nos la quiten.

I feel really good being with the iaioflautas. I have been locked up in the Federation of Neighborhood Associations talking about health without going out into the streets, and since our experience had been in the streets, I couldn't take it anymore inside the locales. With the iaios, we do what I like, outside, because we did it in those times and we were doing what was needed. We said that it was necessary for the youth to come out into the streets, well now they're in the streets and what we have to do is be with them, so that they learn from us and we from them. You can't stay inside the house because we haven't gotten the things we currently have from sitting at home. Public health was achieved in the street and we have to continue on in the street so they don't take it away from us.

Rosario Cunillera, 66 years old:

Rosario. (Screen shot taken by the author)

Todo empezó cuando fuimos a la plaza Catalunya a ver a los jóvenes y saber qué pensaban. No entramos en su lucha, porque, para mí, era totalmente diferente a cuando vine a Barcelona, a los 18 años, a luchar contra Franco. Pero fue un impulso nuevo. Ellos van a encontrar su forma de luchar, pensé, con el Twitter y todo esto. Y me apunté a los iaioflautas y cada vez que hay algo de los jóvenes, procuramos ir. Los jóvenes del 15M nos han dado un poco de ilusión y eso es algo que nos faltaba a la gente mayor.

Everything started when we went to Plaza Catalunya to see the young people and find out what they were thinking. We didn't join the fight because, for me, it was totally different from when I came to Barcelona at the age of 18 to fight against Franco. But it was a new impulse. They went to find their own way of fighting, I thought, with Twitter and all of that. So I joined the iaioflautas and every time the young people do something, we try to go. The 15M youth has shown us a bit of hope and that is something that us elderly were missing.

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.

Argentina: Musician Luis Alberto Spinetta Dies

Betsy Galbreath — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:48:15 +0000

Luis Alberto Spinetta, “El Flaco“, one of the most influential rock musicians in Argentina, died on February 8, 2012, as a result of illness; Spinetta had lung cancer, diagnosed in July, 2011. His condition became public when, towards the end of the year, he addressed his fans with an emotional letter [es] that began like this:

Buenos Aires. Diciembre 23, 2011. Mi nombre es Luis Alberto Spinetta. Tengo 61 años y soy músico. Desde el mes de julio sé que tengo cáncer de pulmón. Estoy muy cuidado por una familia amorosa, por los amigos del alma, y por los mejores médicos que tenemos en el país. Ante el aluvión de información inexacta, quiero aclarar públicamente las condiciones de mi estado de salud. Me encuentro muy bien, en pleno tratamiento hacia una curación definitiva. […]

Buenos Aires. December 23, 2011. My name is Luis Alberto Spinetta. I am 61 years old and I am a musician. I have known since July that I have lung cancer. I am very well cared for by a loving family, by my closest friends, and by the best doctors in our country. Given the barrage of inaccurate information, I want to publicly clarify the state of my health. I feel very well, in full-on treatment towards a definitive cure. […]

Luis Alberto Spinetta, by Facundo M. Nívolo. Image licensed by Creative Commons license Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

In January, Spinetta was admitted to the Cemic Institute to undergo surgery for intestinal perforation due to diverticulitis, a diagnosis unrelated to his cancer. On January 30, after 25 days in hospital, he was discharged and was able to go home.

On February 8, just over a week later, “El Flaco” died at home, surrounded by his children: Dante, Catarina, Valentino and Vera, according to [es] the Argentine newspaper Telám. And it was his children themselves who started a wave [es] of messages full of melancholy, sadness and pain, expressed on the social network Twitter. [translator's note: all Twitter links are in Spanish]

Dante (@dantespinetta), in a brief but very profound tweet said [es]:

Te amo por siempre Papá.

I love you forever, Dad.

While Valentino (@Leeva_) posted [es] on his account:

T amo papá, siempre vas a estar en mi alma y mi corazón.

I love you Dad, you will always be in my soul and my heart.

Quoting a line from her father, Catarina (@Cataspinetta) also tweeted [es]:

‘No habrá un destino incierto, ni habrá distancia que pueda alejarme de ti…' Amor eterno a mi Padre♥

‘There will be no uncertain fate, nor any distance that will take me away from you…' Eternal love to my father ♥

Reactions on social networks

The hashtag #chauflaco [goodbye Flaco] quickly became a trending topic, gathering the tweets of those users wanting to express their emotions with the news of the death of a musician with one of the longest careers in Argentine rock:

User Paula Castro (@_paucastro) reflected:

La tristeza de decir #chauflaco .. Gracias x tanta poesia!

The sadness of saying #chauflaco… thank you for so much poetry!

Technology writer Federico Wiemeyer (@wiemeyer) recalled a verse by Spinetta:

“Si no canto lo que siento me voy a morir por dentro” #ChauFlaco

“If I don't sing what I feel I'm going to die inside” #ChauFlaco

Pablo Ferreyra (@PabloRFerreyra) mourned:

Murió el mejor músico argentino. El que más voy a extrañar. Barro tal vez, flaco. #ChauFlaco

The best Argentine musician has died. The one I will miss most. Barro tal vez, flaco [line from a Spinetta song meaning “Mud, perhaps, Flaco.”]. #ChauFlaco

User Bruno Vaccotti (@peztresojos) quoted Spinetta to explain popular sentiment:

“La gente está incluida en el alma. Yo soy toda la gente” #elflaco dixit. Por eso hoy, todos morimos un poco. #chauflaco

“People are part of your soul. I am all people.” So said #elflaco. So today, we all have died a little. #chauflaco

Paula Zuviría (@pau_apichela) related an anecdote:

Mama entra llorando a mi cuarto y me dice: Porque no me contaste que murió Spinetta ? #chauflaco

Mom comes crying to my room and says: Why didn't you tell me Spinetta died? # chauflaco

User Cecilia Ann Tosh (@_CeciliaAnn) reflected:

Por qué se puede estar acongojado por la muerte de alguien que no conociste? Porque su obra enriqueció tu ser. #ChauFlaco

How can you be so distressed by the death of someone you didn't know? Because his work enriched your soul. #ChauFlaco

Messages from Twitter netizens are flowing [es] in at a rate that probably won't slow down in the coming days or weeks, which is understandable since Luis Alberto Spinetta is considered by many the greatest exponent of music in Argentina. And while such a statement is completely subjective, it is undeniable that his work has greatly influenced the work of many musicians, and his legacy will always be part of the heart of Argentina and Latin American culture.

“And this is always true, whether you are staying or you are going.”

Panama: Government and Indigenous Peoples Reach Agreement After Clashes Over Mining

Eleanor Staniforth — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:31:14 +0000

Panama went to bed on Saturday February 4, 2012, with the uncertainty as to what would happen on the Panamericana road, where for the fifth day indigenous peoples were spending the night in the middle of the highway and preventing the circulation of vehicles. The latest news stated that mobile phone networks had been shut down in the area of the conflict, leaving protesters and detainees cut off.

La Prensa [es] reported:

Luego de múltiples quejas de los usuarios que han intentado comunicarse con personas en la zona del oriente chiricano en donde está cerrada la vía Interamericana las telefónicas comunicaron que el servicio está suspendido por orden de las autoridades competentes.

Following multiple complaints from users trying to contact people in the western Chiriquí region where the Interamericana road is closed, the telephone companies reported that the service had been suspended by order of the relevant authorities.

Previous experience and the apparent inability of the government to negotiate prompted fears of an inevitable confrontation. On Sunday, the Twitter account of the National Police of Panama (@protegeryservir) [es] reported that it had successfully obtained the release of the “kidnapped” and therefore the re-opening of the Panamericana road.

COMUNICADO N.1: Informamos a la ciudadanía que en 1hora30minutos se logró rescate de todos los secuestrados en Vía Panamericana…

Communiqué no.1: We inform all citizens that in 1 hour and 30 minutes we managed to rescue all those kidnapped on the Panamericana road…

The lack of communication by mobile phone meant that news of the events spread slowly and somewhat strangely. Many rumours surrounding the time and the means taken to open the road spread on social networks. Later on the police confirmed on their Twitter [es] account that a man had died in circumstances which remain unclear:

COMUNICADO N.2: Se confirma el fallecimiento de ciudadano identificado preliminarmente como Jerónimo Montezuma, se investigan las causas…

Communiqué no.2: We confirm the death of a citizen, tentatively identified as Jerónimo Montezuma. The causes of death are being investigated…

The opening of the road by force did not bring an end to the problem, but instead unleashed chaos not only on the Panamericana but also in other areas of the country where different groups and unions grouped together to show support for the indigenous people. The violence with which events unfolded was criticised and social networks were filled with photos and videos showing images of the police intervention.

YouTube user hjuonnieful uploaded the following video showing police repression in a hospital on February 5:

On Monday, February 6, streets were closed at various points around the country. The indigenous people also became violent and burnt [es] at least two police stations. Soon a propaganda war began in which the police denied what was being shown in the media and the security minister Raúl Molino criticised the lies which were being told.

The Panamanian blogger “Puppetmaster” complains about this in his blog Oye-pty [es]:

¿Cuál es el afán de la Polícia Nacional, nuestra principal institución de “seguridad”, de desmentir los enfrentamientos entre indígenas y unidades ARMADAS mediante su cuenta de Twitter @ProtegeryServir cuando en realidad si están ocurriendo? Gracias a Dios la histeria “inncecesaria” que quieren hacer ver que la población crea queda evidenciada en imágenes captadas por los reporteros gráficos, en este caso el excelente trabajo de Eliezer Oses del diario La Estrella en las que se puede ver a un uniformado haciendo uso de su arma de reglamento, aún cuando la Policía lo niega.

Why are the National Police, our principal “security” institution, in such a hurry to deny the confrontations between indigenous people and ARMED units via their Twitter account @ProtegerServir when in reality these confrontations are happening? Thank God the proof of the “unnecessary” hysteria which they are trying to claim the population has created has been recorded by press photographers, in this case the excellent work of Eliezer Oses from the newspaper ‘La Estrella' in which you can see a uniformed policeman making use of his reglementary weapon, even though the Police are denying this has happened.

In the same way, Joao Q. in his blog Mediocerrado [es] criticises the way in which the security minister has communicated events, and in passing, makes reference to a scandal over the purchase of “overpriced” speed cameras:

Un hombre muere en las protestas. Testigos dicen que de un tiro. Otros tienen evidencias de casquillos de 9mm. Las enseñan en las pantallas. Frente a cámaras de televisión. Ministro niega todo uso de armas de fuego en protestas. Alega que las 9mm no son armas de reglamento policial. Llama mentirosos a los que han hablado de casquillos de este tipo de armas de guerra. Ministro sostiene cara de sarcasmo burlesco mientras dice todo esto en cadena nacional. Su grotesco peinado –black-and-white-pepelepú-style– lo sostiene un fijador muy caro que compró en Italia con dinero de cuestionables fuentes. Uno puede imaginar cosas entre tanta incertidumbre. Pero hay radares que lo indican.

A man dies in the protests. Witnesses say he was shot. Others have evidence of 9mm bullet shells. They show them on-screen. In front of television cameras. Minister denies all use of fire-arms in protests. He alleges that the 9mm bullets aren't from police weapons. He calls those who have spoken of shells from this type of weapon liars. Minister maintains expression of mocking sarcasm while saying all this on national TV. His grotesque black-and-white skunk-style hairdo is held up by a very expensive hairspray which he bought in Italy with money from questionable sources. One can begin to imagine things amongst such uncertainty. But there are cameras that prove it.

However, there are also those who condemn the behaviour of the indigenous people, as is the case of Luis Felipe Manfredo (@luismanfredo) [es] who suggests that if mining doesn't destroy Panama, the indigenous will:

creo antes ke tal vez lo haga la mineria la destruccion, los mismos indigenas desean destruir a Panama.

I think perhaps that before mining destroys Panama, the indigenous people themselves will do it.

Some have also shown their support for the actions of the National Police. For example Clemente Yoell (@CYoell07) [es] thanks the police for fulfilling their constitutional duty:

@protegeryservir ESTAN HACIENDO LO QUE POR LEY LO DEBEN HACER! Felicidades!

THEY'RE DOING WHAT THEY ARE OBLIGED BY LAW TO DO! Congratulations!

On Tuesday, February 7, feelings were still running high although the negotiations which the Panamanians hoped would bring peace had begun.

The indigenous leader Silvia Carrera (@CaciqueGeneral) [es] reported on the beginning of the dialogue with the mediation of the Catholic church on her Twitter account.

Estamos iniciando dialogo con el gobierno en compañía de Monseñor Lacunza y el Padre Adonaí

We are commencing dialogue with the government in the company of Mr. Lacunza and Father Adonaí.

C. Bernal (@cacike1976) [es], who describes himself in his biography as “A ngäbe father, husband, and someone who is proud of where he comes from”, comments in two Tweets (1 [es], 2 [es]) which forgive the president and ministers for the damage done but which state that it must never be forgotten.

Pueblo ngäbe perdona y no le desea mal a RM (Ricardo Martinelli), su equipo d ministros, unidades policias q asesinaron a nuestros hermanos y a los miles q …

The ngäbe people forgive and wish no harm to RM (Ricardo Martinelli), his team of ministers, the police units who assessinated our brothers and the thousands who…

Nos odian,menosprecian x reclamar lo justo y x el solo hecho d ser ngäbes,perdonados, pero QUEDA PROHIBIDO IGNORAR Y OLVIDAR las injusticias.

They hate us and look down on us for reclaiming what is just and just for being ngäbes, we forgive them, but IT IS FORBIDDEN TO IGNORE AND FORGET the injustices done.

By the February 7, a second death was added to the total, a young man of 16 years old, although at the time of writing this post the causes of death are unknown, as La Prensa [es] reports:

Juan José Ibarra, padre de crianza del menor de edad que murió en un incidente confuso en el corregimiento de Las Lomas, provincia de Chiriquí la noche de ayer, pidió este martes, 7 de febrero, que se investigue la muerte de este menor de 16 años.

Juan José Ibarra, father of the child who died in unclear circumstances in the township of Las Lomas, in the province of Chiriquí last night, called this Tuesday, February 7, for the causes of the 16 year old's death to be investigated.

Finally, at 6pm on Tuesday, February 7, the government gave in to the demands [es] of the Ngäbe Buglé, prohibiting the use of the region for the exploitation of minerals or water. The Panamanians now ask themselves if such doubt and death were necessary in order to reach this agreement. Karla Acedo (@karla_acedo) [es] remains hopeful that a lesson has been learnt:

Ven? eso es sentarse a dialogar, ahora tomen nota y apliquenlo siempre

See? That's what sitting down to negotiate is, now take note and apply it always.

Spanish-Language Digital Magazine on Using ICTs in Human Rights

Silvia Viñas — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:43:09 +0000

Digital magazine Revista Calle Sol 28 [es] looks at how human rights activists can use information and communication technologies (ICTs). The issue includes the article “The Right to the Internet” by Venezuelan journalist and Global Voices author Luis Carlos Díaz on the use and impact of blogs and social networks.

Peru: A blogger's proposition

Gabriela García Calderón — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:46:32 +0000

Peruvian blogger Cyrano makes a proposition on his blog [es]: “today February 7, 2012, without fail (or whenever you read this), let's make a call to someone we don't talk to for a while and let's simply tell them: ‘I care a lot about you'”.

Cuba: On Yoani Sánchez and Dilma Rousseff

Firuzeh Shokooh Valle — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:33:18 +0000

La Pupila Insomne launches a ferocious critique of the press coverage [es] of Yoani Sánchez's plea to the President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff to intervene with the Cuban government to grant her the exit permit to travel to Brasil for the screening of a documentary in which she appears.

Cuba: Letters to the Editor

Firuzeh Shokooh Valle — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:18:59 +0000

Elaine Díaz comments on and critiques the state-run newspaper Granma's publishing politics of letters from [es] the readers.

Cuba: Fatal Collapse in Downtown Havana Stirs Online Debate

Ellery Roberts Biddle — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:57:55 +0000

Over the last three weeks, two buildings have collapsed in downtown Havana. Located on Calzada de Infanta, a bustling thoroughfare that runs from the Vedado section of the city to Old Havana, the first building to fall killed three of its inhabitants and severely injured six more. There were no fatalities or injuries with the fall of the second building, an old theater that was no longer in use.

Bloggers from Voces Cubanas [es] and Havana Times saw the incidents as clear evidence of state officials' negligence of housing conditions in the city.

Generacion Y's [es] Yoani Sánchez wrote (English translation here):

Calzada de Infanta, in Havana. Photo by Flickr user amycgx (CC: BY - NC)

¿Qué solución urgente se aplicará para que esas tragedias no sigan siendo parte del escenario cotidiano? No vamos a aceptar una respuesta al estilo de que “se está estudiando el tema para aplicar soluciones de manera paulatina”. Tampoco nos vengan ahora con que la culpa la tienen los propios moradores que se quedaron en un lugar inhabitable. ¿A dónde hubieran podido ir? En lugar de eso exigimos que se construya, se repare, se nos proteja.

What urgent solution will be applied so that these tragedies won’t continue to be a part of our daily landscape? We will not accept a response in the style of, “We are studying the issue in order to apply solutions in a gradual way.” Nor do we now fault the inhabitants themselves, who stayed in an uninhabitable place. Where could they go? Instead, we demand that the State construct, repair, protect us.

Sin EVAsion's [es] Miriam Celaya wrote that such incidents have become “commonplace” in the city, but that the first received much greater attention than usual, due to the building's central location, and reports of the collapse by citizens using Twitter.

As Twitter users and bloggers reported on the incident, Celaya wrote that the state press had little choice but to cover it as well. She criticized their approach to the story (English translation here):

La prensa revolucionaria aprovechó la desgracia para resaltar la importancia de la intervención del Cuerpo de Bomberos, la Policía Nacional Revolucionaria, los servicios médicos de urgencia y las autoridades de la provincia y de los municipios Centro Habana y Plaza de la Revolución. Ellos fueron, a juzgar por los medios, los verdaderos protagonistas. La tragedia humana palidecía y se empequeñecía frente a la grandeza de las instituciones revolucionarias.

The revolutionary press took advantage of the tragedy to highlight the importance of the involvement of the Fire Department, the National Revolutionary Police, the Emergency Medical Services and the authorities of the province and municipalities of Centro Habana and Plaza de la Revolución. They were, judging by the media, the true central characters. Human tragedy was dwarfed and paled in comparison to the greatness of the revolutionary institutions.

She summarizes the article about the collapse that appeared in the print version of the national daily, Granma [es], on Thursday, January 19:

“la actuación coordinada e intensa” de “las fuerzas del Cuerpo de Bomberos y los servicios médicos de urgencia en el rescate de las víctimas y en el empeño de salvar la vida de los que se encontraban atrapados”, como si esa no fuera exactamente la función que se espera deben cumplir dichos cuerpos; o como si los derrumbes fuesen un accidente del clima o un mero capricho arquitectónico. Algo inesperado, impredecible, antojadizo, casual.

“Intense and coordinated action” of “the forces of Fire and Emergency Medical Services in the rescue of victims and in the effort to save the lives of those who were trapped,” as if those were not exactly the expected roles of such organizations, or as if building collapses were an act of God, or just an architectural whim; something by chance, unexpected, unpredictable or capricious.

Isbel Díaz Torres, at Havana Times, wrote of the many buildings in Havana that have fallen into disrepair and described how government policies have left Cubans with little capacity to repair their homes:

From what has been announced, the new formula designed by the government to provide home improvement loans and grants doesn’t allow for major structural work, which is what is required for many of the dilapidated buildings that abound across the capital, particularly in the municipalities of Centro Havana and Old Havana.

[…]

Of course many of the buildings are in such deteriorated states of construction that the only plausible solution would be their demolition. This, however, is impossible without a housing option for those people still living in them.

Peru: Following the Great Water March

Kitty Garden — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:18:13 +0000

It has been 7 days since the Great Water March set off, on February 1, 2012, from the heights of Celendín, Cajamarca, Peru, where the lakes threatened by the Conga [es] mining project are located. The march has unfolded practically without incidents, and is currently halfway to Lima, its final destination.

Meanwhile, the media are reporting on its progress, and publishing editorials [es] on the real purpose of the march, stressing above all its political and ideological affiliations; and government spokespeople declare [es] that in reality “there is an excess of water in Cajamarca”.

The media does not have a standard figure on the number of people who departed from Celendín on February 1. While Terra.pe writes [es] of 200 people, EFE counts [es] 300. Newspaper El Comercio mentions [es] that 600 community landowners started the journey, and RPP indicates [es] that 300 people arrived at Cajamarca's Plaza de Armas to sleep overnight and continue marching the next day.

The blog Seamos un río (Let's be a river) reproduced [es] what was published by Marcio Arana, one of the march's organisers:

Salimos a las 4am, nos reunimos en la plaza de armas de Celendin. Líderes ronderos, mujeres, jóvenes, músicos, maestros, comunicadores, vamos llegando. No hace mucho frio y una suave llovizna nos anuncia que la tierra fértil la está esperando y que los pequeños ríos van a juntarse hasta formar el Gran Rio de Vida que es nuestra Marcha. […]

La noche anterior habían llegado los responsables de barrios trayendo sus aportes económicos para apoyar a los caminantes. Hasta la colecta de profesores, maestros católicos y una niña que en nombre de sus padres dona 20 nuevos soles son aplaudidos. En Lima no faltan políticos que se preguntan quién financia la marcha. Los políticos financiados por grandes grupos de poder económico jamás comprenderán la fuerza y el poder de las pequeñas donaciones como no están entendiendo el gran río que serán los pequeños riachuelos y manantiales.

We left at 4am, and met up in Celendin's Plaza de Armas. Rondero leaders, women, young people, musicians, teachers, communicators, we're arriving. It is not very cold and a light drizzle announces to us that the fertile land is waiting and the small rivers are going to join together to form the Great River of Life that is our March. […]

The night before, neighbourhood leaders had arrived with their economic contributions to support the marchers. Even the contributions from professors, Catholic teachers and a girl who donates 20 nuevos soles are applauded. In Lima there is no shortage of politicians who are wondering who is funding the march. Politicians financed by large, economically powerful groups will never understand the strength and power of small donations, just as they do not understand the great river that small creeks and springs will become.

The first moments of the march were recorded, as can be seen in these videos from users GobRegCajamarca and jampaoli [es]. There were also various statements, like this one from user MetsaRiba who captures the words of a participating campesino:

Or this one showing women from Cajamarca chanting pro-water slogans:

That same day another march took place in Cajamarca, the Jug March [es], where 2,000 people marched in favour of nature and ecology, and protested against polluting mining activities. Servindi published some photos to accompany its report on the solidarity parade held in Lima, which can also be seen on a video uploaded on YouTube [es]. On the blog Celendín Libre (Free Celendín) an itinerary for the first day of the Water March was posted [es], alongside photos of the day's events:

10:30 a.m. Primer obstáculo, una tranquera particular en plena vía pública no deja el pase a ningún vehículo. Los manifestantes proceden a retirarla.

Arribo a la Laguna Cortada (a más de 3 800 m.s.n.m.), donde unas 300 personas dan inicio a la Marcha por el Agua con un rito simbólico de agradecimiento a la mamapacha y mamacocha, por comuneros del Ámaro.

10:30am. First obstacle, a private gate in the middle of the main road is not letting any vehicles past. The protesters proceed to remove it.

Arrival at Laguna Cortada (more than 3,800 metres above sea-level), where some 300 people begin the Water March with a symbolic ritual giving thanks to mamapacha and mamacocha [Incan Goddesses of earth and water], carried out by community land-holders from Ámaro.

Payment to mamapacha. Image by Celendín Libre blog.

Beginning of the Water March. Image by Celendín Libre blog.

In its blog [es], an “International Observation Mission of the Great National March for the Right to Water”[es] publishes information on the march's events, as well as monitoring its peaceful development. There they share the mission's principles and objectives [es] and a list [es] of the entities supporting it. On the first day of the march they commented:

La movilización también ha sido secundada en la región norteña de La Libertad, donde un grupo numeroso de campesinos inició una marcha hacia la ciudad de Trujillo desde las provincias andinas de Huamachuco y Santiago de Chuco.

En Lima, unas 300 personas, en su mayoría jóvenes y dirigentes estudiantiles, realizaron un Pasacalle para celebrar el arranque de la Marcha que culminó en la Plaza San Martín.

The mobilisation has also received support in the Northern region of La Libertad, where a large group of campesinos began a march towards the city of Trujillo from the Andean provinces of Huamachuco and Santiago de Chuco.

In Lima, about 300 people, mainly young people and student leaders, held a street parade to celebrate the start of the March which culminated in the Plaza San Martín.

The next day, the second of the march, participants from Celendín, Bambamarca and other towns departed [es] Cajamarca for Ciudad de Dios in La Libertad, where they spent the night, though not before passing through Choropampa. This is a town where in the year 2000 about 151 kg of mercury belonging to the Yanacocha mine were spilled, greatly affecting the local population. The Observation Mission reported on this day in their blog [es]. Videos [es] of the departure [es] from Cajamarca in the morning have also been uploaded to the internet.

On the third day the marchers left Ciudad de Dios, passed [es] through Pacasmayo and arrived [es] in Trujillo, where they were joined by other delegations from various towns in the La Libertad region, in numbers estimated at around 2,000 [es]. These delegations were greeted by about 5,000 people, and then a rally was held, which included discussion sessions, the presentation of petitions, and other activities as planned [es].

In a post [es] on the blog “El Maletero” “Red Verde Cajamarca” (”The Trunk” “Cajamarca Green Network”) photos from the first three days of the march can be seen. Meanwhile the blog Frente de Defensa Ambiental de Cajamarca (”Cajamarca Environmental Defense Front”) shares more photos [es] of the day in Trujillo. A post on the blog ¡Conga no va! (”Conga will not happen!”) links to a set of photos on Flickr taken in Trujillo.

Twitpic user @YoDash posted some photos of the protest in Trujillo's Plaza de Armas, like this one:

Water March in Trujillo, image from Twitpic user @YoDash

Meanwhile, on Facebook the Water March's page reports [es] that in Trujillo defamatory flyers [es] were distributed, attempting to link the March and its organisers with terrorist movements. In spite of this, the protest continued in the Plaza de Armas until night time with various musical numbers, some of them related to the march and surrounding circumstances, as can be seen in this video posted on YouTube by user Fuzzerjoga:

In the Observation Mission's daily report [es] they note some incidents during a strike carried out in Huarmey:

La Comisión Nacional Organizadora de la Gran Marcha Nacional del Agua ha reportado y denuncia una acción represiva por parte de efectivos policiales. El jueves en la noche, en Huarmey, uno de los puntos de concentración previstos en la Marcha, se produjeron enfrentamientos entre la policía y la población en el marco de un paro de 48 horas contra la minera Antamina, a la que acusan de contaminar el acuífero que les provee de agua potable.

The National Organisational Committee for the Great National Water March have reported and denounce repressive action taken by police officers. On Thursday night, in Huarmey, one of the assembly points planned for the March, there were confrontations between the police and the population in the context of a 48-hour strike against the mining company Antamina, which is accused of contaminating the aquifer that provides them with drinking water.

On the fourth day of the march, Saturday 4, the protesters stayed in Trujillo to rest, but they also continued holding discussions and making contact with the local population. On Sunday 5, the fifth day of the march, the group left [es] for the city of Chimbote. The Water March's Facebook page uploaded a video [es] of their arrival in the village of Santa, just before Chimbote. Once in the city they met [es] with the Fisherman's Union, and then left for the city of Casma, following the route South towards Lima.

Meanwhile the Observation Mission's fourth report [es] stresses the government's attitude towards the problem of mining companies and water, bringing together various statements and declarations, including:

- El pronunciamiento del Colegio de Ingenieros del Perú, señalando que: “El Gobierno Peruano, desde la época republicana y hasta la fecha, no tiene una visión de desarrollo sostenido, ya que ha cimentado gran parte de su crecimiento en la explotación minera”.

- El presidente Ollanta Humala señaló que “ningún proyecto se paralizará por la consulta previa, y que esto no es un pretexto para que se detenga la inversión”, en referencia a la falta de la reglamentación de la ley que debía estar lista en diciembre pasado. En agosto del año pasado, sin embargo, el propio presidente escribía en twitter: “El derecho a la consulta previa sobre del desarrollo de los pueblos indígenas es un signo más de inclusión social. Forjamos un Perú para todos”

En este contexto, parecen razonables las palabras de Emma Gómez, de Cooperacción: “hay una lectura equivocada del presidente Humala sobre la Consulta Previa, la cual está siendo considerada como un obstáculo para la inversión privada más que un imperativo para que las empresas extractivas cumplan con los estándares ambientales y sociales de una inversión seria y que respeten los derechos de las poblaciones en las zonas de influencia”.

- The statement from the Engineering Association of Peru, indicating that: “The Peruvian Government, from the first Republican era until today, has never had a vision of sustained development, given that a large part of its growth has been based on mining.”

- President Ollanta Humala indicated that “no project will be paralised by prior consultation, and that it is not a pretext to halt investment”, in reference to the lack of regulations governing the implementation of the law, that should have been ready last December. In August last year, however, the President himself wrote on Twitter: “The right to prior consultation on the development of indigenous communities is a sign of greater social inclusion. Let's create a Peru for everyone”

In this context, the words of Emma Gómez from Cooperacción seem reasonable: “President Humala is misreading Prior Consultation, which is being considered as an obstacle to private investment rather than an imperative for extractive companies to meet the environmental and social standards of serious investment and to respect the rights of the people in affected areas.”

Guatemala: The Role of Women in Decision Making

Silvia Viñas — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:39:29 +0000

Hector Javier Tecum blogs about the role of women in Guatemalan politics for Americas Quarterly [es]. He argues that the inclusion of women in decision-making positions is still a challenge for the country.

Cuba: Bloggers on SOPA, Culture and the Democratization of Knowledge

Ellery Roberts Biddle — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:08:46 +0000

Since mid-January 2012, the proposed anti-piracy legislation in the United States Congress known as SOPA/PIPA has drawn reactions from a broad range of cultural and political perspectives around the world.

Global Voices contributors have given readers a glimpse of responses from open Internet advocates throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas (here, here and here). Open Internet advocates in the U.S. scored a major victory in January when members of Congress agreed to withdraw the bills from consideration.

Teatro Karl Marx, by Edgar Rubio. CC: BY-NC-ND.

In Cuba, where very few citizens use the Internet regularly, and where the concept of a site like Wikipedia or BitTorrent remains foreign to most people, bloggers brought a unique perspective to the discussion. Unlike many SOPA/PIPA critics in the U.S. and around the globe, Cuban bloggers did not focus on the technical implications of the proposed laws. Both independent and state-affiliated Cuban bloggers saw SOPA/PIPA not merely as legal measures that would have stifled online innovation and openness, but also as a powerful statement about how legislators (and the music and film industries) value culture and creativity as part of U.S. society.

Karel Pérez Alejo, writing for Cubadebate [es] and Trabajadores [es], framed the issue as a polemic dividing “society” or “the 99%” and the laws' strongest supporters:

Si bien algunos han analizado el fenómeno como la confrontación entre Hollywood y Silicon Valley, los millones de reclamos de los usuarios hablan de una guerra más profunda, entre una sociedad que busca manejar una información sin restricciones y un grupo de intereses que intentan seguir un obsoleto modelo de propiedad.

While some have analyzed the phenomenon as a confrontation between Hollywood and Silicon Valley, millions of users speak to a more profound war, between a society that seeks to manage information without restrictions and a group of interests that are attempting to follow an obsolete model of property.

Voces Cubanas blogger Regina Coyula drew a connection between SOPA/PIPA and the FBI’s partial shutdown of file locker site MegaUpload (Spanish version here). Coyula argued that such shutdowns, which would likely have increased if the legislation passed, limit access to knowledge and culture for people who otherwise can’t afford it:

[US authorities], with allegations of piracy, encroached [upon] the alleged right of millions of citizens of the global village to download content that they know they should not — or cannot — pay for.

On La Pupila Insome [es], Iroel Sánchez compared the paradigm of intellectual property rights in the U.S. to the Cuban model, remarking on the ways in which Cuba’s education and cultural systems have attempted to “democratize” knowledge, making it easily accessible for all:

Cuba, con una formación masiva de profesionales universitarios….no hubiera podido desarrollar [su] capital humano sin una concepción democratizadora y no lucrativa del conocimiento…

Cuba, with its massive population of professionals in academia….could not have developed [its] human capital without a democratic and not profit-oriented conceptualization of knowledge…

Since they were introduced in the 1960s, the revolutionary government’s cultural policies have generated bitter controversies over the ideological role of artists in Cuban society. But they also have yielded a strong system of support for artists and cultural institutions. In Cuba, one can attend the national ballet for just a few pesos more than it costs to buy a movie ticket. Access to culture, knowledge, and education is meant to be open to all citizens.

However, when it comes to culture and knowledge that is created and exchanged online, most Cubans are far worse off than any U.S. citizen. For those who do not occupy high-level positions in government, scientific research, or academia, Internet access remains limited.

The Internet has become a contested space where government authorities and the official press have denounced the United States’ “cyberwar” on Cuba; the seemingly limitless landscape of culture and knowledge online is rarely mentioned in the public sphere. Cuban authorities have elected to limit Internet use, presumably in an effort to dampen the potential societal effects of independent online political speech and economic activity.

Similar to Sánchez, Coyula alluded to the uniquely politicized nature of Cuba’s cultural policies, but cast a critical gaze on this “democratized” system for knowledge exchange. In closing, Coyula promoted the notion of an equilibrium, in which the interests of the market and the public good could be harmonized with one another:

It’s true that there is a symbiotic relationship between art and the marketing that puts it in the hands of the consumers. But to see art as a commodity has resulted in the promotion of products of dubious quality at the expense of other values. […] At some point, a balance must be achieved between both interests.

Panama: Indigenous Mining Protest Blocks Pan-American Highway

Betsy Galbreath — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:58:00 +0000

Todo lo acordado con los indígenas ha sido cumplido. Ahora elementos foráneos desean que no haya hidroeléctricas. Eso hará triplicar la luz

Everything agreed on with the indigenous people has been fulfilled. Now foreign elements don't want there to be hydroelectricity. That will triple the light.

That's how President Ricardo Martinelli of Panama made excuses via his Twitter account (@rmartinelli) [es] for the road closure that on February 3, 2012, marked its fifth day. The indigenous people of the Ngäbes Buglés region have blocked the Pan-American Highway up to the Chiriqui Province to demand that the government comply with the agreement reached last year with regard to mining in the region.

The closure has caused millions of dollars of losses as this is the main transportation artery for the country. It has also caused hundreds of people to be trapped in the massive congestion, leaving them without water or food. As reported in La Prensa [es]:

Cientos de viajeros y conductores de vehículos de carga atrapados por el tranque de la vía Interamericana, en el distrito de La Mesa, clamaron por ayuda de las autoridades de la provincia de Veraguas, debido a que después de cuatro días de protesta se han quedado sin agua y comida.

Hundreds of travelers and freight drivers trapped by the blockade of the Pan-American in the district of La Mesa, cried out for help from the authorities in the Veraguas Province, because after four days of protest, they have been left without water and food.

Up until now, the government has chosen to ignore the protests and look for alternate routes for transporting people and goods, like the so-called “Air Bridge” that would transport people and goods by air.

Woman wearing a nagua (skirt), typical dress of the Ngöbe-Buglé in Chiriqui, Panamá. Image by Flickr user Lon&Queta (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

The shaky image of Ricardo Martinelli's government appears even worse on social networks, where people have repudiated the apathy and arrogance with which the president and his team have handled the situation, although there are also those who see the attitude of the indigenous people as self-centered and showing little concern for the country.

Roberto Troncos B. (@tronky22) [es] writes to the president:

@rmartinelli Es inadmisible q un sector de la población nos tenga de rodillas, pero tmbn es inconcebible que no se tenga vías de solución

@rmartinelli It's unacceptable that one segment of the population can bring us to our knees, but it's also inconceivable that there aren't any ways to resolve this.

Jaime Correa (@JCorrea1293) [es] is upset by the autocratic manner of the president and states that he often confuses this with controlling his supermarket chain (Super 99):

Martinelli todavìa sigue pensando y creyendo que Panamá se administra como un Super 99 y que al ser presidente, es dueño de los recursos

Martinelli keeps thinking and believing that Panama can be run like a Super 99 and that as president he owns all the resources.

Fermin Osorio (@MeisterBrake) [es] on the other hand, thinks that people are exaggerating a little to point to Martinelli as being responsible for everything bad that happens:

Todo lo que hace martinelli ta mal, fren en mi opinión el a echo muchas cosas y buenas, también sus defecadas pero bueno.

Everything that Martinelli does is bad, in my opinion he has done many things and good things, even some mistakes, but oh well.

Maria Moreno (@ascadelia1986) [es] Maria compares the current government with Manuel Antonio Noriega's dictatorship:

est gobierno esta peor q el gobiern o d noriega nadamas falta q martinelli salga planeando y alzando el machete

This government is worse than Noriega's, all that's left is for Martinelli to come out plotting and raising his machete.

Daniel Acosta (@Daar05) [es] states that all politicians are responsible for the crisis the country is currently in:

Yo siento que toodos los de la politica en Panamá son culpables de lo que ocurre! Martinelli debe buscar rapido alguna solucion!!!!!

I believe all the politicians in Panamá are to blame for what's happening! Martinelli needs to find an answer quick!!!!!

Blogger Erick Simpson Aguilera shares his perspective in his blog Pma507pty [es]:

Finalizo solidarizándome con la lucha de los hermanos Ngäbes por la defensa del territorio nacional, el cual el gobierno autócrata de turno pretende vender a las mineras canadienses y coreanas, para depredar y saquear nuestra riqueza natural. Y, haciéndole un llamado al gobierno en el sentido que, no insista en mantener al país al borde de la ingobernabilidad y el caos, dando al traste con la imagen de Panamá, afectando las inversiones, el turismo, y el crecimiento económico que experimenta la nación; lo cual evitarán si dialogan con las autoridades Ngäbes Buglés y aceptan formalizar legalmente, la no exploración, ni explotación minera, ni hídrica en la Comarca.

I end up supporting the fight of the Ngabes brothers in defense of their homeland territory, which typically, the autocratic government means to sell to the Canadian and Korean mining companies, to rob and plunder our natural wealth. And, issuing a wake up call to the government in the sense that, do not insist on keeping the country on the verge of ungovernability and chaos, ruining the image of Panama, affecting investment, tourism, and the economic growth the nation was experiencing; which would be avoided if they talk to the Ngäbes Buglés authorities and agree to legally formalize no exploring or mining operations, nor hydro in the region.

Although the solution seems far away right now, Panamanians have not lost hope of finding a solution beneficial to all.