Global Voices » Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic: Juan Bosch and the Elections

Firuzeh Shokooh Valle — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:02:17 +0000

Journalist Nelson del Castillo analyzes the political significance of Juan Bosch [es] -the Dominican politician, writer, essayist, historian and educator- on occasion of the national presidential elections held yesterday, May 20, 2012.

‘Mujeres Construyendo': Empowering Women, One Blog at a Time

Kathryn Morgan — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:00:34 +0000

“Una bloguera es, ante todo, una mujer valiente, que se atreve y se compromete. ¿Por qué? Porque a través de su blog se expresa, dice lo que piensa, siente, lo que es. Si tiene miedo de hablar o darle cuerpo a sus ideas, enfrenta ese miedo y lo supera.”

- “¿Quién es una bloguera?”, Mujeres Construyendo

A female blogger is, first and foremost, a brave woman, one who dares and one who commits. Why? Because through her blog she expresses herself, she says what she thinks, what she feels, what she is. If she is afraid to speak of or shape her ideas, she confronts this fear and overcomes it.

- “¿Quién es una bloguera?” [es] (Who is a female blogger?), Mujeres Construyendo

Women make up almost half of Latin America's Internet users. However, in spite of their high web-presence, women are mainly content consumers. Mujeres Construyendo [es], the first platform for female bloggers in Spanish, wants to transform Hispanic women into creators, not just consumers, of internet content.

Its founder, Claudia Calvin, answered some questions about this platform and community of Hispanic female bloggers.

Global Voices: How and when was Mujeres Construyendo created?

Claudia Calvin: Mujeres Construyendo surge como proyecto en el 2008, después de un tiempo de haberme hecho bloguera. Su origen se encuentra principalmente en mis andares por internet y después de descubrir una realidad que llamó profundamente mi atención: que las mujeres de habla hispana que participamos en internet seguimos transmitiendo en este espacio una creencia profundamente arraigada en nuestra cultura. ¿Cuál es? Aquella que nos inculcaron de niñas y en la que nos decían que “calladitas nos veíamos más bonitas”. Descubrí que nuestra participación como blogueras era muy distinta a la participación de las blogueras estadounidenses: ellas en la actualidad representan casi un 60% de los blogueros en su país y las blogueras en internet de habla hispana representamos un escaso 27%. Cuando inicié Mujeres Construyendo, la cifra era más desalentadora aún: 15%.

Busqué afanosamente un espacio de convergencia de mujeres blogueras, un espacio que no fuese un directorio, sino un lugar de convivencia, una comunidad como tal. Al no encontrarla, decidí hacerla, y así es como surge Mujeres Construyendo.

Hablé con unos amigos desarrolladores y lograron darle vida a esta idea que tenía en mi mente. La plataforma Mujeres Construyendo surge como tal en el 2009.

Claudia Calvin: Mujeres Construyendo came about in 2008, after a period of establishing myself as a blogger. It came from my internet browsing and the discovery of a reality that really caught my attention: Spanish speaking women who contribute to the internet continue to transmit a profound belief that is deeply-rooted in our culture. What was it? The belief that has been instilled in us since we were girls, the idea that “the quieter we are, the more beautiful we are”. I discovered that our contributions as bloggers were very distinct to that of American women. They currently constitute almost 60% of bloggers in their country and Spanish speaking female bloggers make up just 27%. When I began Mujeres Construyendo, the figure was even more discouraging… 15%.

I frantically looked for a space where female bloggers could get together, a space that wasn't a directory, but rather a place of coexistence, a community, as it were. After failing to find this, I decided to make it myself, and that is how Mujeres Construyendo came about.

I spoke with some developer friends and they managed to bring the idea I had in mind to life. And so the Mujeres Construyendo platform sprung to life in 2009.

GV: What is Mujeres Construyendo's mission? What does it want to achieve with this female blogging platform?

CC: El objetivo de Mujeres Construyendo es que las mujeres aprendamos a hacer uso de las nuevas tecnologías y las herramientas que brinda internet para empoderarnos, crecer, desarrollarnos. Los blogs son una herramienta de empoderamiento para nosotras: nos permite comunicar lo que hacemos, pensamos, visualizamos y participar en un diálogo central en el nuevo espacio público, que es internet.

Hemos participado más como observadoras y consumidoras de contenido que como proveedoras y en este espacio vacío se está perdiendo una enorme oportunidad para construir una realidad que refleje nuestros intereses y manera de entender y participar en el mundo, tanto en el ámbito de lo social, como lo político y empresarial, y ni qué decir de lo personal y familiar.

Las mujeres vivimos muchos tipos de marginación en el mundo, no necesitamos sumar una más a las existentes: la digital.

CC: The objective of Mujeres Construyendo is for women to learn to make use of new technologies and tools that the internet offers in order to be empowered, to grow and to develop. Blogs are empowering tools for us - they enable us to communicate what we do, what we think, what we see. They allow us to participate in a central dialogue in the new public space, the internet.

We have been more involved as observers and consumers of content than providers. We are missing out on a great opportunity to construct a reality that reflects our interests and way of understanding and participating in the world, in a social sense, as well as a political and business sense, not to mention the personal and familial.

Women deal with many types of marginalisation in society, we don't need to add digital marginalisation to those that already exist.

GV: Why is it important for women to have a blog?

CC: Como mencionaba anteriormente, los blogs son una herramienta de empoderamiento en la medida en que posibilitan que las mujeres puedan comunicarse, expresar, proponer y dialogar en internet y con ello contribuir a la definición y construcción de una realidad que refleje sus intereses y visión. Las voces de mujeres en la blogósfera son importantes porque son el reflejo de la mitad de los habitantes del planeta y en el medida en que sean actores sociales, políticos, voten, consuman, tomen decisiones y vivan de manera cotidiana los diversos contextos de su entorno (desde violencia, hasta crisis económicas, pasando por desastres naturales o guerras) su voz es importante. Son actores de la vida cotidiana y su visión y mirada cuentan, valen, reflejan una circunstancia. Su silencio resulta -sin que ellas mismas los sepan- cómplices de realidades sexistas o que marginan y en la medida en que paulatinamente vayan apareciendo y expresando su voz…irá cambiando el entorno. El silencio jamás ha sido socio del empoderamiento.

CC: As I mentioned before, blogs are tools of empowerment insofar as they make it possible for women to be able to communicate and express themselves, make suggestions and converse on the internet. They are tools with which women contribute to the definition and construction of a reality that represents their interests and vision. Women's voices, in the blogosphere, are important because they reflect half of the planet's inhabitants. Their voices are important in the sense that they are social players, politicians, they vote, they act, they make decisions and everyday they live through different environmental contexts (from violence, to economic crises; from natural disasters, to wars). They are players in everyday life and their vision and perspective counts, they are valued, they reflect a situation. Their silence, although they themselves are unaware, acts as an accomplice for a sexist reality, or it means they are marginalised. As long as their voices continue to gradually appear and be expressed, this environment will keep changing.

GV: How many women have a blog on Mujeres Construyendo?

CC: La comunidad de Mujeres Construyendo está constituida por la plataforma Mujeres Construyendo (www.mujeresconstruyendo.com) y las redes sociales a través de las cuáles se conecta su comunidad. La suma de personas conectadas a esta propuesta y a este espacio suma hoy cerca de 9 mil personas.

CC: The community of Mujeres Construyendo is made up by the Mujeres Construyendo platform (www.mujeresconstruyendo.com) and the social networks that connect this community. The total sum of people connected today is around nine thousand.

GV: What is the profile of the women who blog on Mujeres Construyendo?

CC: Cabe decir que participan hombres y mujeres en nuestra plataforma. Somos un espacio incluyente y consideramos que no se puede hablar de equidad partiendo de un principio de exclusión, por ello, las voces masculinas son bien recibidas. La mayoría, estamos hablando de más del 96%, son mujeres. Su perfil es principalmente urbano, de entre 25 y 45 años, en su mayoría de México, España, Argentina, Venezuela y Estados Unidos. Quiero destacar a una de nuestras blogueras más activas, y que inclusive ha sido entrevistada en televisión: Bertha, una extraordinaria mujer de 82 años que nos enseña que no hay edad para seguir aprendiendo y que las herramientas digitales son poderosas y permiten a las personas seguirle dando sentido a su vida.

CC: I should say that both men and women use our platform. We are an inclusive space and we don't believe that you can talk about equality while at the same time exercising a principal of exclusion, so male bloggers are also welcomed. The majority, we're talking more than 96%, are women. Their profile is mainly urban, from 25 to 45 years of age, and mainly from Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Venezuela and the United States. I want to focus on one of our most active bloggers, who has even been interviewed on television. Bertha, an extraordinary 82 year-old woman who shows us that there's no age limit to learning and that digital tools are powerful and they can continue to give meaning to people's lives.

GV: What will 2012 bring for Mujeres Construyendo?

CC: Empezamos el año con el pie derecho, estrenando nueva casa y nuestro nuevo sitio nos permite interactuar mejor, conocernos y convivir de manera más cercana. Detrás de esto hay trabajo y compromiso y queremos consolidarnos como un espacio central para que las mujeres participen, tengan voz y con ello contribuir con nuestro grano de arena no sólo a su empoderamiento, sino al fortalecimiento de la democracia. Queremos incrementar el número de blogueras participando y vinculadas a nuestra comunidad, estamos trabajando en ofrecer herramientas a las blogueras que les permitan fortalecer su presencia y cumplir sus objetivos, sean estos personales, familiares, profesionales. Detrás de este trabajo hay alianzas y proyectos que podrán ver en un futuro muy cercano y del que con gusto les platicaremos en su momento.

Muchas gracias por su interés en conocernos y ojalá a través de Global Voices más mujeres se animen a sumar su voz a nuestra comunidad. Juntas podemos hacer una diferencia.

CC: We're going to start the year off on the right foot. Opening a new house and our new site will allow us to interact, get to know each other and live together in a closer way. Behind this there is work and dedication and we want to consolidate it into one central space so that the women who participate have a voice with which they do their bit, not just towards their own empowerment, but also towards strengthening democracy. We want to increase the number of female bloggers who participate within and are linked to our community so we are working on offering tools to the female bloggers that enable them to strengthen their presence and achieve their goals, whether these be personal, familial or professional. Behind this work there are aliances and projects that will be seen in the very near future, about which we'll talk about nearer the time.

Thank you very much for your interest in getting to know us and hopefully through Global Voices more women will be encouraged to add their voice to our community. Together we can make a difference.

Claudia is also a blogger [es] and she tweets under @LaClau [es]. You can follow Mujeres Construyendo on Facebook [es], Twitter, [es] YouTube [es], and LinkedIn [es].

Dominican Republic: Take A Stand for Women

Firuzeh Shokooh Valle — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 21:23:06 +0000

Feminist blogger and journalist María Isabel Soldevila urges people to take a stand and act against women's subordination [es] in the Dominican Republic.

Intercontinental Cry Will Launch Spanish Edition

Silvia Viñas — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:23:14 +0000

Ahni announces the upcoming Spanish edition of Intercontinental Cry [es], which will go live on March 31, 2012. “The main objective of IC Espanol is, of course, to provide Spanish readers with the same news that our English readers have come to expect from us; what I consider to be essential news on the global indigenous movement.” Find out about more languages on the IC Translation Project Facebook page.

Ibero-American Blogging Competition Asks Teens: “What are you reading?”

Silvia Viñas — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:17:26 +0000

The Organization of Ibero-American States invites teens ages 12 to 15 to enter a blogging competition about reading. The sign up [es] deadline is May 31, 2012, and judges will consider blog posts written until July 31. The winner from each participating country will receive an iPad. Visit the official website [es] and follow the hashtag #questasleyendo [es] (”what are you reading”) to find out more about the contest.

Latin America: Museum Releases Digital Archive of 20th-Century Art

Silvia Viñas — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:36:22 +0000

The International Center for Arts of the Americas (ICCA) at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has released a digital archive of 20th-century Latin American and Latino art, which, “is now available, free of charge, to the research and teaching community as well as to the public at large.” Culture magazine Ñ [es] briefly interviewed Mari Carmen Ramírez, the project's director.

Dominican Republic: Farewell to El Goyo & Sención

Janine Mendes-Franco — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:07:33 +0000

Repeating Islands acknowledges the deaths of “outstanding Cuban dancer, singer and percussionist Gregorio Hernández” and Dominican writer Viriato Sención, whose “work was marked by its commitment to historical truth and cultural engagement.”

Caribbean: Looking Back on 2011

Janine Mendes-Franco — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:31:25 +0000

The regional blogosphere in 2011 saw a few territories, most notably Cuba, taking front and centre - especially when it came to digital activism. The rest of the Caribbean meanwhile, grappled with everything from homophobia to states of emergency, weathered hurricanes and questioned the boundaries of online privacy, discussed a plane crash and World AIDS Day and became ardent fans of Project Runway.

Here's a quick look at what our Spanish Language Editor, Firuzeh Shokooh Valle and I agreed was noteworthy this year…

Haiti - Earthquake recovery, Aristide & elections

As physically and economically ravaged Haiti struggled to find its bearings a year after the January 12, 2010 earthquake, Twitter was full of tweets bearing the hashtags #remember #Haiti as netizens recalled the devastation and spared a thought for earthquake victims and survivors alike.

The country was soon to face another strange reality in the form of ousted dictator Jean Claude Duvalier's curiously timed return to his homeland. There was soon talk of an impending arrest for acts of corruption during his tenure, but although charges were filed, the case soon appeared to fall by the wayside, reportedly because the statute of limitations had expired.

Tent city, Juvenat, by caribbeanfreephoto, used under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License.

A couple of months later, the country's elections took centre stage, with reports of election threats and subsequent violence. As it turned out, the candidate accused of leveling those threats, Michel Martelly, popularly known by the moniker “Sweet Micky”, went on to claim victory in the polls.

Throughout the earthquake and election turmoil, frustration continued to mount against the United Nations presence in Haiti (MINUSTAH), partly as a result of its troops being responsible for an outbreak of cholera that killed thousands of Haitians, and partly for their crimes against the Haitian people.

Cuba - Deaths of dissident and Las Damas leader and reforms

The (albeit measured) jubilation over the release of Cuban political prisoners in 2010 soon turned to sadness following the death of opposition member Juan Wilfredo Soto Garcia. Local dissidents insisted that he had been beaten by police, while the government maintained that Soto's “acute pancreatitis…led to multiple organ failure”, even calling the allegations of police brutality a “'smear campaign' aimed at weakening the Cuban revolution.”

The incident called into question modus operandi of the Cuban government, especially considering its routine crackdowns on Las Damas de Blanco, one of the most respected opposition movements on the island, whose members comprise the wives of prisoners of conscience.

The Ladies in White were soon thrust into the spotlight again - this time because of the hospitalization of the group's vibrant leader, Laura Pollan, who subsequently passed away. The official cause of death was an unidentified infection that reportedly turned out to be dengue fever, but some camps suggested that her treatment may have been sub-standard because of her political stance.

Even as tributes poured in for the late human rights activist, bloggers expressed concern for the safety of other Cuban dissidents, given the climate of apparent state-sanctioned aggression against them.

: #TwitHab 2011. Photo by Elaine Díaz.

One of the high points in the Cuban blogosphere this year was the first meeting of users of the social network Twitter #TwitHab, held last July in Havana at 23rd and 12th of the Vedado district and in the Pabellón Cuba.

The event hosted almost 100 people, mostly young journalism students, administrators, professors, journalists and bloggers, among others. The event was not free of controversy; nevertheless, Twitter has evidently served as an interesting venue for expression, debate and solidarity.

The sixth congress of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), held in Havana from April 16-19, marked a turning point for the Cuban economic system, and for Cuban society at large. Party members approved measures to institute term limits for top party and government leaders, legalize home ownership and sales, and restructure state salaries so that they will be determined in part by the amount and quality of labor performed by workers.

Dominican Republic - Drugs, hurricanes and gold medals

Last November, the Partido de la Liberación Dominicana (PLD-Dominican Liberation Party) nominated Margarita Cedeño, the wife of current president Leonel Fernández, to run for vice-president in the next elections. The drug connection between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico has also made headlines this year: September saw was the sentencing of the infamous Figueroa Acosta case [es], considered one of the most scandalous cases of drug trafficking in both these islands.

At the start of the hurricane season, Hurricane Irene devastated the north coast of Dominican Republic [es] leaving approximately 30,000 affected and 11,000 people displaced. (The storm also affected the Bahamas).

Finally, it was a great year in sports: the Dominican Republic achieved a historical record of medals [es] in the past edition of the Pan-American Games held in Guadalajara, Mexico, with seven gold, nine silver, and 17 bronze medals in 26 events.

Trinidad and Tobago - State of emergency

In August, many netizens were taken aback at the unexpected declaration of a state of emergency, ostensibly to deal with the country's rising crime rate. Nicholas Laughlin summed up the general feeling by pointing out that “this legal step, which affects a broad range of civil rights, has triggered widespread debate about the roots of violent crime in Trinidad and Tobago and the implications of the government's latest strategy.”

The government's gaffes resulted in confusion and mounting frustration; bloggers vented online here and here. When the state of emergency finally came to an end and as expected, violent crime rebounded, the citizenry was left wondering what it achieved, if anything at all.

Puerto Rico - Domestic violence and crime, the arts and sports

The year 2011 was the most violent in the Island’s history with 1,136 murders as of early in the day December 31 [es], a 15% increase from 2010. Twenty-six women were murdered (eight cases are still under investigation) by their partners or ex-partners, one of the highest rates in years.

The feminist movement and a group of active feminist bloggers [es] have been at the forefront, denouncing the state’s lack of action against domestic violence. The United States Justice Department also accused the Puerto Rico Police Department of a pattern of civil rights violations and illegal practices.

On the other hand, it was a wonderful year for the arts and sports. The Puerto Rican hip hop duo Calle 13 achieved a record in the most recent Latin Grammy Awards where they won nine awards for their most recent album “Entren los que quieran” for a record of a total of 19 Latin Grammys in their career. Their beautiful song “Latinoamérica” has already become a kind of an anthem for Latin Americans all over the world.

In sports, the Puerto Rican professional basketball player José Juan Barea became one of the most beloved national icons after winning the 2011 US National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Championship playing for the Mavericks team from Dallas, Texas (check this short video on Barea’s life).

Farewells

Finally, Caribbean bloggers were eloquent in their farewells to some luminary people, both home-grown and international. Trinidad and Tobago lost an environmental champion with the passing of Professor Julian Kenny, as well as an important cultural icon with the death of Dr. Pat Bishop. Remembrances also poured in as tech-minded bloggers learned of the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and wrote about how his visionary products helped to transform their work and their lives.

The human rights activist Sonia Pierre died on December 4. She was 48. Pierre dedicated her life to advocate for the rights of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic and of Dominicans of Haitian origin. Pierre was the founder of MUDHA — Movimiento De Mujeres Dominico-Haitiana or Movement of Dominican Haitian Women. She is remembered as a courageous activist who fought against racism and sexism all her life.

More to look forward to

We have no doubt that in 2012, Caribbean bloggers will have a lot more to talk about - the outcome of Jamaica's recently-held general elections is just one topic that comes to mind - and we look forward to following the regional blogosphere as we continue to strive to facilitate a meaningful exchange of ideas.

Firuzeh Shokooh Valle contributed to this post. In the Cuba section, excerpts from posts by GV authors Ellery Biddle and Elaine Díaz are included. Thanks to Emil Rodríguez Garabot for his help on the section on Dominican Republic.

Dominican Republic: The History of Bachata

Firuzeh Shokooh Valle — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:35:09 +0000

Deepak Lamba Nieves, PhD student who investigates Dominican transnational migration, writes about the show in Boston of famous bachata singer Luis Miguel del Amargue, and also about the history of this music genre [es].

Puerto Rico: Rita Indiana's New Video

Firuzeh Shokooh Valle — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:05:56 +0000

The music blog Puerto Rico Indie comments on Dominican singer-songwriter Rita Indiana's most recent video production of her song “Da pa lo do.”

Latin America: Music Blog Loves to Discover New Songs

Silvia Viñas — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:14:17 +0000

The blog Amo descubrir canciones [es] (”I love to discover songs”) reviews music from around the world, with a special focus on Latin America. The blog includes specials with songs by country [es], song covers [es], and songs recommended by readers [es]. The latter category includes a post on “Songs to recommend during a conversation in an elevator” [es].

Latin America: Tragic Times for Journalists

Silvia Viñas — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:07:54 +0000

The Latin Americanist lists recent incidents that validate the claim made by Robert Rivard -head of an Inter American Press Association (IAPA) commission- that “2011 is the ‘most tragic year in the last two decades' for Latin American journalists.”

Dominican Republic: Rita Indiana, “Projects Like Mine Owe a Lot to Social Networks and the Internet”

Firuzeh Shokooh Valle — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:07:24 +0000

There is simply no way of classifying Rita Indiana. Songwriter, singer, writer, and performer are only some of her many phases and dimensions. Rita Indiana is a master of reinvention and transformation. We have read her novels “Papi” and “La estrategia de chochueca.” We have seen her in her performances. And we have listened to her in her musical projects, first Miti Miti and now Rita Indiana y los Misterios.

In a collaboration between the alternative music blog Puerto Rico Indie [es], its editor and and Global Voices author Alfredo Richner, the correspondent in New York City Sire_Damiano [es] (@sire_damiano), Marlo Cruz Pagán (@Arturo_Elises) and Firuzeh Shokooh Valle, we interviewed the Dominican artist after her presentation this past summer as part of the Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) in New York City.

During the interview*, Rita Indiana speaks about her musical identities, her artistic multidimensionality, her future projects, and her relationship with social media and the Internet, among other topics. Global Voices translator Louella Mahabir translated the video of the interview to English, with the collaboration of Firuzeh Shokooh Valle and Alfredo Richner (to view with English subtitles please press the CC button).

* The interview was originally published in Spanish in Puerto Rico Indie.

Dominican Republic: Bohemian Nights

Firuzeh Shokooh Valle — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 21:40:34 +0000

Dino Bonao writes about the Dominican bohemian nights [es].

Dominican Republic: 93 Women Murdered This Year

Firuzeh Shokooh Valle — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:14:30 +0000

Remolacha.net [es] briefly comments on a news story in which the director of the feminist non-profit Colectiva Mujer y Salud [es], Sergia Galván, denounces that 93 women have been murdered by their partners or ex-partners this year in the Dominican Republic.