Stories about Colombia from February, 2011
Latin America: Latest Cables Released by Wikileaks
The Latinamericanist sums up some of the latest diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks on Colombia, Chile, Peru and Brazil.
Colombia: Interview with Director of NGO “Forjando Futuros” (Shaping Futures)
Albeiro Rodas interviewed Nora Isabel Saldarriaga, the director of “Forjando Futuros” (Shaping Futures), “a Colombian NGO with different projects, but only one ideal: to stay at the side of vulnerable people like the victims of the armed conflict.”
Colombia: Report Reveals 2010 Refugee Statistics
“A new report shows that 280,000 Colombians were displaced in 2010, and one-third of these were in areas the government claimed were “consolidated.” Colombia has a total of 5.2 million displaced people, roughly 1 out of every 9 Colombians, and the most in the world,” writes Greg Weeks in Two...
Colombia: Truck Driver Strike Causes Road Chaos in Bogotá
Since February 2, 2011, Colombian truck drivers have been on national strike due to certain government reforms. On February 15, the issue became one of the most discussed on citizen media sites because of traffic congestion in the capital, Bogotá,
Colombia: Interview with director of English magazine “La Arepa”
Albeiro Rodas from Colombia Passport interviewed Robin Finley, director of La Arepa –an English print magazine that can also be found online, on Twitter and on Facebook.
Latin America: Conversations About OCD Iberoamérica
Juan Arellano spoke to Soraya Sacaan [es] and Juan José Retamal [es] of OCD Iberoamérica [es], a Chilean initiative whose mission is to “contribute to knowledge of digital communications in the private sector, academia and government to promote and understand its scope and application in society.” Juan added both videos...
Colombia: A “dry canal” to rival the Panama Canal?
Bloggings by boz reports: “Colombian President Santos told FT there is a ‘real proposal… quite advanced’ for a rail link connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through Colombia, serving as a “dry canal” to rival Panama's.” He adds: “For Colombia, it's a fantastic opportunity that comes only because it has...
Colombia: Outrage after failed FARC hostage release
On December 8, 2010, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) announced they would release five hostages in an open letter to former senator Piedad Córdoba. However, things did not go as planned on Sunday: two hostages were not present at the coordinates provided by FARC. Many Colombian Twitter users expressed their outrage as a result.
Colombia: If Mubarak were Colombian
Around the time Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was scheduled to deliver his disappointing speech on February 10, 2011, the hashtag #siMubarakfueracolombiano ("If Mubarak were Colombian") started trending on the local twittosphere.
Colombia: A trip to Colombia's gold mining region
“We watched miners handle mercury with their bare hands, empty chemical-laced water into open drains, and reuse empty vats of cyanide. One of the rivers in the area has been used for dumping cyanide-sodden dirt for so long that everyone calls it La Cianurada,” writes Jim Wyss in Inside South...
Colombia: Coffee Farmers Face Challenges After Heavy Rains
Locavore del Mundo reports on the challenges coffee farmers are facing in Colombia and what they are doing to overcome them.
Colombia: British expat loves Bogotá
Vicki, a British journalist living in Colombia's capital, has posted her 101 reasons to love Bogotá, including “Streets are numbered, not named. You don’t need an A-Z,” “It is considered acceptable to love books,” “Sometimes people sell chocolate on the buses,” “New people don’t have to be drunk to talk...
Colombia: Twitterathon for School Children
February is back-to-school season in most of Colombia, and some Twitter users (who helped organize a “Twitterathon” last December to help the victims of the rainy season) joined to gather school supplies for 730 children [es] who study at Fundación Hogar San Mauricio [es] in Bogotá and Institución Educativa Luis...
Colombia: Car-Free Day in Bogotá
On February 3, the city of Bogotá held a Car-Free Day --a day when restrictions are placed on the circulation of private vehicles. The day is designed as a strategy to raise environmental awareness and improve vehicular traffic. Twitter users from Bogotá tweeted their opinions and reports about the day.
Latin America: Drawing Parallels with Egypt
As protests in Egypt continue, Latin American bloggers are drawing historical parallels with similar uprisings in the region and some are wondering: “Could it happen here now?”
Blogger asks: “Could instability spread to Latin America?”
Considering the recent and ongoing events in Tunisia and Egypt, Bloggings by boz asks: “If it is a crisis year, what would it mean for Latin America?”. Boz goes over several points to answer this question and opens up a thread to discuss Latin American stability with readers.
