Global Voices » Jenny Cascante Gonzalez

Access Innovation Prize 2012 Recognizes Costa Rican Facebook App

Jenny Cascante Gonzalez — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 14:30:15 +0000

On December 10, 2012, non-profit organization Access.org announced the winners of the 1^st Annual Access Tech Innovation Prize Awards. The awards intended to convene initiatives from across the world that applied communication and technology while addressing issues that are important to their community.

The contest was divided into five categories, and besides receiving a monetary reward, winners have the opportunity to be part of ongoing collaboration and integration with Access.

The contest received hundreds of applications from different parts of the world, as the organizers explained:

Across the five categories, we received over 300 applications from 66 countries, and finalist projects stood out for their impact, likelihood, innovation, and measurability.

Costa Rican digital advertising agency BigWebNoise was announced as one of the winners for its online platform FueraJustoOrozco.com [es] (“out Justo Orozco“), sharing the award with other three finalists in the category ‘Access/Facebook'.

BigWebNoise describes the app in the Access blog:

In June 2012, an ultraconservative congressman in Costa Rica became president of an internal entity created to defend Human Rights. His votes subsequently vetoed draft bills that were key for the establishment of civil rights. At BigWebNoise, a digital advertising agency, we developed an online Facebook-integrated app- FueraJustoOrozco.com- in order to channel the population´s widespread backlash against the congressman. In only two weeks, fifteen thousand people “put their faces” to demand his resignation… nearly the same amount of votes that put him in Congress in the first place. We intend to turn FueraJustoOrozco.com into an easily customizable and intuitive open-source application; one that can be replicated, used freely and for free by organizations and social movements in support of causes that require mobilization, peaceful protesting and visibility anywhere in the world.

Netizens from all over the world followed the awards ceremony through Twitter. Such is the case of Andrew Rasiej (@Rasiej), who tweeted from New York:

@Rasiej: At the #techprize12 [event] organized by @accessnow I am struck by how many great new faces are joining battle for #HumanRights online

Neal Ungerleider (@nealunger) also expressed emotion with his tweet:

@nealunger: Just stopped by @accessnow #TechPrize12. So many good tech-4-human-rights projects being worked on

You can find more tweets on the awards ceremony and on the different winners in each category under the hashtag #TechPrize12 and on the @accessnow Twitter account.

Costa Rica Advances in Legislation for Wildlife Protection

Jenny Cascante Gonzalez — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:00:06 +0000

On October 10, 2012, President Laura Chinchilla signed a decree that strengthens the controls on shark finning in Costa Rican waters. Although shark finning is illegal in Costa Rica since 2001, some gaps in current legislation allow the sale of shark fins. The aim of the decree is to outlaw the import of shark fins to the country in order to avoid the sale and export.

The announcement was received with great joy by environmentalists, NGOs and hundreds of citizens who had sent letters to the Executive Power of the Republic to raise awareness of such painful practice. As expressed by Carol Corrales in a post for Rainforest Radio [es]:

El aleteo de tiburón es una práctica devastadora y cruel, donde los tiburones son mutilados para extraerles sus aletas, y luego devueltos al mar ya sin ellas, donde el animal muere después de sufrir una nefasta agonía

Shark finning is a cruel and devastating practice where sharks are mutilated to extract their fins, and then returned to the sea without them, where the animal dies after suffering a desperate agony

Shark Photo by Flickr user Philippe Guillaume, under Creative Commons license (CC BY 2.0)

Positive comments reacting to the President signing the decree are visible on Twitter under the hashtag #NOALALETEO (“No to finning”). Such is the case of Marianela Castro (@necascru) [es] who tweeted:

@necascru:#noalaleteo Cero tolerancia al aleteo! que la ley se cumpla! Arriba las criaturas de nuestros mares! Vida libre a nuestra biodiversidad! #CR

@necascru: #noalaleteo Zero tolerance for finning! May the law be executed! Long live the creatures of our seas! Free life to our biodiversity! #CR

But this is not the only good news in the field of wildlife protection for Costa Ricans. On October 2, the Legislative Assembly approved the first reading of a reform for the Wildlife Conservation Law, which proposes the elimination of hunting sports in the country. The project was sponsored by the Association for the Preservation of Flora and Fauna (Aprelofas) and if it is approved in the second debate, Costa Rica would be the first nation in Latin America to criminalize this practice.

This project was supported by the citizens with up to 177,000 signatures in a petition that formed an important endorsement for the law. Under the motto “Hunting is Killing,” a large number of supporters joined the popular initiative, which is the first one at a national level to reach the Congress.

The blog “Generación Rebelde” (Rebel Generation) [es] describes the event as “a party for wildlife” [es] and finishes its post with a statement:

“Nosotros lo celebramos. Y nos disponemos a estar vigilantes para que cualquier intento por derogarla sea desechado y para que se cumpla al pie de la letra.”

“We celebrate it. And we will be vigilant so that any attempt to invalidate the law are discarded and so that it is observed to the letter.”

Congressmen who opposed the law in the first debate received strong criticism. As Susan wrote in Maecr’s blog [es]:

“En Costa Rica, matar animales silvestres para comer? En la edad de piedra quizás. El asunto de la caza deportiva y sus intereses, es el que entre palabras rebuscadas probablemente trata de esconder.
[…]
Se aproximan elecciones, quizás la mayoría no las siente tan cerca, pero es importante reflexionar y decidir bien a quienes les entregamos el poder, qué sujetos se van a sentar cómodos, con buenos salarios a elegir y decidir por TODOS los demás”

“In Costa Rica, killing wildlife to eat? Perhaps in the Stone Age. The issue of sport hunting and hidden interests relies between big words where they are probably trying to hide it.
[...]
National Elections are approaching, maybe most of the people do not feel it that close, but it is important to think and wisely decide who would we rather grant power to, who will just comfortably sit there, with good salaries, to choose and decide for EVERYONE else”

Tweets about the law can be read under the hashtag #LeydeVidaSilvestre [es] (Wildlife Law).

“Hanging Around”. Photo by Flickr user marissa_strniste, under Creative Commons license (CC BY 2.0)

Video: ‘Human Rights Now!’ Campaign Launched in Costa Rica

Jenny Cascante Gonzalez — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 21:23:02 +0000

Last Friday, August 3, the group Citizens for Human Rights [es] launched the campaign “Human Rights Now!”, in which different Costa Rican personalities call for the need for the State to guarantee the human rights of all people.

As the press release [es] states, this campaign joins a broad movement in Costa Rica that has been growing due to the political authorities’ negligence to provide satisfactory solutions to the continued violation of these rights.

Same sex unions, the sexual and reproductive rights of women, a secular State, and the destitution of Justo Orozco from the presidency of the Human Rights Commission are some of the issues that the group included in the spot.

Central America: LibreBus Project Presents its Documentary

Jenny Cascante Gonzalez — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:17:39 +0000

Several months have passed since the LibreBus [es] collective project traveled across the streets of five different Central America countries looking for free culture and knowledge sharing enthusiasts.

As Jane Park explained in October, 2011:

Librebus, a project inspired by Free Culture principles, consisted of a regional tour spanning most of May of this year [2011] to explore Central American shared culture and digital communities. Twenty-seven “librenautas” [free navigators] with different nationalities, backgrounds and skills, from the free software community, Creative Commons chapters, freedom of speech activists and natural commons experts, shared their “open” knowledge with others in a variety of activities, from roundtables to public data hackathons and the first Central American CC Salon in Guatemala.

Conversations were held in each city with representatives of diverse communities that promote the use of information technology and communication. LibreBus ‘free navigators’ also organized meetings with digital natives whose contributions complemented to the discussion on free software and the defense of freedom of speech and content sharing.

Musicians, artists and users in general were able to learn about the cultural commons licenses. Also, participants had the opportunity to learn about the development of knowledge and technological constraints that farmers face in the region because of the legislation and use of transgenic seeds.

A documentary [es] showing the different interactions that took place during the tour through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, is now available online. The organizers are open to arranging a similar tour in the future, under the same flag: free collective knowledge.

These are some extracts from the documentary:

El 16 de mayo de 2011 LibreBus dejó de ser un viaje por Centroamérica para convertirse en un compromiso.

On May 16, 2011 LibreBus was not just a trip through Central America, it became a commitment.

LibreBus leaving Honduras. Image by Flickr user LibreBus (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

24 personas subieron y bajaron en el trayecto pero son muchos más los que comparten la filosofía de ser librenauta.

24 people got on and off the bus along the way but there are many more who share the philosophy of being a free navigator.

Ser librenauta es seguir un camino: el del conocimiento libre para todos y todas.

To be a free navigator is to follow a path: free knowledge for everyone.

Information on presentations related to free software, photographs of the trip, and posts published by some participants can be found on the LibreBus [es] website. You can also follow the project on Twitter @Librebus [es] and Facebook [es].

Costa Rica: Netizens Discuss Wikileaks Cables

Jenny Cascante Gonzalez — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 14:16:27 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage WikiLeaks and the World.

Several months have passed since WikiLeaks flooded media with the release of diplomatic cables containing information related to political and social issues in many countries around the world. Newspaper La Nación [es] of Costa Rica is the first Central American media outlet to receive the cables –most sent from the US Embassy in Costa Rica– directly from WikiLeaks. The content of these cables has provoked different reactions in Costa Rican blogs and social networks; opinions are as diverse as the topics covered in the cables.

Cristian Cambronero from Fusil de Chispas [es] notes the achievements of digital media:

El caso de la organización WikiLeaks es fascinante por muchos aspectos, y desde muchos puntos de vista. Pero hay uno que me apasiona en particular: el ver materializado el potencial que la tecnología y las redes ofrecen hoy, para que ciudadanos comunes, e iniciativas civiles, consigan incidir a una escala hasta ahora inimaginable.

The case of WikiLeaks is fascinating in many ways and from many points of view. But there is one in particular that I love: the materialization of the potential that technology and networks offer today, so that ordinary citizens and civil initiatives, achieve impact in an, until now, unimaginable scale.

Adriana Naranjo writes in Revista Amauta [es]:

La sorpresa de las publicaciones de los cables esta semana no produjo una grata confirmación de algo que ya sabíamos; sino una profunda indignación ante la reacción/no reacción del pueblo, de las organizaciones civiles, de los grupos políticos no oficialistas… de un pueblo indolente y pusilánime que al parecer se merece que la clase política (nacional e internacional) se burle de él en su propia cara.

The surprise of the publications of the cables this week did not cause a pleasant confirmation of something we already knew, but rather a deep indignation at the reaction/no reaction from the people, civil organizations, opposition political groups … of a country indolent and coward who apparently deserves that the political class (national and international) make fun of it in its face.

Dean Cornito, in his blog La Suiza Centroamericana [es], says:

Los cables diplomáticos pueden contener información interesante, pero hasta ahora lo que hemos visto son, efectivamente, chismes diplomáticos y nada que nos sorprenda ni nos deba causar indignación.

The diplomatic cables may contain interesting information, but so far what we have seen is, indeed, diplomatic gossip and nothing that should cause surprise or outrage us.

Xinia Ch delivered a summary of the main topics revealed in the cables so far in her blog Con derecho al abucheo [es]. She concludes that,

Aunque muchos de los cables confirmen “lo que ya sabíamos” y aunque ejerzamos nuestro sagrado derecho a la chota y al “basureo”, sí es importante que en algún momento saquemos algunas conclusiones acerca de lo que queremos y no queremos a futuro, principalmente con lo que a elección de nuevos líderes políticos se refiere.

Although many of the cables confirm ”what we already knew” and although we exercise our sacred right to criticize and ”mock”, it is important that at some point we draw some conclusions about what we want and don’t want in the future, mainly with what the election of new political leaders is concerned.

Julio Córdoba appeals for the publication of cables as a sign of transparency in his blog Ciencia Ficción [es]:

Los cables que wikileaks han compartido al mundo representan la forma en que Estados Unidos mira sus intereses (porque ningún país tiene amigos ni enemigos). A diferencia de quienes consideran negativo que estos contenidos se compartan soy de la idea que ningún Estado debe tener secretos por una sencilla razón: los secretos pertenecen a las personas.

The cables that Wikileaks have shared with the world represent the way that the United States looks at its interests (because no country has friends or enemies). Unlike those who consider the disclosure of these contents as something negative, I think that no State should have secrets for one simple reason: the secrets belong to the people.

As a result of the release of the cables, and as an effort to maintain transparency and make sure the information they contain reaches as many readers as possible, a group of Costa Ricans is using a website [es] to upload cables translated into Spanish. This is their motivation:

¿Por qué traducimos? La filtración de cables de Wikileaks es un ejercicio de transparencia. La información que se difunde en esos cables debe servir para alertarnos sobre la influencia y en algunos casos, intromisión de gobiernos extranjeros en las decisiones internas del país. Traducir esos cables es un ejercicio de democracia y defensa de la soberanía. Difundir en nuestro idioma la información que filtra Wikileaks es ejercer nuestro derecho al libre acceso a la información y documentar para la memoria histórica.

Why translate? The cable leak by Wikileaks is an exercise in transparency. The information published in these cables should serve to warn us about the influence and in some cases, foreign government interference in the internal decisions of the country. To translate these cables is an exercise in democracy and defense of sovereignty. To share in our language the information that Wikileaks filters is an exercise of our right to free access to information and to document for historical memory.

On Twitter, discussions and opinions regarding the cables can be followed by searching the hashtag #Wikileakscr [es].

This post is part of our special coverage WikiLeaks and the World.

Costa Rica: Congress Approves US Military Presence to Battle Drug Trafficking

Jenny Cascante Gonzalez — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 22:42:28 +0000

Strong reactions have been spread among Costa Rican blogs and social networks because of a controversial decision that the Congress availed last week. Under the premise of counteracting drug trafficking, the Costa Rican government has endorsed the arrival of a North American fleet to its shores. According to the announcement [es], the fleet could contain 7,000 soldiers, 46 warships, 200 artillery helicopters and some modern combat airplanes, all of them properly tested during the Gulf War.

Cristian Cambronero quotes an excerpt of the released statement and comments on it in his blog Fusil de Chispas [es]

“El personal de los Estados Unidos en Costa Rica podrá disfrutar de libertad de movimiento y el derecho de realizar las actividades que considere necesarias en el desempeño de su misión”… ¡¿Cómo?! ¿Cómo [...] pasó esto? ¿Las actividades “que considere necesarias”? ¿A criterio de quién?

“US troops in Costa Rica will have the freedom to move about and the right to perform the needed activities to accomplish their mission” … What? How did this happen? The activities “they consider necessary?” under whose criteria?

He adds,

¿Eso es lo que quiere Costa Rica? ¿Es el camino que decidimos? El mismo que adoptó México, el de la militarización y el choque armado. Desde 2006, esa estrategia fallida ha costado la vida de unas 20mil personas, mil policías o soldados, 59 periodistas. Justo esta semana se supo que el 95% de esas muertes, ¡ni siquiera se investigan!

Is this what Costa Rica wants? Is it the path we have chosen? The same model adopted by Mexico, militarization and armed confrontation. A failed strategy that since 2006 has resulted in more than 20 thousand deceased people, one thousand police or soldiers, 59 journalists. This week it was published that 95% of these deaths are not even investigated.

Alfonso Palacios of Kaos en la red [es] questions the real interests behind the authorization:

Porque lo que es Costa Rica, Panamá y Colombia están rendidas ante los intereses norteamericanos en muchos aspectos. Y ello es parte de una estrategia geopolítica y militar claramente observable. Somos los tres países el ombligo de América. Además, y ya habían tomado otras medidas militares, como la reactivación de la flota que ahora circula por aguas internacionales alrededor de América Latina.

Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia are at the mercy of North American interests in many aspects. This is part of a geopolitical and military strategy clearly noticed. The three countries are at the core of America. Besides, they have taken in the past other similar military measures, like the reactivation of the navy that now circulates on international waters around Latin America.

Sathyr [es] wrote on his blog Cienpies [es]:

Nuestro país no es base militar de ningún país!!

Empezando por que no tenemos una propia, para que vamos a tener de otros países. (…) Esto es para mí una “invasión legal” por parte del gobierno de Estados Unidos.

Our country is not the military base of any country!!

For starters, we don’t have one of our own, why would we need a foreign one? (…) Personally, this is like a “legal invasion” by the Government of the United States.

As explained on Wikipedia: Costa Rica “constitutionally abolished its army permanently in 1949.”

The blog Conejitos Suicidas published a post questioning [es] these reactions:

He leído comentarios de gente que afirma que con la ayuda militar de los gringos, nuestro país se convertirá en el patio trasero de los yankis…yo les pregunto a estas personas si desean que entonces Costa Rica se convierta en el patio trasero de los carteles internacionales del narco, que de por si, ya nos tienen sitiados.

I've read comments from people that affirm that with the military help from the United States, our country will become the backyard of the yankees…I ask these people then if they want Costa Rica to become the backyard of the international drug cartels, which already have us besieged.

He goes on to say,

Mucho nos hemos quejado los ticos de la inseguridad en nuestro país, en la campaña pasada, fue uno de los temas clave. Con esta ayuda de los Estados Unidos, en algo se viene a ayudara paliar el problema y aun así más de uno se pone en varas. Despertemos, seamos realistas, nuestro país no está en capacidad de combatir el poderío de los grandes carteles de la droga; si otros vienen a poner el equipo y a exponer sus vidas en esta carajada, dejémoslos!

Y para terminar, a los opositores, más allá de mandarme a comer mierda por dar mi opinión, les invito a contestar la siguiente interrogante: Si mandamos al carajo a los gringos que vienen a ayudarnos a combatir el narco ¿qué soluciones proponen?

We have complaied a lot about the insecurity in our country, in the last campaign, it was one of the key issues. With this help from the United States, in some way it comes to aid in the problem and even then people reject it. Let's wake up, let's be realistic, our country is not capable of combating the power of the big drug cartels; if others come to provide their equipment and expose their lives for this, let's let them!

And to finish, to those who oppose this, more than telling me off for giving my opinion, I invite you to answer the following question: If we send the gringos home who come to help us combat drug trafficking, what solutions do you propose?

As he requested, many users responded to the blog post, like user Anonimo [es] who wrote:

Me parece muy acertado el punto de vista y lo comparto al 100%.

De verdad que los opositores a la medida y a la ayuda piensan que podemos contra el Narco, y eso no es cierto. Si no dejamos que nos ayuden Ciudad Juarez va a ser un parque de diversiones comparado a nuestro país donde la policia no podrá contra ese flagelo. Y no tenemos ejercito asi que mejor dejemos que ayuden porque sino la población honesta e indefensa es la que va a sufrir.

This point of view seems very accurate and I agree 100%.

Indeed, those who oppose the measure and the aid believe that we can fight against drug trafficking ourselves, and that's not true. If we do not allow them to help us Ciudad Juarez is going to be an amusement park compared to our country where the police cannot combat this scourge. And we don't have an army so we better let them help or else it is the honest and helpless people who are going to suffer.

Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla (@Laura_Ch) [es] twitted a message regarding the general disapproval:

No admitiremos la militarización de la lucha anti drogas. Minist. Tijerino y Comisionado Anti drogas aclarará lo del permiso legislativo.

We will not accept the militarization of the anti drug battle. Tijerino, Minister and Anti Drugs Commissioner, will clarify the legislative permit.

Twitter users reponded to this Tweet by the president:

@sabross:

@laura_ch necesitamos combatir el narcotrafico y las leyes no ayudan , aceptemos la ayuda!!!

@laura_ch we need to fight drug trafficking and laws don't help, let's accept the help [from the United States]!!!

@iViS666:

@Laura_Ch pues haga algo! Yo no tengo que ver caminar x mi país soldados de otras naciones con permiso p hacer lo q quieran.

@Laura_Ch then do something! I don't have to see soldiers from other nations walking in my country with the permission to do whatever they want.

@JuanLuisNY:

@Laura_Ch Dona Laura muchos costarricenses si estamos felices de la presencia del rmy para ayudar a combatir el narcotrafico.

@Laura_Ch Mrs. Laura many Costa Ricans are happy about the presence of the [US] army to help us fight drug trafficking.

A petition against the measure circulates on social networks [es], as well as an appeal on the grounds of unconstitutionality presented by citizen Yeudy Blanco [es]. There is also a Facebook group [es] rejecting the militarization of Costa Rica.

Thumbnail image by Flickr user #PACOM, used under a Creative Commons license.

Costa Rica: Appetite-Enticing Culinary Blogs

Jenny Cascante Gonzalez — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 23:47:06 +0000

Costa Rican bloggers are successfully exploring their culinary skills in an attractive variety of blogs, complete with recipes and pictures. These healthy, sweet, typical, and experimental dishes capture the attention and enticing the appetite of the blogs’ readers. The bloggers range from amateur chefs to simply people passionate about food, whose aim is not only to present the recipes, but to encourage readers to start experiencing fun through cooking.

Italian octopus stew by Mariana Flores (Food Junky) and used with permission.

Food Junky [es] is the culinary blog of Mariana Flores. The name of the blog suggests food addiction, which is not difficult to imagine, because of the delicious presentation of her finished dishes. As a real fan of cooking, her list of categories on her blog is as long as the variety of dishes which are featured, and of which the preparation is far from complicated.

Flores’ love for cooking is one of the reasons why she started publishing recipes as her blog’s first post states quite clearly [es]:

Yo sé que hay millones de blogs de gente que cocina y comparte recetas, y fotos, y tips y de todo, pero ninguno es mío.

I know that there are millions of culinary blogs that share recipes, photos, tips and everything, but none of them are mine.

Pork in mango and tamarind sauce by Mariana Flores (Food Junky) and used with permission.

Food Junky can be followed on twitter (@food_junky).

Manos en la Masa [es] (Hands in the Dough) is a collective blog that has been publishing since 2007. Lena, Adriana, Liz, and Jules have been sharing their live experiences with tasty recipes, the proper use of organic ingredients, healthy recommendations, and even a bit of humor. The authors are enthusiastic sponsors of experimental creative cooking and that is well reflected in the way their recipes are written [es]:

Seguimos utilizando la berenjena como sustituto de la pasta de trigo. Colocamos una capa de berenjena encima del queso, y volvemos a empezar: tomate, queso y más berenjena. Coronamos con una leve capa de tomate y un par de dientes de ajo crudos picados bien finitos. Como la receta no lleva mucho aderezo, esto le ayudará a crear un contraste maravilloso, créame.

We continue using eggplant as a substitute for wheat pasta. Place a layer of eggplant on top of the cheese and then we begin again: tomato, cheese, and more eggplant. Top it off with a light layer of tomato and fine chopped raw garlic. This recipe does not contain much dressing, which will create a wonderful contrast; trust me.

Emblematic regional dishes are also part of this initiative. In his blog Cocina Costarricense [es] (Costa Rican Kitchen), Luis Gonzalez explores his preference for home cooking: typical Costa Rican food. The recipes and cooking advice that have been kept in the hearts for generations are now within reach of anybody thanks to Luis’ passion. The blog header delivers a description of what his site is about:

En Costa Rica la gastronomía es herencia y resultado del cruce de razas. La auténtica cocina costarricense se hace en cocinas de leña (fogón) y al lado de hojas de plátano. Recetas que intento rescatar y dejar plasmadas en este blog.

In Costa Rica, gastronomy comes by heritage and as a result of miscegenation. The authentic Costa Rican cuisine is made in wood stoves and next to plantain leaves. These recipes I try to recover and display in this blog.

Costa Rica: Blogger Awarded National Culture Award for Journalism

Jenny Cascante Gonzalez — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:11:29 +0000

Alternative media is taking important steps in Costa Rica. The Pío Viquez National Award for Journalism was granted this year to Cristian Cambronero for his achievements in alternative journalism. Cristian has been publishing in his blog Fusil de Chispas [es] since 2005 encouraging the participation of readers on topics from politics and social media, to culture and music among others. He also had actively participated and promoted activities such as the First International Encounter of Citizen Journalism [es] and similar initiatives, which its main objective is the enhancement of technology with traditional broadcast.

Photo of Cristian Cambronero and used with permission.

The National Culture Awards [es] have been celebrated since 1961 by the Ministry of Culture. They look to recognize the efforts and accomplishments that people, groups and organizations make in Art, Science, Popular Traditional Culture and Journalism. This is the first time that digital media has been taken into account as part of the nominations.

The good news was quickly spread through social networks and twitter. Some bloggers were inspired by the announcement of a colleague receiving such an important honor. Alberto González points out in his blog Por Escrito [es]:

Internet ha venido sacudiendo los cimientos de los medios de comunicación tradicionales desde su incepción, y a través del periodismo del Fusil podemos ver los signos de ese cambio inexorable: Un periodismo participativo, subjetivo.

Internet has been shaking the foundations of traditional communication media and through Fusil's journalism we can observe this relentless change: a participative, subjective journalism.

Luis Diego Molina writes on Habla Costa Rica [es]:

Esto recalca la importancia que la web y los medios ciudadanos están alcanzando en nuestro país y en la formación de una opinión pública más democrática.

It makes an statement on the importance that the web and citizen media are having in our country and in the formation of a more democratic public opinion.

Julia Ardón expresses her feelings towards the announcement [es]:

Su blog ha sido una de las más frescas contribuciones al ambiente de la comunicación en Costa Rica. Un trabajo, donde, como él mismo lo dice “La Pasión va primero”

His blog has been one of the more refreshing contributions to the environment of communication that Costa Rica has had. A piece of work where, as he says, passion comes first.

Cristian leaves a thankful note in his blog Fusil de Chispas [es]:

De momento lo realmente claro es que la naturaleza misma de un blog lo haría perder su esencia si fuera unidireccional. Es la participación lo que ha hecho que el Fusil funcione, y sirva para algo. El más honesto agradecimiento para todos los que pasan por aquí.

Right now, it is really clear that a blog's nature could lose its essence if it only works unidirectionally. Participation is what makes the Fusil valuable and functional. My honest gratitude to everyone that stops by here.

Costa Rica: Web 2.0 on a Sunday Morning

Jenny Cascante Gonzalez — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:35:38 +0000

Costa Rican bloggers, twitter users and other internet enthusiasts enjoyed their own first DELM on August 30, 2009. DELM stands for Domingo En La Mañana (Sunday Morning) and has been taking place in various Latin American cities such as Santiago, Chile, Barranquilla, Colombia, and Guanajuato, Mexico. These meetings are held, just as its name states, on Sunday mornings, but can take place at a café, park or even at someone's house in order to share knowledge and experience.

Photo by María José Lerena and used with permission.

David Alfaro had the opportunity of attend and participate in the meet up. He shares some of his personal thoughts related to the range of the different types of social networks in his blog Tiquicia Sublime [es]:

Las diferentes tecnologías de medios sociales tienen diferentes grados de inmediatez y de sostenibilidad de conversaciones.

Inmediatez: Me refiero a la facilidad de acceder a medio cuando ocurre el impulso expresivo, la rapidez de publicación y la rapidez de recepción. Una alta inmediatez permite una alta virulencia.

Sostenibilidad: Me refiero a la longitud de una interlocución, cuántas idas y vueltas conversacionales con alguien es realística y cómodamente tener.

The different technologies applied to the social networks have diverse degrees of immediate response and sustainability of the conversation.

Immediate: I refer to the facility of access that a person possesses when the expressive impulse occurs, the promptness of publication, and the velocity of reception. A high-degree of immediacy allows for a quick expansion.

Sustainability: I refer to the length of a dialogue, how many conversational comings and goings with somebody are realistic and yet comfortable to have.

Moreover, Alfaro stresses some important differences [es] between Twitter and Blogs:

Twitter tiene una enorme inmediatez, a pesar de su sistema de replies, Twitter una baja sostenibilidad de conversación, esto es debido a su falta de hilos de conversación y grupos.

Por otra parte los Blogs tienen una inmediatez bajísima, pero una sostenibilidad altísima pues permite al autor construir un tópico, crear su posición e iniciar una discusión, hasta en hilos si quiere.

Twitter possesses a huge promptness, despite its replies system. Twitter experiences a low support of sustainable conversations because of the lack of conversational strings.

On the other hand, a Blog has a low promptness but a higher conversational sustainability because it allows the developing of a topic and discussion if desired.

Reiner Sibaja, author of Hoy en Costa Rica [es] delivers a detailed summary of the activity, as well as some pictures. On the discussion held regarding new media in Costa Rica (blogs, twitter, podcasts, & live streaming), he writes:

Para concluir el tema de los streamings, quedó muy claro que todos podemos tener un streaming siempre y cuando le pongamos cariño pero sobre todo esfuerzo en el contenido que presentaremos a nuestros “viewers”.

To wrap up with the topic of live streaming, it was clear that anybody can produce a live streaming as long as it held carefully and with some effort on the content that is going to be delivered to the viewers.

Also, he writes about the participation of the international guest [es]:

Christian Van Der Henst – @cvander – fundador de proyectos como Maestrosdelweb.com y Forosdelweb.com hizo su participación desde Argentina vía Skype. El compartió una perspectiva a nivel latinoamericano del fenomeno social que esta pasando la web en estos momentos.

Christian Van Der Henst – @cvander – founder of projects like Maestrosdelweb.com and Forosdelweb.com participated via Skype from Argentina to share a Latin American perspective of the social phenomena that the web is going through nowadays.

Feedback and reoccurring meetings are part of the next challenges that the DELM organizers and participants will be facing in order to offer continuity to the project. DELM was widely commented in Twitter under the hashtag #DELM, which is surely helpful to not only gather opinions, but updates on coming gatherings.

Costa Rica: Chairs, Posters, and Lamps on Exhibit

Jenny Cascante Gonzalez — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:32:40 +0000

A curious collection of chairs, posters, and lamps are currently on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design [es] in San José, Costa Rica. The 300 pieces of Spanish artwork are distributed equally in quantity, and contains works from some of the biggest names in European Art History with pieces of some of the most distinguished Spanish artists and designers such as Picasso, Gaudí, Miró, Dalí, Tusquets, Mariscal, Moneo and Hayón among others. This traveling exhibit called “300% Spanish Design” has caught the attention of Costa Rican bloggers.

Dario Alvarez delivers a description of the exhibit in his blog Arquitecturas [es]:

España exporta su valor artístico en decoración. Las piezas más selectas y representativas del diseño español de los últimos 100 años se exhiben en Costa Rica cuando la muestra ‘300% Spanish Design’ abra sus puertas en el Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo (MADC) de este país.

Spain decoratively exports its artistic value. The most selective and representative pieces of Spanish Design in the last 100 years will be on exhibit in Costa Rica when the 300% Spanish Design exposition starts in the Museum of Art and Contemporary Design (MADC).

On the other hand, Jose Pablo and Manuel of Sorry Zorrito [es] are more inquisitive about the exhibition:

¿Por qué sillas, lámparas y carteles?

Debe de ser muy difícil exponer el arte y el diseño de un país tan rico en ambos campos utilizando solo 3 objetos, es por eso que esta exposición decide tratar con elementos cotidianos y humildes que ayudan a las personas día a día con sus quehaceres. Según Juli Capella son objetos que logran reivindicarse con un uso humanista y social del diseño al servicio de la persona.

Why chairs, lamps and posters?

It must be really difficult to present the art and design of such a rich country in both fields by only using those 3 objects, the exposition decided to deal with the common items that help people to cope with their daily routine. According to Juli Capella (the curator), these objects manage to achieve reinvindication with its humanistic and social use of design in service to the individual.

The exhibition had previously visited Saitama, Lisbon, Athens, Shanghai, Beijing, Fortaleza, Sao Paulo and Bogotá. Its next destination will be Mexico in August.

In Costa Rica, the exhibits will be presented in all of the rooms of the museum and will last until July 12. One of the sponsors, The State Society for Action in External Culture (SEACEX for its initials in Spanish) offers a virtual tour with pictures and description of all items. In addition, the Museum can be followed on Twitter.

Costa Rica: Creativity Through Collectivity

Jenny Cascante Gonzalez — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:26:07 +0000

Like a delicious recipe, artistic, musical and visual talents are placed together as ingredients in a functional and creative tendency: collectives. Across Costa Rica, many creative groups and collectives are using social media to showcase their work and connect with like-minded enthusiasts. These are some examples of collectives in the fields of film, music, and the visual arts.

Filmic productions

Experimental filmic productions are constantly being showcased by projects by young up and coming filmmakers. Bisonte Producciones [es] shares many of their works on their YouTube channel. As it states on its website, the fostering of a mission has become important for the members of the Collective:

Experimentar de una manera creativa y profesional a travez de la utilización de diferentes herramientas del lenguaje audiovisual, propuestas que representen e identifiquen nuestra realidad socio cultural; y a su vez incentivar la creación de espacios para difusión, discusión y reflexión del cine en Costa Rica

A creative, yet professional experimentation through the utilization of different audiovisual language tools for projects that represent and identify our social-cultural reality; as well as to give an incentive to the creation of spaces for the diffusion, discussion and reflection of Costa Rican motion picture industry.

Another blooming community is Chop Chop Producciones [es]. Their goals are determined and developed by the participation of the members . As expressed on their blog:

Somos un taller audiovisual, una escuela donde experimentar es un medio y se produce para aprender.

We are an audiovisual workshop, a school that promotes experimentation as a way and where production leads to learning.

Chop Chop can be found on their YouTube channel and they can be followed through their Twitter account.

Photography and Literature

Colectivo Nómada [es] assembles images and words to complement one another. It is conformed by visual and literary communicators that aspire to explore the range of photography as an expression instrument. A description of the collective can be found on its website [es] and contains information about how the members of the Collective see their mission and goals:

¿Qué es Nómada?

Nómada es un colectivo integrado por Fotógrafos, se origina de la necesidad de crear historias que traspasaran el ámbito común de la fotografía. Desarrollando un vínculo entre la obra de autor y la fotografía con contenido social.

What is Nómada?

Nómada is a collective comprised of photographers, originating from the necessity of creating stories that go beyond the ordinary scope of photography. Nómada develops a bond between the author’s work and the photography with social content.

Photo by Adrián Arias and used with permission

Besides its blog [es] where short descriptive narratives accompany some of the photos, Nómada manages a photo-essay section [es].

Music and Art

Electro-acoustic musical productions are the focus of Oscilador [es], whose aim is to bring about reactions from the audience. Their website includes a description of what the collective is all about [es]:

Oscilador tiene como objetivo la integración de una comunidad electroacústica en torno a la producción electroacústica en Costa Rica. Trata de ser incluyente más que dirigir su atención a un género específico de música creada a partir de la tecnología.

Oscilador's main objective is to integrate the electro-acoustic community with electro-acoustic productions in Costa Rica. To attempt to include instead of directing one's attention to a specific genre of music created by technology.

Another musical collective is NoisNois [es], which works with the union of visual-audio expressions with other creative arts. As stated on its website, this Collective seeks participation and propagation of interdisciplinary collaborations. The main idea behind NoisNois, apart from serving as a platform for the diffusion and distribution of the collective’s artistic work, is to interact with others interested in their work. They share information on their Twitter account.

Comics and humor

People skilled in graphic design, especially cartoonists and comic book artists also participate in collectives to share common interests and their work. One good example of this is Colectivo de Comics [es], whose members are constantly looking for ways to improve upon and interact with others through the use of art. Some of their works can be seen on their website [es].

Costa Rican collectives have been growing and encouraging all kind of artists to group and combine their individual talents into a whole new and attractive groupings. By working together on projects, the results are as interesting as diverse.

Costa Rica: Citizen Journalism Has Yet To Reach Its Full Potential

Jenny Cascante Gonzalez — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:09:19 +0000

From local bloggers to professional journalists to those that simply follow the media, everybody is waiting for the The First International Encounter of Citizen Journalism sponsored by Periodismo Ciudadano [es] and the Department of Collective Communication Studies at the Costa Rican University. The event will take place in San José on November 17th. Despite the fact that a considerable percentage of Costa Ricans have access to internet and related communication tools, citizen journalism is still not being developed at its highest and most desirable level.

Cristian Cambronero offers a quick description of the event in his site Fusil de Chispas [es]:

Entre los participantes como panelistas, habrá periodistas, bloggers, investigadores sociales y por supuesto: periodistas ciudadanos que han puesto en marcha emprendedores proyectos en línea. La asistencia estará limitada a 100 participantes, no se cobrará nada, pero las inscripciones estarán sujetas a aprobación.

Amongt the panel participants, there will be professional journalists, bloggers, social investigators and of course: citizen journalists that have been working on online projects of their own. Attendance is limited to 100 participants, there is no cost, but the registrations are subject to approval.

The official site of the event shows a complete view of the activities, with the event's objectives and other important details. According to Manuel Maqueda at Periodismo Ciudadano [es]:

La información ha dejado de ser vertical y está adoptando un modelo conversacional a escala global, con efectos inmediatos sobre la inteligencia colectiva, la formación de opinión, la libertad de información, la transparencia democrática y la participación popular en el devenir social y político.

The information is no longer vertical and it is adopting a conversational model on a global scale, and the immediate effects will be reflected on the collective intelligence, the shaping of opinions, the freedom of information, democratic transparency, and popular participation on social and political matters.

The site also offers a video-invitation with Maqueda, one of the organizers, who said:

El primer evento se celebrará el domingo 16 de noviembre en el Cuartel de la Boca del Monte en San José. Lo hemos denominado Red y Cervezas 2.0 y como el nombre sugiere es un encuentro informal para conocerse para intercambiar ideas y para establecer relación con otras personas. El día siguiente, lunes 17 de noviembre es el Primer Encuentro Internacional de Periodismo Ciudadano en Costa Rica. Es una agenda muy interesante e intensa llena de ponencias y debates.

The first celebration will be on November the 16th. We are calling it Networks and Beers 2.0 and as the name suggests, it is an informal encounter to meet one another and exchange ideas by establishing connection with other people. The next day, on November the 17th is the First International Gathering of Citizen Journalism in Costa Rica. The agenda is really interesting and intense, full of debates and experiences.

Although journalism is still primarily considered a trained profession, there are other alternative activities that can be powered using citizen journalism principles. Journalist and professor Gabriela Mayorga points out her plans and thoughts regarding education and Citizen Journalism on her blog Lo Imaginado [es]:

Tengo planeado un curso de extensión docente en la UCR (Universidad de Costa Rica) para facilitar a profesores el uso de algunas herramientas web para sus lecciones.

I am planning an extension course at the UCR (Universidad de Costa Rica) for professors to promote the use of some web tools for use in their lessons.

Gabriela also makes a little research on Citizen Journalism and finds some good examples on how news coverage can be reached by any one.

Los profesores también están pensando en cómo utilizar los dispositivos móviles que los estudiantes ya llevan con ellos -uso del celular para grabar el audio, o uso de la función de vídeo de una cámara fotográfica digital.

Teachers are also thinking about the utilization of mobile gadgets that students are already carrying with them –cellphones for audio recording, or using the video function of a digital camera.

Modern citizen journalism evokes the engagement of traditional media with networking investigation, which surely may improve, not only the processing of information, but material distribution. By including members of the community through feedback through communication, expectations will grow, but knowledge will also be enriched.

Costa Rica: National Films Gain Positive Reviews

Jenny Cascante Gonzalez — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 22:36:32 +0000

An interesting, yet important storm of audiovisual productions is shaking Costa Rica’s attentive eager audience this year. Costa Rican bloggers provide their thoughts to the new cinematic offerings.

Miguel Gomez and his film El Cielo Rojo (The Red Sky) debuted at the beginning of August getting favorable reviews from experts and general viewers. Cristian Cambronero of Fusil de Chispas [es] delivers a short, yet detailed review of the premiere of El Cielo Rojo on his blog:

Miguel escribió varios diálogos brillantes, absolutamente creíbles para nosotros, su público meta, los espectadores costarricenses. Yo, y estoy seguro que le pasará a muchísimos de quienes la vean, me reconocí a los 17 años en muchas secuencias, y mi mamá, y a mi abuela, y a las vecinas.

Miguel wrote a brilliant script, absolutely believable for us, his target audience, the Costa Rican viewers. I (for the many others that will see the film) recognized myself at 17 years old in some scenes, and I also recognized my mother, my grandmother and some of my neighbors.

Trailer of El Cielo Rojo

Another director, Isthar Yashin recently contributed to the national cinema with El Camino (The Road) which received important awards and recognition in foreign Film Festivals. Inspired by El Camino’s intended message searching, Sergio Pacheco from La foto salió movida [es] writes:

Siempre me he reconocido migrante en mi propio país. Nací fuera de la capital y desde hace diez años estoy en la urbe (si a San José se le puede catalogar de tal forma). Muchos nos movemos dentro de nuestro país, entre países, entre mundos, entre el mundo, y el común denominador de ese movimiento es la búsqueda. El resultado es para todos diferente y para mí nunca estarán en el paralelo ganar- perder, si no en el de sobrevivir, que es un fluir.

I’ve always felt like a migrant in my own land. I was born in the countryside and ever since ten years ago, I live in this large city (if we can call San Jose as one). Many of us move around inside our country, between countries, between worlds, among the world and the common denominator of this movement is the search. The result is different for all, and for me it will never be about winning-losing, but about surviving, which is always in movement.

Trailer of El Camino

Both Gomez and Yashin, intend to portray cultural and precise characteristics that may be considered as part of the distinct innermost nature not only of Costa Ricans, but all habitants of Central America.

The party is not over. Last week Bisonte Producciones offered a warm invitation in the form of a Two-Day Film Festival that exhibits different short films produced in its majority by students and amateurs whose lives, imagination, and reality have been seduced entirely by the audiovisual production. Latin America has always fostered the development of artistic expressions that expose one of the richest cultures regarding way of thinking, feeling and doing. Without a doubt, this is just the beginning.