Global Voices » Colombia

Colombia: Tweeting Marathon to Demand Senator's Resignation

Silvia Viñas — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:40:56 +0000

Twitter users have organized [es] a tweeting marathon to demand the resignation of Senator Eduardo Merlano after the politician refused [es] to undergo a sobriety test. The goal is to reach 50,000 tweets (the amount of votes that got him elected senator) and through these tweets argue that he needs to resign. Netizens also created the account Renuncie Senador (@renunciesenador) [es] (”Resign, Senator”) and the hashtag #FueraMerlano [es] (”Out Merlano”).

Colombia: Bomb Blast Targeted at Controversial Former Minister

Julián Ortega Martínez — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:45:33 +0000

Tuesday 15 May 2012 was a tense and heavy day for most Bogotanos. The day started with a car bomb, deactivated by the authorities, in the Eduardo Santos neighbourhood, a few blocks away from the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police of Bogotá. Hours later, as protests [es] (which left 3 injured) emerged in the National University of Colombia because the Free Trade Agreement with the United States was entering into force, a bomb exploded on Caracas Avenue and 74 Street, in northern Bogotá.

Initially it was reported that the bomb exploded in a bus, but as more information came in, reports confirmed that a magnetic bomb was left by a walking man on the hood of the car of former interior Minister Fernando Londoño Hoyos [es], 67, a conservative lawyer and politician who held that office during the first years of former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez's administration. Two of his bodyguards, the driver of the bus, and two other people were reportedly killed [es], though official reports still claim only 2 died. Londoño was taken to a hospital t0 undergo surgery to remove a piece of metal from his chest.

Mr Londoño has been controversial [es]: he was involved in a financial scandal involving stocks of an oil company named Invercolsa and was barred from public office in 2004 for 15 years out of conflict of interest. After he left the Ministry, he started a morning radio programme, La hora de la verdad [es] (”The hour of truth”), devoted to supporting former president Uribe's policies and attacking FARC and other left wing guerrillas. He was also actively writing op-eds for El Tiempo and El Colombiano newspapers. He supported current president Juan Manuel Santos during the elections, but as many other staunch supporters of Uribe, he felt betrayed and now opposes most of his policies. The Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) condemned [es] the attack.

This attempt prompted thousands of reactions.

Car Bombing in Bogotá, Colombia targeting former Interior Minister Fernando Londono. Photo by David Maiolo under Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Journalist Carolina Ruiz (@CaroRuizG) tweets [es]:

El terrorismo nos afecta a todos, independiente de las creencias políticas. Qué pendejada echarse culpas.

Terrorism affects us all, no matter our political beliefs. It's so silly to blame each other.

@JuliethBlues states [es]:

Lo peor que podría pasar es que a Londoño caiga en un atentado, su martirización le daría un poder impresionante a la ext.derecha

The worst thing that might happen is that Londoño gets killed in an attempt, his martyrisation would give the far right an impressive power.

Dan Gamboa Bohórquez (@larepuvlica) wonders [es] about the possible reasons of the attempt against Londoño:

Fernando Londoño debe tener información peligrosa. Es la única explicación para atentar contra alguien irrelevante en la actualidad.

Fernando Londoño must be holding dangerous information. That is the only reason for attacking someone currently irrelevant.

Richie (@MelisMatik) links the attack to other events in the day [es]:

Muy sofisticado el atentado. Súmenle día de protestas y votación del Marco para la Paz en el Congreso… ¿Para quién será el mensaje?

The attempt was quite sophisticated. Add to it the day of protests and voting in Congress of the Legal Framework for Peace… For whom will be the message?

(Mr. Londoño devoted his latest radio editorial piece [es] to this framework).

Many Twitter users harshly [es] criticized [es] the media [es] coverage [es] of the attack [es]: (Warning: The next three links lead to sites with strong images) newspapers [es] and TV newscasts broadcast bloody images [es] of the injured, including Mr. Londoño [es], and the country's main radio network interviewed live [es] the mother of Mr. Londoño's driver, which was deemed sensationalist [es]. @LaCaballero writes [es]:

Los periodistas de medios masivos COLABORAN con el terrorismo. Ayudan a sembrar el miedo, la [z]ozobra, la confusión.

Mainstream media journalists COLLABORATE with terrorism. They help sow fear, uneasiness, confusion.

Andrés Guerra Hoyos (@andresguerraho) tweets [es]:

Lo mas duro es entender que existe una parte del Pais que hoy esta Feliz con el atentado en Bogota, Infames

The hardest thing is to understand that there is a part of the country that is happy with the attack in Bogotá. They're so despicable.

Roberto S (@manoloparis_) criticizes [es] some ‘theories' on the attack:

Por eso es que nos va como nos va, no falta la mente torcida que ya esta diciendo que es un autoatentado, Por Dios, y los medio[s] harán eco.

That's why we are doing like this, there's always the wicked mind already saying this was an auto-attack. For God's sake, and the media will echo it.

Frustrated, Olga Cuartas (@Olpacu) tweets [es]:

Ni para rechazar un acto terrorista somos capaces de unirnos como sociedad.

We're not even able to unite as a society to reject a terrorist act.

María (@lamarialeja) asks [es]:

No jodamos. ¿ Aún están usando esa falacia de “los buenos somos más”?.

F*** this. Are they still using that ‘we the good people are more' fallacy?

Finally, @dianadaista reacts to the reactions (1, 2, 3) [es]:

1) Los atentados se han hecho en múltiples y muy diferentes gobiernos, vayan a culpar al mandato de su madre. 2) Londoño y los demás afectados son seres humanos, hacer chiste de ellos no te hace más irreverente ni interesante. 3) Quien se considere periodista, no puede estar arrojando juicios de valor y teorías así como así, para eso existen la taberna y la cerveza

1) Attacks have occurred in many different administrations, go blame your mother's rule. 2) Londoño and the other affected people are human beings, mocking them doesn't make you irreverent nor interesting. 3) Anyone who considers themselves journalists shouldn't be judging and theorizing just like that, pubs and beer are best for that

In the blogosphere, Aleyda Rodríguez from Pulso Social writes about the coverage, rather than the reactions, on social media [es], and Javier Moreno shares his thoughts [es]:

Promover la confusión es preferible. Lo que importa es sostener la guerra activa en todos sus frentes. El juego de acusaciones subsiguiente es útil a los asesinos pues genera polarización, desconfianza y agresividad. (…) El mensaje de la explosión es abierto pero al mismo tiempo llega a quien debe llegar: cada cual lo interpreta a su conveniencia y cualquier interpretación es válida en tanto que no hay cómo refutarla. La amenaza es más efectiva y amplia cuando no se sabe de dónde proviene. Una amenaza sin firma es una amenaza contra todos.

[For Colombian terrorists] promoting confusion is preferable. What matters is keeping the war active in all its fronts. The following game of accusations is useful to the murderers because it creates polarisation, distrust, and aggressiveness (…) The message of the explosion is open but at the same time reaches its intended destination: each one interprets it out of their convenience and any interpretation is valid as long as there's no way to refute it. The threat is more effective and wide when its origin is unknown. An unsigned threat is a threat against everyone.

Video: Indigenous Video Festival Open for Submissions

Juliana Rincón Parra — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:23:11 +0000

The XI International Film and Video Festival of Indigenous Peoples to be held in Colombia during last quarter of 2012 is putting out a call for entries for audiovisual material about indigenous and first people issues and topics.

The Center for Indigenous Cultures in Peru is promoting the festival through their blog, and this is how they summarize the event:

Colombia será la sede del XI Festival Internacional de Cine y Video de los Pueblos indígenas a realizarse en Bogotá del 23 al 30 de septiembre y en Medellín del 03 al 06 de octubre del presente año. Con el lema “Por la Vida Imágenes de Resistencia”, el festival tiene como objetivo visibilizar la extinción de los pueblos indígenas, la violación del territorio y a sus sitios sagrados naturales, como un espacio de análisis de la crisis humanitaria que atraviesan los pueblos indígenas.

Colombia will be hosting the XI International Film and Video Festival of Indigenous Peoples to take place in Bogota from the 23 to the 30 of September and in Medellin from 03 to 06 of October of the running year. With the theme “Images of Resistance for Life”, the festival has as an objective to visibilize the extinction of the indigenous peoples, the violation of the territory and their natural sacred places and as a space for analysis of the humanitarian crisis the indigenous people are going through.

Videos or films submitted to the Festival should have been made after January 1, 2010 and should not have previously participated in the International Festival of Film and Video of Indigenous Peoples. They should focus on the topics of child labor, ecology, education, history, indigenous medicine, identity, land and territory, political participation, rights of indigenous people's, women and worldview and they can be animation, docu-fiction, documentary, fiction, experimental video, music videos, video art, television programs. Deadline for submissions is May 21st, 2012 and information on where to mail the submissions and application forms can be found on their page.

Colombia: 5 Dead, 19 Injured After Bomb Blast in Bogotá

Silvia Viñas — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:38:57 +0000

Netizens are reacting to the explosion of a bomb on a bus on Caracas Avenue and 74th street in Bogotá, Colombia's capital. The attack was allegedly directed at former Interior Minister Fernando Londoño. The latest reports [es] list 5 dead and 19 people injured. Related words and phrases like “74 con Caracas“, “Fernando Londoño“, “#noalterrorismo” (”no to terrorism), and “Bogotá” are currently trending on Twitter in Colombia.

Latin America: Art from the Colonial Period in 2.0

Jon Lindsay Miles — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:47:59 +0000

All links lead to Spanish-language websites, unless otherwise noted.

The long colonial period that resulted in what we know today as Latin America, has left its traces in the colonial art still preserved throughout the continent. Citizen media attests to this. Many online spaces are dedicated to the sharing of photographs, video, texts, specific works and other examples of artistic expression from this period, at the same time explaining how these images today make up part of the landscape and identity of the countries they belong to. As one would anticipate, the images from each region show an enormous diversity in response to the inspiration that arrived from Europe.

We present here a sample of the many 2.0 websites dedicated to this colonial art, that serves as the common denominator adopted by indigenous cultures across most of the continent, before being adapted by each as its own.

The Portal de Arte (Art Gateway) from Colombia, provides us with a context for the definition of what is understood by the term Colonial Art:

Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Reproduced under the Creative Commons licence

Este arte se caracteriza por la fusión de cosmovisiones y técnicas de conquistadores y aborígenes […] En cada pieza escultórica, catedral y pintura, los motivos religiosos son los gobernantes, así como los parámetros de representación europeos; pero éstos fueron sutil y subterráneamente “digeridos” por los aborígenes americanos, quienes colocaron en cada obra elementos propios de sus culturas (símbolos religiosos y espirituales, figuras antropomorficas, zoomorficas y fitomorfas) de modo tal que se entremezclaban con los imágenes católicas importadas, manteniendo de este modo, la voluntad de forma de la producción artística indígena subsitiendo [sic] por debajo del arte europeo impuesto a la fuerza.

This art is characterized by the fusion of the world views as well as the techniques of both the Spanish Conquistadores and the indigenous people. […] European religious motifs and representational parameters govern each piece of cathedral sculpture and painting, but these are then subtly and surreptitious “digested” by the indigenous people of the Americas, who placed elements of their own cultures into each work (religious and spiritual symbols, anthropomorphic, zoomorphic and other biomorphic figures) in such a way that these mix with the imported Catholic images, assuring that the expressive forms of indigenous artistic production survive beneath the forced imposition of those of European art.

In Ecuador, Iván Petroff shares some of his work, done for his studies in artistic expression, pointing us to some characteristic features of the colonial plastic arts:

La plástica colonial, al comienzo fue repetitiva, o mejor, recreativa de los modelos europeos, sin embargo, pese al control español, el artista indígena introdujo pequeños elementos de su arte y religión, especialmente en los rasgos físicos de los santos provincianos y en la carga cultural no europea de los retablos y algunos motivos ornamentales de capiteles y frisos.

The colonial plastic arts at first repeated, or rather, recreated European models. Nevertheless, and in spite of Spanish control, indigenous artists introduced small elements from their art and religion, particularly in the way of physical features given to the images of provincial saints, and in a non-European cultural charge expressed in altarpieces and in ornamental motifs given to capitals and friezes.

In the same way, Iván uses his blog to open access to a musical piece from the epoch, placed on YouTube by denesago. The song was composed by the Spaniard Juan de Araujo, who was confirmed as one of the most important musicians of the colonial epoch in what is now Bolivia. The video images show something of baroque architecture and painting from Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru:

In Venezuela, Janeth Rodríguez manages a blog dedicated entirely to colonial art in Venezuela and its different expressive modes. The sources of her posts are various academic pieces, the principal motivation being to gather, celebrate and bring to people's attention the preservation of these pieces:

Este blog nace con varios objetivos: difundir nuestro patrimonio artístico de los siglos XVI al XVIII con la intención de promover su preservación; servir de vehículo para promocionar la investigación que los estudiantes de la Escuela de Artes de la Universidad Central de Venezuela producen en torno a este tema; y lograr una comunicación más efectiva entre todos los interesados en el mundo colonial.Nuestra meta es presentar a los visitantes una breve historia de diversas obras de arte venezolanas, e incluso de algunas extranjeras que llegaron a nuestro territorio durante ese período.

Several objectives are behind the birth of this blog: to disseminate information about our artistic heritage from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, in order to argue for its preservation; to serve as a vehicle for the promotion of investigation of this material by students of the School of Arts at the Central University of Venezuela; and to open up the most effective communication we can between all those interested in the colonial world. Our aim is to present to those visiting our site a brief history of varied Venezuelan objects of art, as well as others that arrived here from other lands during this historical period.

Meanwhile, the blog Romanticismo, launched by students of Spanish and Literature in the Colombian capital Bogotá, shares examples of the characteristic forms of literature from the colonial epoch:

La literatura en lengua española durante la colonia comenzó a desenvolverse en Nueva España desde un principio. La literatura de la conquista son mayormente coplas y romances, burlas hacia los gobernadores, ayudantes, etc. mientras que la de colonia son textos que incitan a la libertad y revolución.

Literature in the Spanish language during colonial times quickly began its particular development. Literature from the time of the conquest is mostly in the form of verse and romances, poking fun especially at those who governed and those around them, while that from the colonial period comprises texts urging liberty and inciting revolution.

Then there is Optimusomnium, which shows several examples of Peruvian painting of the colonial period in a video:

Finally, user LordArchibaldHartley gathers a number of artistic and cultural images that have served as the inspiration for much of the art made in Mexico today.

These are just a few of the many examples of sites offering information on colonial period art in Latin America in 2.0. If you'd like more information and to investigate other similar sources in the Spanish language, visit the Wikipedia article Arte colonial latinoamericano.

Colombia: A New Home for Campus Party in 2013?

Chellsy Alis Manning — Mon, 14 May 2012 03:11:38 +0000

Campus Party [es], the meeting for the collective creation of knowledge and training in Information Technology and Communication (ICT) will be held this year in Bogotá, as it has been in previous years since its birth in Colombia in 2008. This year the meeting is expected to draw in over 5,000 people. Traditionally the event has attracted the economic support from the Mayor of Bogotá, however, this time around Mayor Gustavo Petro has decided not to support the event.

The lack of financial support from the mayor of Bogotá has motivated Paco Ragageles, co-founder of Campus Party, to post on his personal blog [es] and on Twitter [es]. He writes that it may be time to think of another venue for the Campus Party in Columbia. At the end of his post he clarified:

Pd (obviamente es mi opinion personal con la info que tengo podría y desearía estar equivocado)

PS. obviously this is my personal opinion with the information that I have - I could be and I hope that I am wrong

Mayor Petro through his press office [es] confirmed and explained his decision on three points:

En primer lugar, cuando los organizadores de Campus Party se acercaron a la Alcaldía, se les preguntó si podía estar presente ETB [Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Bogotá] [es] en el evento y respondieron que no, que solo podía estar presente una empresa extranjera, entonces no es razonable que la Administración apoye tal criterio de exclusión del operador de Bogotá.

En segundo lugar, los 600 millones que el Distrito ha dejado de aportar este año solo representan una pequeña parte del costo estimado del evento Campus Party, según manifestaron los organizadores.

En tercer lugar, esos 600 millones la Alcaldía los va a invertir en apropiación social de las Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación (TIC) en barrios y colegios de estratos populares a través de la semana distrital de TIC que la Alcaldía está preparando para el segundo trimestre de este año, con un impacto social mucho mayor que si se invierten en eventos como Campus Party.

Firstly, when the organisers of Campus Party came into the office we asked them if the Bogotá Telecommunications Company [es] could be a part of the event. They said no, that only a foreign company could participate. Therefore, it is not reasonable to suggest that the Administration support such an exclusion of an operator based in Bogotá.

Secondly, the 600 million pesos that the District has failed to give this year is only a small part of the estimated cost of the Campus Party event, according to the organisers.

Thirdly, the town hall is planning on investing 600 million pesos during the ICT week planned for the second quarter of this year to develop the use of technology in the poorer neighbourhoods and schools. The social impact of this will be far greater than if you were to invest in events like Campus Party.

“Mujer Florestal” maintains [es] that the blog entry published by Paco Ragageles generated misinformation and explains:

Si la Campus Party esta buscando nueva sede, es muy irresponsable relacionar este acto con el apoyo que le brindaba la Alcaldía Mayor de Bogotá, que como lo mencione anteriormente representa solo un 11% del valor total, no se deben lanzar apreciaciones espontáneas sin exponer las respectivas cifras e impactos.

If the Campus Party is looking for a new location then it is irresponsible to link this with the withdrawal of funding from the Mayor of Bogotá, as it only represents 11% of the total cost of the event. Judgements should not be made without examining the figures and potential impacts.

Image from the flickr user campuspartycolombia (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

The phrase ‘Campus Party' was a local trending topic on Twitter, where many people were proposing and debating new cities for the event in 2013.

Carlos Gutiérrez (@glomaker) writes [es] enthusiastically about his proposal for Medellín:

Ojalá Campus Party 2013 sea en Medellín, estoy seguro que sería una buena plaza! #CPCO

I hope Campus Party 2013 comes to Medellín, I am sure it would be a great place to hold it! #CPCO

Diana Galindo (@dianagalindob) makes a comparison [es] between Campus Party 2013 and events like the upcoming concert by the singer Madonna:

Campus Party en Medellín, Madona también. Qué sigue, Medellín la capital?

Campus Party in Medellín, and Madonna as well. What's next, Medellín becoming the capital?

Camilo Galeano (@camilogaleano) says it is a given [es] that Campus Party 2013 will be in Medellín:

Este será el último campus Party en Bogotá! (Fijo se lo queda Medellín)

This will be the last Campus Party in Bogotá! (The next will definitely be in Medellín)

Eliana Caraballo (@elianaca) argues the case for Cartagena [es] as a possible location, where the last Summit of the Americas took place:

CAMPUS PARTY EN CARTAGENA!!! ¿Si pudieron hacer una cumbre de presidentes, por qué no un evento de tecnología tan importante? @AlcaldiaCtg

CAMPUS PARTY IN CARTAGENA!!! If they could hold the Presidents' Summit there, why not an important technological event? @AlcaldiaCtg

Cari Isa Vanegas (@Caricilla) suggests [es] Barranquilla:

En Barranquilla no tendríamos problemas en acoger al Campus Party

We would have no trouble welcoming the Campus Party in Barranquilla

Sebas R. Sarmiento (@sebas779) regrets [es] that the Bogotá town hall cannot support the event, but asks for it to be held in his city:

Lamentable saber que la alcaldía de Bogotá no apoya un evento como Campus Party, pero bueno, ojalá decidan que ahora se haga en Cali!

It is regrettable to find out that the Bogotá town hall cannot support an event such as the Campus Party, but well, I hope they decide to hold it in Cali!

Diana Luque, in her blog [es] “Identidad Geek”, considers the possible investment of 600 million pesos and links to an article [es] written by another co-founder of Campus Party showing the benefits of the event and their strong interest in achieving the investment through sponsorship:

(…) ¿A cuantas personas llegará la iniciativa de la alcaldía y a cuantos Campus Party? Para tratar de demostrar el aporte del evento, la respuesta de la organización a la alcaldía sobre lo que han hecho en la ciudad no se hizo esperar.

How many people will benefit from the initiatives by the town hall and Campus Party? In order to demonstrate the contribution of the event, the organization's response to the mayor about what they have done in the city was left for far too long

Diana concludes by supporting the idea of relocating:

Me gustaría que se quedara en Bogotá, pero pienso que Medellín o Cali merecen la oportunidad, como lo merece en México Puebla o en cualquier otro país salir de la capital. Mi verdadera crítica es que en medio de la globalización y el acercarnos más a través de Internet, no entendemos que las capitales no son el ombligo de los países.

I would like it to stay in Bogotá, but I think Medellin or Cali deserve the opportunity, like Puebla in Mexico deserve it or any other city that's not a capital city. My real criticism is that in the midst of globalisation and the Internet bringing us ever closer together, we do not understand that capital cities are not the centre of all that happens in their respective countries.

At the time of writing this post, Paco Ragageles in the last update of his blog [es] clarified:

Pd2 Actualización (en vista de la que se esta liando, aclaro, yo solo digo lo que me da la sensación va a suceder, y añado que es triste para nosotros, es insostenible campus sin el apoyo de la municipalidad y no lo tenemos este año, y respeto 100% la decisión libre y soberana, simplemente tendremos que buscar nuevo hogar y agradecer por los años que nos ayudaron, sin hacer mas lío please)

Update (in the wake of this running on, I will clarify my position and just say whatever I feel will happen. I add that this is sad for us, that for Campus it is unsustainable without the support of the town hall this year. I respect this decision 100% but now we will have to find a new home for next year. I thank you for the years when you helped us and I am hoping for no more trouble, please.)

Colombia: A Visit to Karmata Rua Indigenous Reserve

Juliana Rincón Parra — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:59:44 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.

Multimedia web channel TodoLoQueHay (All There Is) [es] from Colombia recently posted a short visual journey in the Emberá-Chamí indigenous reserve previously known as Christendom, whose inhabitants are now trying to make known by its ancestral name instead: Karmata Rua.

At the reserve, located between the towns of Andes and Jardin, recording a short documentary for the channel, Daniel Quintero took the opportunity to capture the short, almost wordless, video:

Estando allí, Daniel Quintero usó su tiempo para apuntar su cámara y capturar colores, actividades y gestos de los habitantes de este resguardo que cuenta alrededor de 150 años de existencia y hoy acoge a cerca de 1600 personas.

While there, Daniel Quintero used his time to point his camera and capture colors, activities and expressions of the inhabitants of this reserve that is around 150 years old and which today welcomes about 1600 people.

This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.

May Day Videos: Marches, Demonstrations and Protests Around The World

Juliana Rincón Parra — Tue, 08 May 2012 05:08:19 +0000

Through cities around the globe, people took to the streets to march and commemorate the International Workers' Day. Videos by The Real News take us on a tour of how the day was observed throughout the world.

May Day March in Venezuela

While some places saw peaceful marches, others had violent encounters between armed forces and the protesters. On the first part of the video, an overview of workers in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. For example, Malaysian activists protested against the growing inequality. In the Philippines were for job security and higher wages. Indonesians protested low wages and rough conditions. Cambodians asked for higher wages. People in Bahrein asked for workers to be reinstated to their positions of which they were removed by the government crackdowns. In Egypt protests were on behalf of including workers rights in the constitution that is being drafted. In Europe, workers protested austerity measures that seem to target them. In Russia, both the ruling party and the opposition had their own rallies. The French left marched against the past of fiscal austerity. And in the London, where May Day is not a holiday, workers went on strike.

On the second part, protests in North and South America. Demonstrations throughout Canada protesting budget cuts and rises in college tuition. In the USA, banks were targeted in many major cities including clashes with riot police, calls to strikes, and blockades. In Mexico workers marched to ask the government to do a better job in the face of violence. Honduras saw protests against the privatization of public services as well as corruption. In Cuba, massive parades commemorated the Cuban Revolution and in Venezuela both the government supporters and opposition marched, either for or against the recent reforms. In Colombia there were arrests during the protests and the Chilean student movement also marched.

Colombia: Nationwide Demonstrations Mark May 1

Lully Posada — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:53:42 +0000

As in other countries, Colombia commemorates International Work’s Day on 1 May. Traditionally [es], the day is celebrated by labor unions and various citizens who march on the streets to demonstrate in favor of labor welfare, social and economic development, and to reject any act that violates human dignity and the quality of life of workers.

This year in Colombia workers in different cities protested against the recently signed free trade agreement with the United Sates, high unemployment, poor salaries compared to the high living costs, outsourcing, and the transfer of the Social Security Institute to Colpensiones. Citizens also protested in favor for the right to life, education, work and health.

Marches in most cities were peaceful, as Frontera Informativa [es] reported about Manizales. But in Bogota and Medellin (where more people protested) demonstrations ended with the intervention of military forces. Several protesters were arrested and others wounded. However, traditional media spent more air time on the day's events abroad [es] than on local protests, while some [es] citizen and “independent” media outlets provided more local coverage.

“Este es El Punto” refers [es] to the origin of the day and questions the date in the United States (September 1). Finally, the blog mentions the President Santos' [es] new decree on home-based employment contracts:

Como nota positiva el presidente santos firmo un decreto para que las empresas empiecen a contratar a sus empleados desde sus casas.

On a positive note, President Santos signed a decree [es] for companies to start hiring employees from their homes.

Carlos Arturo Gamboa, on the blog Tutor Virtual, reflects on employment [es] as slavery and cites a video of Argentine Santiago Bou:

El trabajo hoy, en su gran mayoría, es la marca de que el valor de lo humano es una cifra, de que la dignidad habita en el olvido y lo peor de todo, de que la mayoría de empleados están dispuestos a aceptar los más grandes vejámenes con el fin de sostenerse en su lugar. Es como si los esclavos amaran sus cadenas.

Work today mostly shows that human worth is a figure, that the dignity lives in oblivion and worst of all, most employees are willing to accept the largest vexations to stay in place. It’s as if slaves loved their chains.

In Twitter the phrase “Día del Trabajo” (Labor Day) [es], became a Trending Topic as users referred to the marches, called for dignified work, and discussed other related issues.

Pacho (@ pachitoelche) [es] talks about the unrest [es] and calls for dignified work:

Marcharon muchos en diferentes ciudades de Colombia también hubo disturbios. Yo marché por millones de personas q no tienen trabajo digno

Many marched in different cities of Colombia also there were also riots. I marched for millions of people that don't have dignified work.

Ivan Martinez (@ OlimacNavi) [es] thinks that the march [es] was affected by communists:

Otra vez los comunistas tirándose la ciudad. Luego dicen que los del ESMAD [Policía anti disturbio] son cerdos que los maltratan. Feliz Día del Trabajo en la cárcel.

Communists again, ruining the city. Then say ESMAD (Mobile Anti-Disturbance Police) are pigs who mistreat you. Happy Labor Day in jail.

Karla Serrano (‏@KarlaSerrano7) [es] quotes a phrase [es]:

”El trabajo endulza la vida; pero no a todos les gustan los dulces.” Richard Hugo”

“Work sweetens life, but not everyone likes candy.” Richard Hugo”

Jesus Blanco (@ Gsusologo) [es] tweeted [ [es] with irony:

Me río yo del trabajo digno…

I laugh at dignified labor…

@ Comolanigua [es] shares two images of the anti-riot police:

En la marcha de #1mayose distribuyeron decenas de papas en la cara del ESMAD

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21476752 @ N08/6988071524 /, está su reacción

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ 21476752 @ N08/6988073666/in/set-72157629581472990 /

In the May 1 march, potato chips were distributed in the face of ESMAD http://www.flickr.com/photos/21476752 @ N08/6988071524 /, this was their reaction http://www.flickr.com/photos/ 21476752 @ N08/6988073666/in/set-72157629581472990 /

Pueblo Uníos published several videos [es] on their YouTube account. In one video they interview several workers [es] in the march in Medellin. These workers commented on the pension reform, temporary contracts, cooperatives, recognition of indigenous cultures, the free trade agreement with the U.S., and the right to health:

Finally, the blog “Marcha Patiotica” (Patriotic March) shares [es] some grim statistics:

(…) Colombia es hoy el tercer país más desigual del mundo, en el que mientras 30 compañías reportan ingresos operacionales anuales superiores a dos billones de pesos, según cifras oficiales el 43.6% de los trabajadores son informales y el 49.2% del total de ocupados recibe ingresos inferiores al salario mínimo y el nivel de crudeza e injusticia es tal que en puerto Gaitán, lugar donde tiene su principal centro de operaciones Pacific rubiales, empresa que reporta exorbitantes ganancias, los niños mueren de hambre, tendiendo este municipio el mas alto índice de mortalidad infantil del país y como muestra de la persecución sistemática contra la organización de los trabajadores entre el 2011 y lo que va corrido del 2012 han sido asesinados 35 lideres sindicales.

Colombia is now the third most unequal country in the world, where 30 companies reported annual operating earning over two billion dollars, according to official figures 43.6% of workers are informal and 49.2% of the total employed have income below the minimum wage. The level of cruelty and injustice is such that in Puerto Gaitán, where Pacific Rubiales (a company that reported exorbitant profits) has its main operations, children are starving. Furthermore, this municipality has the highest infant mortality rate in the country and as a sign of the systematic persecution against the organization of workers between 2011 and thus far in 2012, 35 union leaders have been killed.

Colombia: Telework Law or Microsoft Law?

Julián Ortega Martínez — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:40:07 +0000

lncognito wonders what is behind [es] the ‘telework law' (Decreto 884 de 2012 [es], which regulates the Ley 1228 de 2008 [es]), signed by President Juan Manuel Santos at the headquarters of Microsoft Colombia [es], and whose official website [es] seems to be sponsored by the Labour Ministry and the American company: “Interestingly, while most developing countries bet on free software, in this colony, sorry, Colombia, ICT and labour laws are signed by Microsoft.”

Colombia: French Journalist Roméo Langlois Kidnapped

Lully Posada — Tue, 01 May 2012 02:14:15 +0000

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Sunday April 29 [es] that French journalist Roméo Langlois was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) during clashes [es] on April 28 with the counter-narcotics battalion. The journalist was accompanying the military to make a documentary. Neither the government nor the Colombian rebel group have confirmed the kidnapping, which has generated solidarity, bewilderment and criticism on Twitter [es] due to the ambiguity in the information.

Colombia: 12-Year-Old Boy Bullied at School Dies

Julián Ortega Martínez — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:04:09 +0000

On Tuesday April 24, 2012, John Alexander Larrahondo, age 12, died over a week after three of his classmates reportedly beat him because he had defended a 9-year-old girl from their class. The incident happened at the Los Gómez School [es], located in the rural area of Itagüí, a municipality of the Antioquia department near Medellín.

Although forensics ruled [es] the cause of death was a bone condition, his mother [es] and some physicians [es] rejected the ruling and claim bullying was the ultimate cause of the boy's death.

The Attorney General's Office opened [es] an investigation, and the Justice Minister stated [es] that bullying is “unacceptable” and must be fought by the competent authorities (namely, the Ministries of Education and Justice, the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare, and the Attorney General's Office). Meanwhile, Green Party Senator Gilma Jiménez said [es] she will bring the issue to Congress.

On Twitter, @mariaramitas writes (1, 2) [es]:

El problema de los chinos de ahora es que ven el matoneo como simple mamadera de gallo. Y los profesores no es que hagan mucho tampoco. Y si lo del matoneo sigue así, no demoran dos culicagados y agarrar el colegio a bala a lo Columbine. Pilas profesores.

The problem with today's kids is that they see bullying as if it were just joking around. And teachers don't do much either. And if the bullying thing keeps going on like this, soon two boys will shoot up a school with bullets like in Columbine. Attention, teachers.

With sorrow, Juan Gonzalo Benítez (@juanbenitez1973) tweets [es]:

Triste, indignado… un niño de 12 años murio por una paliza. Lo mataron a patadas porque “puso la queja” de que agredieron a otra niña

Sad, outraged… a 12 year old boy died because of a beating. He was kicked to death because he “complained” that another girl was attacked

María Isabel Ángel (@MaisAngel) shows [es] her pessimism:

A mí lo de la muerte del niño por matoneo en Itagüí me quita aún más la fe en la humanidad. Queda uno desmoralizado

The child's death due to bullying in Itagüí further takes my faith in humanity away from me. I'm left demoralized.

Lina Rouge (@linarouge) reacts [es] to the forensic's ruling:

Bueno espero que ahora que se sabe que el niño no murió por los golpes, no nos hagamos los bobos con el asunto del “matoneo” en los colegios

Well, I hope that now that we know the kid didn't die because he was beaten, we don't play dumb with the ‘bullying' issue at schools.

Journalist Víctor Solano (@solano) posted several tweets about the issue (1, 2, 3, 4), [es] and later elaborated in his column [es] for the Colombian version of the free daily Metro newspaper [es]:

Anoche creo que a varios se nos escurrieron las lágrimas con la nota del niño asesinado por sus compañeros de clase por defender a una niña. Y eso que la nota no fue amarillista; simplemente mostró que nuestra sociedad está incubando una generación movida por el odio. […] Nuestra sociedad perdió los lacrimales por agotamiento; nos secamos cuando la violencia se volvió paisaje y la indolencia nos gobernó. La muerte de ese niño nos comprueba que tocamos fondo, pero aún así seguimos cavando como esperando encontrar lo peor de nosotros.

Last night I think some of us cried with the report of the child killed by his classmates for defending a girl. The report wasn't even sensationalistic; it simply showed that our society is incubating a generation moved by hatred. […] Our society lost its lacrimal [glands] out of exhaustion; we dried up when violence became a landscape and indolence ruled us. The death of that child proves we've hit the bottom, but even so we're still digging as if we wished to find the worst of us.

Carolina Ruiz (@CaroRuizG) writes [es] claiming she was left speechless, while @lncognito tweets [es] that the problem must be solved through education and not with repression.

In the blogosphere, colombiaopina writes [es] about the responsibility of parents, teachers, and the State, and asks for laws to be reviewed:

Urge entonces una revisión e integración de las normas que tienen que ver con las conductas delictivas de infantes y adolescentes, haciendo más drásticas las medidas cautelares en desarrollo de la implementación del Sistema de Responsabilidad Penal de niños y adolescentes de que trata el Decreto 4652 de 2006.

Both a revision and the integration of the norms dealing with the crimes committed by children and teenagers are urgent, making the protective measures more drastic in the development of the implementation of the System of Criminal Responsibility for children and teenagers enacted by Decree 4652, 2006.

Jaime Andrés Jaramillo Botero, at Ojo en lupa, writes [es]:

Pero el control y la observancia, como dijo Fajardo, deben partir de nosotros como padres, responsables del futuro de nuestros hijos; y de la Escuela, como el aparato ideológico por excelencia, al cual le confiamos la educación de nuestra descendencia.

But control and observance, as [Antioquia governor Sergio] Fajardo said, must come from us as parents, responsible for the future of our children, and from the school, as the quintessential ideological machine, to which we entrust the education of our descendants.

Finally, Wilmar Mejía criticizes [es] the Itagüí municipality and the media for focusing on the incident without reporting the context of the rural school and the situation of the teachers in the area:

El matoneo entre los escolares implicados es objeto de noticia, pero nada se comenta porque no hay interés en hacerlo, acerca de la historia reciente de la Institución Educativa, de sus procesos académicos y administrativos, del déficit de oportunidades de recreación, cultura, deportes o de continuidad en el ciclo de formación técnica, tecnológica o profesional, para los niños y jóvenes que residen en las veredas.

The bullying between the involved students is news, but no one says anything because there's no interest, about the school's recent history, its administrative and academic processes, the lack of opportunities for recreation, culture, sports or continuity in the cycle for technical, technological or professional formation for the children and teens who live in the towns.

Colombia: “San Andrés belongs to Colombia”

Silvia Viñas — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:26:30 +0000

Nicaragua has presented a claim [es] in the International Court of Justice over the sovereignty of the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, which is currently part of Colombia's political map after a treaty signed by both countries in 1928. Many in Colombia have expressed their desire for San Andres to “remain Colombian”, and on Twitter they are sharing various opinions under the hasthag #SanAndresesColombia [es] (San Andrés belongs to Colombia).

Video: Mothers Around the World Share Their Different Experiences

Juliana Rincón Parra — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 02:04:26 +0000

In the International Museum of Women, the current online exhibit is all about mothers. MAMA: Motherhood around the Globe explores the different aspects of motherhood through video interviews to women in Nigeria, Kenya, Afghanistan, USA, Colombia, Hungary, China and Norway.

Lusina from Kenya is one of the interviewed mothers for IMOW

Mama to Be is the section on the expectations around motherhood and pregnancy, and how the different women, some not even out of their teens reacted and faced their impending motherhood.

How many women in the world actually have an opportunity to decide if, how, and when to create a family? What are the reasons that women today are choosing – or refusing to choose – motherhood?

In Healthy Mama, Healthy Baby, the stories these women share on their birthing experiences serve to illustrate how different cultures view birthing and health.

Every day, thousands of women worldwide give birth to new human life. While many of these women will have happy and successful deliveries, hundreds will die in childbirth. How do things like geography, income, and age affect your chances of a safe delivery? What is being done to improve upon the world’s maternal mortality rate, and how can you get involved?

In the Featured Voices section, stories were submitted by the audience and six stories were selected by an international jury for the Community Choice Awards. One of them is this excerpt of the hard situation in the Colombian hospital maternity wards by Jorge Caballero for Gusano Films.

In Birth Journal Maternity Excerpt, a mother of six arrives to a checkup and then to deliver a baby. During the checkup, her story comes out through the questions asked by the doctor, and his attitude towards her changes, ending up with a suggestion for a tubal ligation and a curt farewell. During delivery, there isn't even time to move the lone woman to the gurney and into the maternity room, she gives birth on her hospital bed.

One-on-one interviews in Meet the Mamas focus the conversations around the woman and her personal story, for example, it helps contrast the different situations between a teen mother in Liberia, living what she calls in Critical Condition, and a teen mother in the United States, who through family support is able to move on ahead and continue her studies.

This exhibit in the International Museum of Women aims to get more people informed on the state of Women's Maternal Health, on their Get Involved page they suggest different ways in which readers can participate in improving the statistics and raise awareness themselves on these important issues.

Colombia: Video of Art Installation and Performance in Bogotá

Juliana Rincón Parra — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:15:50 +0000

The art collective Invisible Society in Bogotá brought together 53 artists who set up art installations or performance arts, and the process and result can be seen in their video.