Global Voices » Juliana Rincón Parra

Mexico: A Photographic Glimpse into Midwifery Around the World

Juliana Rincón Parra — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 16:35:30 +0000

Intercultural Midwifery is the topic of this Offbeat Mama guest photo blog post by Brooklyn based photographer Alice Proujansky. While five months pregnant she traveled to photograph a cultural knowledge exchange in Quintana Roo where students from the only government- accredited program in midwifery went to study with Mayan traditional midwives from rural area.

The traditional midwives shared their knowledge on practices common to them such as uterine massage while learning from the students how they could handle birth emergencies.

Alice Proujansky Image from her Birth series

As Alice Proujansky describes on her website where a slideshow of photographs from this trip can be found:

This cultural exchange integrated best practices from indigenous healthcare rooted in traditional, isolated, impoverished regions with professionalized, evidence-based maternity care, and is part of a trend toward embracing midwifery in Mexico.

From her blog post CASA Midwifery Students on a Journey:

After preparing their public health presentations – including hand-sewn model pelvises, breasts and amniotic sacs – the students from CASA midwifery school boarded a run-down bus, ate American cheese and hot pepper sandwiches, and rode 32 hours from their school in San Miguel de Allende to the small city of José Maria Morelos in the Southern state of Quintana Roo. There all 40 students slept on the floor of a classroom at the Universidad Intercultural Maya and gave presentations to local traditional Mayan midwives about prenatal resuscitation, post-partum hemorrhage and other topics. The traditional midwives, who had learned from relatives and practiced for many years, taught the students about home births in hammocks, herbal medicines, and their own approaches to obstetric emergencies and prenatal care.

Also on Ms. Proujansky's website are other documentary series on maternity such as Delivery, where photographs show the conditions in a Dominican Republic maternity ward, and Lagos Midwives on how Nigerian midwives provide much needed and welcomed care through a free clinic run by Doctors Without Borders.

Here's an audio slideshow with color images of Lagos Midwives that also includes audio from interviews with midwives in the clinic:

Anniversary Interview with Occupy Wall Street Movement Activist

Juliana Rincón Parra — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:19:33 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage #Occupy Worldwide.

David DeGraw, one of the early participants of the 99% movement has explained about the birth and development of the Occupy Wall Street protest in a one year anniversary video (the first interview he has given in six months).

Interviewed by Cenk Uygur for the TV program ‘The Young Turks', he touches on the emergence of the movement, the organization's pitfalls, how hard it was to unify such a diverse group people, the expectations to have him become a spokesperson of a leaderless organization, and also the triumphs of the movement.

As quoted by AmpedStatus.org, the 99% media outlet was what opened a new generation's eyes to see that they could make a change:

This is about empowering a new generation to be leaders, to be engaged. [...] We have millions of people engaged in creating change that were not engaged and creating change a year ago. [...] Occupy globally is the big bang of humanity’s next phase of evolution. It created this wild new ecosystem of mass transformation. Millions of people turned on, let out of the propaganda cage. The first step is that you have to open the prison door so people can come flying out and realize that we can change things. You say another world is possible. Now, another world is happening.

For the future, there is the need to get money to fund the movement, but DeGraw is quite closed about what the next big step will be. On his tumblr blog, he speaks about the evolution of the movement and where it should be going in the future:

It’s time to flip the protest script »

Instead of protesting what we are against, let’s rally around what we are for.

We need to occupy & amplify the solutions. Let’s occupy the forces that are evolving our society to a sustainable and prosperous future, for the 100%.

Let’s hold rallies around successful alternative monetary systems, alternative energy, alternative education, alternative media, alternative food, alternative healthcare, alternative systems of governance.

This post is part of our special coverage #Occupy Worldwide.

Video: San Cristobal Volcano Eruption in Northern Nicaragua

Juliana Rincón Parra — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 00:44:23 +0000

YouTube's Citizentube has a playlist of user submitted videos showing the dramatic volcanic eruptions of September 8, 2012, in Nicaragua. The San Cristobal volcano, the tallest in this Central American country, erupted at 9:02 am on Saturday, releasing steam and ash and causing authorities to evacuate more than 3000 people from Chinandega.

This video shows the ash column rising while those recording wonder about protocols, if they should be evacuating the area:

In this next one, the ash column is also seen growing in the neighboring town of Chichigalpa:

In the following one, in minute 1:09 a new burst of steam and ash erupt from the volcano, causing the person recording the video to comment that he had never seen the volcano erupt with such strength:

The San Cristobal Volcano erupted at 9am on September 8, 2012 in Nicaragua. Image by Ricci Rich Silva via Twitpic.

Costa Rica Shaken by 7.6-Magnitude Earthquake

Juliana Rincón Parra — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 15:51:52 +0000

Costa Ricans immediately tweeted about the 7.6 (Mercalli) earthquake that shook the country at 8:42 am on September 5, 2012. The quake, with an epicenter in the Guanacaste area, was felt strongly in nearby Liberia and also in San Jose.

Twitter users are also reporting that the earthquake was quite long. Citizens are using the hashtags #temblorcr and #terremotocr.

As Ariel Arburola (@arielarburola) [es] tweeted:

@arielarburola: Casi corro pero me dió tiempo de poner #temblorcr

@arielarburola: I almost ran but I still had time to write #temblorcr

Some damage reports are coming in, even through Twitter. Sergio Pacheco (@lafoto) [es] posted about damage to his sister's house in Montezuma, close to the epicenter:

@lafoto: la casa de mi hermana en Montezuma en Guanacaste con el piso levantado #temblorcr

@lafoto: The floor in my sister's house in Montezuma Guanacaste is lifted up #temblorcr

Some mobile networks are down, as Cristian Cambronero (@cambronero) [es] reports:

@cambronero: Caída la red de Movistar, el ICE funciona parcialmente #terremotocr

@cambronero: Movistar network is down, ICE [Costa Rican Institute of Electricity] works partially #terremotocr

Fabián Calvo (@FabianCalvo) [es] replied:

@FabianCalvo: @cambronero Acá por el contrario, yo tengo Movistar y puedo llamar a Claro y a líneas fijas del ICE, a los celulares Kolbi no puedo del todo

@FabianCalvo: @cambronero Here quite the opposite, I have Movistar and can call Claro and landlines of the ICE, Kolbi mobile phones I can't reach at all

The OVSICORI (Sismological Organization of Costa Rica) has reported that the coast of the Nicoya Peninsula might rise a meter due to the earthquake, as El Periódico of Costa Rica (@elperiodicocr.com) [es] reports:

@elperiodicocr.com: Terromoto levantó la Penínzula [sic] de Nicoya en por lo menos un metros, dice Marino Protti, del OVSICORI.

@elperiodicocr.com: Earthquake lifted the Nicoya Peninsula in at least one meter, says Marino Protti, of the OVSICORI.

Live radio signal can be heard through ADNfm radio [es], where people are calling in reports of cut electric service, tile roofs collapsing, and damages, although no dead have been reported yet.

An automatic tsunami alert has been declared in the Pacific Region and Chile as well, but the National Emergency Commission (CNE) has turned it off for the Costa Rican Pacific coast.

On Twitter and through mass media, such as radio ADN.fm, citizens and journalists are recommending that people report themselves through the Internet and social networks such as Twitter.

The nation's president, Laura Chinchilla (@Laura_Ch) [es] headed out to get information from the National Commission for Emergencies:

@Laura_Ch: Ante dificultades en el sistema de telecomunicaciones me dirijo a CNE para recibir informe sobre seismo q sacudió al país.

@Laura_Ch: Due to difficulties in the telecommunications system I am going to the CNE to receive information about the earthquake that shook the country.

Hospital Monseñor Sanabria in Punta Arenas, Costa Rica, after September 5th earthquake. Image by Twitpic user @tapachiche

Colombia: Guerrilla Group's Peace Negotiation Rap Video

Juliana Rincón Parra — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 19:00:56 +0000

The Colombian government has accepted the start of peace talks with the longest lived guerrilla group in Latin America, FARC (Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces), and in response the group has released a musical rap video. [All links lead to Spanish sites unless otherwise stated]

In the video, two revolutionaries wearing Che Guevara shirts accompanied by other guerrilla members playing musical instruments, rap about going to Havana, Cuba, to negotiate with the government, but it will not be surrender or “rendition” . This is the first communication which has been released by FARC since the government's decision to go forth to the dialogue tables in Oslo and then Havana, to discuss the terms for peace.

The video, originally posted on the official FARC website, which has since been blocked, is accessible through the copy that Colombian radio channel La FM has uploaded. Lyrics can be found on the Uruguayan El Observador newspaper digital version, and Venezuelan media has also picked up the story, including a summary of FARC's history.

So far, not much can be found on Colombian mass media. Engolfados.com technology and information website wrote about the video in ‘FARC Video is all the rage on Internet':

La producción guerrillera fue posteada este lunes 3 de septiembre en el sitio web oficial de la guerrilla, justo una semana después de que se conocieran los acercamientos. No aparece en el cabezal de la página, ni en el recuadro superior derecho, donde suelen estar los partes de guerra o los comunicados. Hay que bajar casi hasta la mitad de la pantalla para encontrarlo. Lo titularon: Video por la paz.

The guerrilla's production was posted this Monday, September 3 on the guerrilla group's official website, just a week after the first steps towards peace talks. It doesn't show up on the page's header, nor in the upper righthand corner where the war reports or releases are usually placed. One has to go down almost to the middle of the screen to find it. It was called: Video for peace.

The lyrics from the El Observador Newspaper [es]:

Me voy para La Habana, esta vez a conversar
el burgués que nos buscabano nos pudo derrotar.
Me voy para La Habana, esta vez a conversar
con aquel que me acusaba de mentir sobre la paz.
Me voy para la Habana, supieran con qué emoción
me voy a conversar la suerte de mi nación.
A las FARC no nos vencieron porque hay un pueblo atrás.
Queremos que haya tierras para arar y ser normales.
Que se queden en la patria las riquezas naturales.
Poner freno al capital en su afán explotador.
Nuestros muertos van conmigo y el sentido del honor.
Ponte en pie mi pueblo amigo,
nunca habrá la rendición.

I'm going to Havana, this time to talk.
The bourgeoisie who was looking for us
was unable to defeat us.
I am going to Havana, this time to talk
with that one who acccused me of lying about peace.
I go to Havana, if you only knew my excitement.
I am going to discuss about the future of my nation.
FARC were not defeated because we have people behind us.
We want lands to farm and to be normal.
That the riches of the land stay inside our borders.
Stop the capital [city] in its exploring eagerness.
Our dead go with me and the sense of honor.
Stand up fellow friendly people,
there will never be surrender.

Comments on the video are rushing in. Many of them don't go beyond insults and critiques of the musical style, but others reflect a bit more. Some of those include this one by kamssun [es]:

Ese momento incómodo en el que te das cuenta que los guerrilleros, lejos de ser seres completamente malévolos, como nos los presentan los medios de comunicación, son más bien adolescentes despistados u.u

That uncomfortable moment when you realize that guerrilla members, far from being completely evil beings as the mass media shows them to us, are more like clueless teenagers. u.u

Jap0012 wrote as well [es], in response to violent reactions to the video and peace process:

que esten abriendo caminos para el dialogo demuestra que tienen intensiones [sic] para llegar a la paz, recuerde que esto es una guerra de colombianos contra colombianos y es algo terrible que aun despues de tanto tiempo tengamos tantas ganas de ver sangre.

That paths for dialogue are opening up shows that they have the intention of reaching peace, remember this is a war of Colombians against Colombians and it is terrible that even after all this time we are still so thirsty to see blood.

Kle0sify [es] said:

Es lo único que deberia hacer la guerrilla tratar de transmitir sus pensamientos de forma diferente, no matando,secuestrando,diciendo mentiras así hasta mas de uno acá sería guerrillero

It is the only thing the guerrillas should be doing, trying to transmit their thoughts in different ways, not by killing, kidnapping or telling lies so even people here would become guerrilla members

Colombian guerrillas sing rap inspired by forthcoming peace negotiations. Screencapture from video.

Costa Rica: “Was it My Fault I Was Raped, Because I Went Out at Night?”

Juliana Rincón Parra — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:14:56 +0000

[All links in this post lead to Spanish language sites]

With strength and courage, blogger SophiadelSol of Love Fashion & Vintage [Update September 2012: this blog is no longer publicly accessible.] has written about her recent carjacking, abduction and rape as she was out at night with her boyfriend. In a society that blames the victims for exposing themselves to muggings, theft and anything else that may happen to them, she has bravely stood up for victims and placed the blame on the society that allows these things to happen.

She wrote the post “That happened because you went out at night” as a response to a comment directed at her boyfriend when someone heard about the carjacking: that it happened to him because he went out at night. So she extrapolated: did it mean that it was also her fault she was raped?

She writes about the events that led to her assault, describing how they were taken at gunpoint from their car and forced to undress, and then tied and placed face-down in the middle of a coffee plantation. She writes that she was then taken away to be raped. SophiadelSol describes how she was able to run away, go to her boyfriend and together walk for hours among the coffee plants until they found a road at dawn. Her answer: No. It was not their fault.

Night Sky, Moon, by Ruthanne Reid used under CCBy license.

Entonces no, esto definitivamente no nos paso por salir de noche, ni por estar donde estabamos, no es nuestra culpa, no es culpa de nadie que este tipo de cosas pasen. Pero si es nuestra responsabilidad hacer algo para que dejen de pasar. No basta con andar con más cuidado o armados, la solución es cambiar nuestras leyes, que los jueces, fiscales, policias y agentes de investigación tengan una mano dura. Porque aquí los que hacen y deshacen son los delincuentes. Y nadie hace nada para que esto cambie. El valevergismo es lo que más abunda en Costa Rica. Pero y si fuera yo la hija de alguno de esos jueces? La historia tendría un final bastante diferente.

Then no, this definitely didn't happen to us because we went out at night, nor for being where we were, it isn't our fault, it is nobody's fault that these sort of things happen. But it is our responsibility to do something to stop them from happening again. It is not a matter of being more careful or arming ourselves, the solution is to change our laws, so judges, prosecutors, police and investigation agents have a harder hand. Because here, those who mostly do and undo are the delinquents. And nobody does anything for this to change. The “I don't give a damn” attitude is abundant in Costa Rica. But if I were the daughter of one of those judges? The story would have quite a different ending.

Support for the blogger has come through people sharing the post on Facebook and commenting on her blog.

Daniela López commented congratulating her for being so brave and for being an inspiration, insisting that the country needs more people like her.

Other readers took the opportunity to also tell their story, like Catalina Orozco, who wrote about being abused as a child and dealing with people asking why she never reported the abuse:

Mi papá biológico abusó de mi desde siempre, hasta que quedé embarazada a los 14 años de mi hijo (al cuál amo en términos de infinito). Mi futuro se perfilaba oscuro, pero ‘no me dejé', me aferré a seguir adelante con mi hijo y hoy (después de 9 años) me siento orgullosa de poder decir que si hay algo que me sobra en la vida es luz, felicidad y bienestar.

Menciono lo anterior para enmarcar lo siguiente: nada que me choque más como la constante pregunta de terceros ‘¿y porqué usted no dijo nada?'. ¿Cómo es, fue mi culpa el haber sido abusada porque ‘no dije nada'?

My biological father abused me since forever, until I got pregnant at 14 of my son (whom I love to infinity). My future seemed dark, but I did not let it get to me, I decided to go on with my son and today (after 9 years) I feel proud to say that if there is something I have much of in life is light, happiness and wellbeing.

I mention this to frame the following: nothing was as upsetting as the constant question asked by third parties of ‘why did you not say anything? So, is it my fault I was abused because I didn't ‘say anything'?

Lechuga added her comment, of how reading SophiadelSol's post was like reliving her own experience, with only a couple of changes. She also expressed solidarity in the face of all those who revictimize women and blame them for dressing a certain way, going to bars, drinking, or for trusting in people. Although Lechuga reported the crime, nothing came out of it:

Finalmente, mi proceso judicial fue un fracaso, otra historia o expediente que se suma al montón :( espero que si decidís hacer algo te vaya mil mejor, empoderate mucho frente a los investigadores, fiscales y demás, porque son sumamente machistas. Así que fuerte, valiente, demostrá la gran mujer que sos…

Finally, my judicial process was a failure, another story or file that gets piled up with the rest :( I hope that if you decide to press charges you do a thousand times better, empower yourself in front of the investigators, the prosecutors and others because they are male chauvinists. So be strong, brave, and show them the great woman you are…

Fernando Arias, while confirming that in his opinion none of this was their fault, tries to speak up for the people who work in the justice system. He also believes that changing the laws isn't really a solution.

Difiero igualmente, con el mayor de los respetos, en que la solución esté en cambiar las leyes; igualmente debo salir en defensa de todos los profesionales de la judicatura. Ellos no tienen la responsabilidad de lo que sucede afuera, ni actúan dependiendo de quienes sean las partes en el proceso. Pero le manifiesto mi más profundo respeto y consideración, porque aunque mis experiencias no han sido tan traumantes, sé lo que es sentirse amenazado por un arma y que me despojen de mis pertenencias.

I also disagree, with the greatest respect, in that the solution lies with changing the laws; in the same vein I shall come out in defense of all the judiciary professionals. They don't have the responsibility for everything that happens outside, nor do they act depending on who is playing the parts in the process. But I do express my most profound respect and consideration to you, because although my experiences have not been as traumatic, I know what it is like to feel threatened by a weapon and have my belongings taken away.

As for SophiadelSol, she closes with this statement:

Yo soy una mujer fuerte, ando con mi frente en alto, nada ni nadie va a hacer que desista de mi vida, mis sueños y metas. No tengo miedo ni verguenza. Soy la misma que era hace un mes pero más fuerte, más decidida. Viví una pesadilla pero estoy aquí para contarla, para que todos sepan que esto está pasando todos los días. Ningún periodico ni noticiario saca estas notas, no me interezan las razones. Lo único que quiero al contar este testimonio es que nadie más viva algo así, esto tiene que terminar!

I am a strong woman, I walk with my head held high, nothing and no-one will make me desist from my life, my dreams and goals. I am not afraid nor ashamed. I am the same person I was a month ago but stronger, more decided. I lived a nightmare but I am here to tell it, so that everyone can know that this is happening every day. No newspaper or news show will publish these notes, I am not interested in the reasons. The only thing I want as I tell this testimony is that no one ever goes through something like this again, this has to stop!

Video: ‘I Was Here’ Campaign – Small Actions to Change the World

Juliana Rincón Parra — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 15:43:43 +0000

Join us as we see how small actions can change the world through the I Was Here campaign for the United Nations World Humanitarian Day. On Sunday, August 19, 2012, as a way to recognize humanitarian work throughout the world, the UN and American singer Beyoncé gave out a worldwide invitation: to make someone else's life better by doing something good for someone, somewhere.

The reason? World Humanitarian Day is on August 19 and was conceived as a way to remember the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, where 22 people lost their lives. The day honors those who have died while trying to help others and also pays tribute to those who day after day continue to help others everywhere around the world.

While the media may be filled with bad news, suffering and pain that others are experiencing, there are also stories from near and far of people doing small or great acts of kindness and helping those in need, reaching out a hand to those who suffer.

On the ‘I Was Here‘ website, the UN provided some suggestions of simple ways in which to help someone else, in the belief that seemingly small actions can have great impact on someone's day. Helping someone do their shopping, giving a homeless person a meal such like a sandwich, volunteering skills for a community project, standing up for someone being bullied or picked on, visiting someone elderly or someone up in a hospital.

Perhaps cooking a meal for new parents, volunteering at a local charity, donating things you no longer need or use, doing something for your neighbors like mowing their lawn, cleaning a park or tutoring someone from a disadvantaged background.

After doing something, you are welcome to add your name and pin your act to the website's map and let people know how you changed someone's day. Some of the ways in which people have already helped are assisting displaced people in Mali, amplifying the voices of the Sahrawi refugees, serving a meal for someone who really needs it, teaching someone how to read and write and taking care of children.

I Was Here logo for the UN World Humanitarian Day Campaign 2012

The call to action video has already been subtitled into 22 different languages in the effort to reach one billion people who will then hopefully follow through and take action on one day, a goal which has already been surpassed by reaching 1,132,204,110 people.

The video and song by Beyoncé has already been translated into ten different languages through a volunteer based subtitling platform - the idea is to complete at least twice as many.

What action are you going to take to make your mark and improve someone's day or life?

Video: What Egypt, Congo, Uganda and Colombia Have in Common

Juliana Rincón Parra — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 21:47:13 +0000

The search for justice in the wake of conflict is what Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Colombia have in common. The Case for Justice is a series of videos debating on the relevance of what is known as transitional justice, a set of systems that is put into place to allow for accountability in the wake of massive human rights violations.

From the International Center for Transitional Justice site:

The complexity of this debate is best illustrated by the different myths that abound within it. Some contend transitional justice is “soft justice,” an alternative to pursuing criminal justice in the wake of mass atrocities or repression; others equate it solely with criminal trials, fully focused on perpetrators. Some view it as a key obstacle to reaching successful peace agreements; others regard it as a kind of a magic wand, a quick cure for the scars of war and abuse.

The Case for Justice video lands on these different views of transitional justice through the recent history from Egypt, Uganda, Colombia and the DRC:

The following video explains the reasons behind transitional justice and how it can help to give a community a voice and provide those who suffered human rights violations not only public recognition as victims, but also give them the chance to recognize in themselves the right to pursue justice and to be treated as equal citizens with equal rights.

However, transitional justice is no magic wand: it is not capable of solving all the problems. Even with a truth commission, even with trials against dictators who committed heinous crimes against humanity, even with systems in place to redress victims: sometimes it takes decades or generations before justice can be served, and not all will get to see it. But the fact that it isn't magical or immediate should not detract from the fact that it has helped people who are seeing justice and restitution for the damage suffered through war, natural disasters or conflict.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in what has been called the Third World War due to the great number of victims, a process is being established to recognize the massive human right violations and systematized rapes by a mixed tribunal with Congolese and international judges as a way to give the victims a voice and hopefully change the trend where impunity has made certain segments of society believe that rape is a normal part of society.

More in-depth video interviews and explanations on Transitional Justice can be found on the ICTJ website for The Case for Justice.

Thumbnail image shows Justicia by Olga Berrios used according to Creative Commons Attribution License.

Costa Rica: Cat Literally Drops In During University of Peace Class

Juliana Rincón Parra — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 23:48:43 +0000

A class at the University of Peace in Costa Rica had an unexpected visitor drop in, as a cat fell through the suspended ceiling right behind a couple of students giving a presentation on the Theory of Change. (Via Mashable)

Video: No Pool? No Problem! Creative Solutions to Beat the Heat

Juliana Rincón Parra — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 01:19:27 +0000

The hot summer in the Northern hemisphere is forcing many people to seek ways in which to escape the high temperatures or get some relief. These next images and videos show how with creativity and ingenuity, people young and old find ways in which to beat the heat.

Children in Medellín Colombia beat the heat by filling up a skateboarding pit with water and cooling off. The skateboarding pit is part of the park structures built by the Metro system in the areas directly under the Metrocable aerial gondola lift system. The photograph was taken by Diego Alzate while on vacation in Colombia this past July, 2012; and is used with his permission.

Children flood a skateboarding pit to make a pool for themselves in Medellin, Colombia, picture by Diego Alzate, used with his permission

In Hong Kong, schoolchildren play under the fountain at the Hong Kong Park in order to cool off.

In the Siloé neighborhood of Cali, Colombia, these children decided to transform the open air theater pit into their pool.

But the heat solutions can also come in smaller sizes: in the Dominican Republic a washing tub on the street is the perfect size for one.

This large, old styrofoam container looks like it may have been an appliance in a past life: in its new life it has become a small pool for two young girls in Brazil

What if you are stuck in your home or office and have no air conditioning? This old fashioned method of putting a fan behind a pile of ice might do the trick.

How do you beat the heat?

Video: Dreaming of the Olympics in Colombia

Juliana Rincón Parra — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:37:55 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.

The short film “Speed” by student Esteban Barros [es] from Barranquilla, Colombia, shows an Olympic hopeful's dream of competing in the Olympics.

Will hard effort, good results and perseverance be enough to get him to the competition? Watch the subtitled [en] two minute video and find out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53OT8gfV6DU

This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.

Costa Rica: ‘We Are All Karina’ Campaign for Dismissed Vice-Minister

Juliana Rincón Parra — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 19:42:49 +0000

Men and women are getting their picture taken with hand-written signs stating, “We are all Karina” to show support for the Vice-Minister Karina Bolaños, who was dismissed after a video where she appears in underwear speaking to an undisclosed lover surfaced. Karina was black-mailed for years regarding this video, and once she stopped paying, the video was distributed to media and social networks, leading to her dismissal by President Laura Chinchilla.

The campaign aims to raise awareness about the situation of Karina Bolaños, who has the Costa Rican social network sphere asking: why has a female vice-minister been dismissed for something of a purely personal and intimate nature that is not related to her job ,while male ministers and other male government employees who have been denounced for mistakes and unethical (or corrupt) behavior have held the President's support.

On the Facebook page for the movement [es] more than 2500 people have liked it in less than 7 hours. And more than 150 pictures [es]have already been added as well.

The picture that seemes to have started the movement was posted by blogger and photographer Julia Ardón, who for the first few hours manually added the pictures into an album on her personal facebook. Now they are being added to the official group page by each supporter.

“We are all Karina” Blogger and Photographer Julia Ardón stands in solidarity with Karina Bolaños

There is also a march being planned [es] for Saturday, August 11 to demand the restitution of the ex Vice-Minister:

Este próximo 11 de agosto, Costa Rica se va las calles a decir Tod@s Somos Karina! No al machismo en Costa Rica, no más atropellos a nuestras mujeres y no más abusos de este gobierno! Desde el Parque Central hasta Casa Presidencial daremos la cara los que unimos al movimiento Tod@s Somos Karina, toda mujer costarricense merece respeto, tu madre, tu hermana, tu tía, tu abuela y tu vecina! Los esperamos a las 09:00 am! Exigimos la restitución de la Ex Viceministra!

This coming August 11th, Costa Rica will take the streets to say We are all Karina. No to male chauvinism in Costa Rica, no more outrages against our women and no more abuses from this government! From the Central Park to the Presidential House all of us who have joined the movement We are all Karina will show our faces. All Costa Rican women deserve respect, your mother, your sister, your aunt, your grandmother and your neighbor! We hope to see you there at 09:00 am! We demand the restitution of the Ex Vice-minister!

Costa Rica: Video Love Note Gets Vice-Minister Dismissed

Juliana Rincón Parra — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 23:34:10 +0000

The Costa Rican Vice-Minister of Youth Karina Bolaños was removed from her post by the Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla after a video showing the underwear clad vice minister sending a love note to a lover was made public and spread through the web. Reactions to this news are quite varied: from censure to the Vice-Minister for making a video and not taking care to erase it, to rejection of all those who continued to spread the video and finally, repudiation to the President for removing the vice-minister from her post as if she were not the victim of this whole affair. All links go to Spanish language sites unless otherwise stated.

“She should’ve been more careful.”

In online music forum 89decibeles, a user known as larva salvaje posted:

A mi me vale mierda si ella demuestra su amor por medio de vídeos, yo he hecho cartas y poemas. ¿Y qué? El problema aquí es que ella es alta funcionaria pública y su esposo también. Es la vida privada, yo sé, pero nada cuesta tener un poco de auto privacidad y auto seguridad. Lo que pienso es que ella debió cuidarse más.

I don’t give a shit if she shows her love through videos, I have written letters and poems. ¿So what? The problem here is that she is a high placed government employee and so is her husband. It is their private life, I know, but it would have cost her nothing to have a bit more of self-privacy and safety. What I think is that she should’ve been more careful.

On the exclusive interview Karina Bolaños gave to CNN in Spanish, she told about how the video was made while she was separated from her husband years ago, and that it was a software engineer who went to their home to service the computers and security equipment who stole the video along with other confidential information from their computers and blackmailed her for years in order to not release the video. According to the CNN report, she suggested that she expected more support from her government, but respects the measure to separate her from her post.

Meme Image from La Erre TV. Above: Dismissed for appearing in underwear. Below: Two years of getting caught with her pants down, still President.

The comments left on the CNN article show a good sample of the different opinions this situation has generated. alex wrote:

Creo que el problema es que es una persona representante del Gob. de Costa Rica y no puede hacer este tipos de vídeos debió cuidarse y lo peor no dirigido a su esposo sino a su amante dice que estaba separada pero esto indica que no lo quiere y por su honor debió contarle su infidelidad aparte de perder su cargo perderá a su fam. ya que el esposo es politico y defenderá su carrera y no a su esposa

I think that the problem is that this is a person representing the Gov. of Costa Rica and she can’t do this type of videos, she should’ve taken care of herself and the worst part is that it is not meant for her husband but instead to a lover, she says she was separated but this makes it clear that she doesn’t love him and for honor she should’ve told him about her unfaithfulness, besides losing her post she will lose her family since her husband is a politician and will defend his career and not his wife.

Male Chauvinism?

The fact that President Chinchilla is a woman who has refused to depose other male government employees for what are considered more serious offenses directly related to the job they are supposed to be doing has not failed to catch people’s eyes.Mito, also commenting on the CNN article, was outraged about President Chinchilla’s sexism.

El pueblo está indignado, no con el video, sino con el trato desigual y machista de la Presidenta Chinchilla. En vez de apoyar a esta funcionaria quien ha sido abusada, le da la espalda y la despide. Y en cambio defendió a su Ministro de Hacienda Fernando Herrero cuando se le demostró que estaba pagando menos impuestos por subdeclarar una propiedad, al mismo tiempo que impulsaba una reforma tributaria. Y más recientemente no le hace caso al Tribunal de la Etica que reprocha los actos del Ministro de Educación y de uno de sus Vice presidentes, cuando toda la evidencia señala la mala actuación en sus gestiones. Vaya forma de gobernar Doña Laura. No podría estar más arrepentido de haberle dado el voto.

The people are outraged, not with the video, but with the unequal and sexist treatment given by the President Chinchilla. Instead of supporting this employee who has been abused, she turns her back on her and fires her. But she defended her Tax Minister Fernando Herrero when it was proven that he was paying less taxes by declaring a lower value on a property, at the same time he was pushing through a tax reform. And more recently, she doesn’t pay attention to the Ethics Tribunal which was reproaching the Minister of Education and one of her Vice-presidents, when all evidence was pointing to their bad performance in their administration. What a way to govern Mrs. Laura. I couldn’t be sorrier that I voted for you.

Spoof T-shirt design from La Erre TV: Don't Look at me! I didn't vote for Laura

From another commenter:

Una desgracia para las mujeres de todo el mundo, cuando una mujer presidente es la primera en discriminar a una funcionaria por el hecho de ser mujer, y por el aún más grande pecado de disfrutar de su sexualidad. Esta mujer, no debe disculparse, debe denunciar la injusticia a la que está siendo sometida por ser mujer. La vida privada no debe influir en su vida laboral. Pero los hombres que si hacen mal su trabajo a ellos los dejan en su cargo, lo hombres que tienen sexo con sus pasantes como Clinton, a ellos si les dejan en su trabajo, ahí si nada tiene que ver su vida sexual son su desempeño en el cargo. Este caso debería ser denunciado publicamente por todas las mujeres y hombres que creemos en la equidad y en los derechos humanos. Se lo hacen a una nos lo hacen a todas!

It is a shame for the women from all around the world when a female president is the first one to discriminate a government employee because she is a woman and for the even greater sin of enjoying her sexuality. This woman should not be apologizing, she should be denouncing the injustices she is going through because she is a woman. Private life should not affect her work life. But the men who do their jobs badly, they are kept in their positions, the men who have sex with their interns like Clinton, they are kept at their jobs, in those cases sex life and work performance have nothing to do with each other. This case should be condemned publicly by all women and men who believe in equality and human rights. If they do it to one of us they do it to all of us women!

On Facebook, an editorial written by Lic. Marcos Chinchilla Montes from the University of Costa Rica is making its rounds. In it he writes:

Recuerdo haber visto hace algunos años un graffiti en Colombia que decía “Machismo se escribe con “m” de mamá”. Si, varones y mujeres construimos y reproducimos en muchos sentidos el machismo; pero lo que duele, es reconocer prácticas tan misóginas en la misma presidenta de nuestro país. Yo hubiera esperado un poquito de sororidad en la presidenta; sin embargo, arremete contra un comportamiento que es competencia exclusiva de la vida privada de Bolaños.

I remember seeing some years ago a graffiti in Colombia which read “Male Chauvinism is written with “m” of mom”. Yes, men and women build and reproduce in many senses male chauvinism; but what hurts is to recognize such misogynist practices in our own country’s president. I would’ve expected a bit of sorority from the president, nevertheless, she attacks a behaviour which is exclusively relevant to the private life of Bolaños.

La Erre TV; above: Countless cases of corruption – “these employees have my support”
below: Intimate video – “Fire that slu”%!”

Others are ashamed that the news is that there is a video, and not that she was blackmailed by someone who is now giving interviews about the video. On music forum 89decibeles, Egon_ wrote:

Creo que da más vergüenza que no se le tome principal importancia al hecho de que ella está afirmando que fue extorsionada como por tres años y nadie hace nada al respecto, o al menos eso parece. Me parece que eso es lo importante aquí, el vídeo y la chota pasan a segundo plano.

I think that what is more shameful is that no one seems to give importance to the fact that she’s affirming that she was blackmailed for something like three years and no one does anything about it, or that is how it seems. This is what is important here, the video and the fingerpointing pass to a second plane.

Unequal treatment

Víctor Fernández G. wrote on his blog, Photocopied Tape about why he thinks Karina Bolaños’ destitution was wrong. While the President has previously shown leniency to high level government employees who have made serious blunders in their work, she now punishes a person for a strictly personal matter which has nothing to do with her work. In his post, he has a long list of the recent cases where she has stood next to corrupt and inept officers:

Doña Laura había sido incapaz de destituir a jerarcas cuestionadísimos, llegando lo más a pedirles la renuncia cuando el pueblo clamaba por castigos firmes y honestos.

Mrs. Laura has been incapable of dismissing highly doubted leaders, at most asking them for their resignation letters when the people were claiming for firm and honest punishment.

The images and memes used above were made by Costa Rican comedians from LaErreTv in support of Karina Bolaños and mocking the government's reaction. They can be found on their Public facebook page. A popular radio station made a PR Faux Pas when they decided to profit from the scandal by publicizing a radio show of theirs using an image from the video, which blogger Cristian Cambronero (@cambronero) denounced on twitter. He also wrote on July 30th:

‏@cambronero Es ALUCINANTE. Ante denuncias de corrupción, el gobierno cierra filas y protege a Ministros. Ante violación de privacidad, la echan.

@cambronero This is INSANE. Facing reports of corruption, the government closes ranks and protects ministers. Facing invasion of privacy, they fire her.

Wal, (@Vulturgryphus), also on twitter, commented:

@vulturgryphus ”La sexualidad, reprímela. La tolerancia, aplástala. La corrupción, ignórala. El descaro, pásalo.” – Gobierno de Laura Chinchilla 2010-2014

@vulturgryphus ”Sexuality, repress it. Tolerance, stomp on it. Corruption, ignore it. Shamelessness, pass it on.” – Laura Chinchilla's Government 2010-2014

Video: Let's go to Markets Around the World

Juliana Rincón Parra — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 19:41:05 +0000

Markets are full of colors, sounds and life, no matter where in the world they are. Join us as we visit – through images and videos – markets in El Salvador, Mexico, India, Indonesia and Thailand.

After seeing the video posted by RocaCristo of the market of Santa Tecla in El Salvador, varistojamonbanua had this to say about the similarities between this market and the markets back in his home:

…im from manila , i like your video, it looks like you are in the philippines wet market, the vegetables, the fruits , the sweet potatoes, and the little round fruits there we call it seneguelas here in the philippines we can see it during summer. i love this video

In Indonesia, bartering and selling takes place in the floating market of Lok Ba Intan in South Borneo.

People from nearby villages arrive between 5 and 8am at the Lok Baintan river market, located close to the mining city of Martsapura in South Borneo, Indonesia. Photo by bayuwinata © Demotix (7/14/2012)

MVMTelevisionDigital visited the markets in Oaxaca, Mexico. This one minute clip shows us the colorful places where patrons can buy clothing, jewelry and food including regional delicacies such as grasshoppers and worms, or perhaps a nice warm cup of hot chocolate?

This market in Mumbai, India, is slightly different: instead of fruits and vegetables, you can find scavenged auto parts, antiques, refurbished refrigerators and televisions for a fraction of their cost. This 2007 video created by Parasher provides an educational tidbit as to the origin of the name: A tire salesman believes that the market was originally known as “Noisy” market (Shor) but through the English rule the name was corrupted into “thieves” bazaar (Chor). Another vendor chimes in that actually, since stolen goods used to be found readily in the Bazaar, Chor wasn't such a misnomer.

A train runs through the Maeklong market in Thailand 8 times a day, and vendors pull up their stalls and clear the tracks every time it passes by. While this may be commonplace for locals, it is unique enough that tourists visit this market just to see the people clear the path of the train.

Indonesia: EngageMedia's Video4Change Retreat on Video for Social Change

Juliana Rincón Parra — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:54:24 +0000

Indonesia was the host-country for Video4Change, a week long retreat where different organizations came together to discuss how video can be used for social change and also come up with solutions for the resource gaps.

Engage Media and WITNESS co-hosted this event with participants from 12 different organizations all focused on using video for social change. From Engage Media's summary of the event:

One of the highlights was to witness the breadth and depth of how video could be used to contribute to social change. The participating organisations had different approaches and theories of change in using video for change. Some organisations use participatory video as way to bring communities together, some use video to document human rights abuses in order to make significant policy changes and to raise awareness on the realities communities are facing, and some use video to support community and citizen journalism to increase people's ability to represent themselves and their issues. This range of experiences contributed to being able to defining video4change.

2012 Video for Change gathering participants

Not all was discussion though. Throughout the process, as they mapped resources and materials available for those interested in using Video for Change, they were able to determine gaps in the knowledge available for training people in Video for Change. While enough material, resources and guides exist for some stages such as Strategy, Planning and Pre-production, while other areas needed more help, specially with updating, expanding and making sure the content is in a language plain to understand for the audience and including case studies and relevant examples and during the second part of the gathering, they came together to try and fill those gaps.

The MIT Center for Civic Media was one of the invited organizations, and on their activity report, attendee Becky Hurwitz wrote summarizing the event:

It was the best kind of hackathon. The v4c gathering was for building knowledge, v4c training resources, and community and it succeeded on all counts. Creating a successful event is some combination of planning, intention, and magic.

MickFuzz represented Transmission Network as well as more active FLOSS Manuals at the event. In his blog post, he made a point to highlight the work of organizations such as Witness, Small World News and Insight Share who produce training resources for using video for social change. The after-hours activities seemed to be as productive as the academic ones: for example, the use of an online subtitling site to find videos to sing along which are not usually found at karaokes, and the experiences of street screenings shared by Egyptian video group Mosireen.

This is a great way of bringing together communities and celebrating our identity and past history (and sharing it with others too!). That is a real Magnet and Transporter! In some ways, these kinds of grass roots community uses of video outside of the mainstream are for me the most exciting aspects of video for change.

Both participants and organizers have expressed the desire for more of these gatherings. In the meantime, Engage Media will continue to post updates and outcomes from the Video 4 Change gathering on their blog.