Stories about Peru from December, 2011
‘Developing Latin America': Open Data Projects
The 'Desarrollando Latin América' (Developing Latin America) competition, a public hackathon for creating technological solutions to education, security and budgetary problems in six countries in the region, took place on the 3rd and 4th of December. Juan Arellano, who acted as a judge in Lima (Peru), summarises the results and the reactions from the participants.
Latin America: Youth Unemployment
Bloggings by boz looks at youth unemployment in Latin America, concluding that “with growth projections decreased for 2011 and 2012, the current situation for youth unemployment is almost certainly getting worse. That could have major economic, political and social implications moving into 2012.”
Peru: Afro-Peruvian Christmas Music
Christmas, a Christian celebration that arrived in Perú with the Spaniards at the beginning of the sixteenth century, was adapted over the years by different Peruvian communities. The black community also managed to incorporate its own individuality in the festivities, expressing its particular experiences in the artistic creations made to honor the holiday.
Peru: Blogger Discusses Discrimination in Interview with Indigenous Peruvians
Blogger Carlos Quiroz from Peruanista interviewed three indigenous Peruvians living in Lima, including Julián Apaza, whose brother, Ricardo Apaza, recently suffered from discrimination at a Lima movie theater. In the video interview [es] they discuss racism, Andean indigenous cultures, what it is like to be of native descent, and whether...
Peru: Mass Graves Reported by Locals in Ayahuanco
In the blog Memory in Latin America, Lillie Langtry writes about the recent finding of “14 graves containing about 100 bodies, assumed to be victims of the Peruvian conflict of the 1980s,” in the district of Ayahuanco. She explains that “local people are generally well aware of the location of...
Peru: Racism Debated on Social Networks
A recent incident at a Lima movie theater has turned a spotlight on the issue of racism. Netizens are commenting on this and other similar incidents and on the bigger issue of racism in a multicultural society like Peru.
Peru: Protests Against Mining in Videos, Part II
Recent protests against the environmental damage caused by mining in Peru have sparked plenty of audiovisual material. In this second post of a two-part series, Juan Arellano highlights what citizens, journalists and organizations in the area have been uploading to the Internet.
Peru: State of Emergency Declared in Cajamarca
After the ongoing strike against the Conga mining project in the Peruvian town of Cajamarca, a high level commission went to the city to negotiate an end to the strike, but the dialogue concluded with no result. Hours later, the region was declared in a State of Emergency.
Peru: Protests Against Mining in Videos, Part I
Recent protests against the environmental damage caused by mining in Peru have sparked plenty of audiovisual material, from campaigns to raise awareness, to citizen videos of protests, repression and more. In this first post of a two-part series, Juan Arellano highlights videos that explain the context of this conflict.
Peru: Congress Approves Law Criminalizing Femicide
The Peruvian Congress has approved the text of a law that recognizes femicide as a crime punishable by up to 25 years of incarceration. Under the existing law, the murder of a women can result in release from jail in about two years.
Latin America: Social Networks Bring Recognition to Primary Recyclers
Using various social media, primary recyclers of Latin America, also known as pepenadores, cartoneros, buzos (waste pickers) or simply recyclers, have joined together in search of social inclusion and formal recognition of their work.
Peru: Blogs from Cajamarca Report on Conga Mine Conflict
Protests against the Conga mining project in Cajamarca continue despite the suspension of activities announced by the mining company. Juan Arellano highlights blogs written from Cajamarca that are reporting on the conflict.
Peru: Calle 13 Arrive to Concert Five Hours Late
Puerto Rican group Calle 13's delay of almost five hours to their concert in Lima, due to commitments they had for the same day - three concerts between Peru and Venezuela - was the topic of heated debates in Peru, not only on social networks, but on all levels.
Peru: Netizens Denounce Police Repression During Protest in Lima Against Conga Mine
Peruvian netizens are denouncing police repression during a protest held in Lima on December 5, 2011, against the Conga mining project in Cajamarca. Juan Arellano links [es] to several citizen media reports, including blog posts, photos and videos.
Latin American Hackathon Seeks to Create Web Apps to Solve Social Problems
On December 3 and 4, 2011, developers, designers, academics and other experts from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay, will participate in “Desarrollando América Latina” [es] (Developing Latin America), a 30 hour open data hackathon to develop web applications that help solve social problems related to education, public budgets,...