Global Voices » Stephen Cairns

Colombia Answers with New Promotional Campaign and Slogan

Stephen Cairns — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 20:12:14 +0000

During the beginning of September a new promotional video was launched by Marca Colombia [es], the official government agency responsible for the Colombia brand, with the slogan “The answer is Colombia” [es].

The video has generated countless responses on Twitter with the hashtag #LaRespuestaesColombia [es] (TheAnswerIsColombia), and was a trending topic Saturday, September 8.

The official Twitter account of Marca Colombia (@MarcaColombia) [es] summarized the campaign in several tweets:

@MarcaColombia: La inversión en la marca Colombia busca generar retorno para el país en inversión, conocimiento, confianza y progreso http://goo.gl/TkpO1

@MarcaColombia: The investment in Colombia's brand seeks to generate returns for the country through investment, familiarity, confidence and progress http://goo.gl/TkpO1 [es]

@MarcaColombia: Todos somos parte de la respuesta. Cuéntanos esos hechos que te hacen sentir orgulloso de ser Colombiano #LaRespuestaEsCOlombia

@MarcaColombia: We are all part of the answer. Tell us what makes you proud to be Colombian #LaRespuestaEsCOlombia

In response many Colombians are using #LaRespuestaesColombia to talk about Colombia in positive terms.

For example the radio personality Marcela Alarcón (@MarcelaAlarcon) [es] posted:

@MarceLaALarcon: Dónde SI recibimos a los extranjeros con amor, con cordialidad y amabilidad? #LaRespuestaesColombia

@MarceLaALarcon: Where are foreigners welcomed with courtesy, friendship and love? #TheAnswerIsColombia

@MarceLaALarcon: Lo máximo! RT @diazanalucia: @MarceLaALarcon Donde todos los vecinos se saludan sin conocer #LaRespuestaesColombia…

@MarceLaALarcon: That's the best! RT @diazanalucia: @MarceLaALarcon Where do neighbors, even strangers, say hello? #TheAnswerIsColombia

@MarceLaALarcon: Dónde hay gran variedad de climas, sin esperar muchos meses? #LaRespuestaesColombia

@MarceLaALarcon: Where does the diversity of weather occur without waiting months? (one can simply travel some Km) #TheAnswerIsColombia

Jenny López (@JenTomy) [es] expressed her optimism with this response:

@JenTomy: Cual es el país donde vivimos tan felices a pesar de tantas cosas tan absurdas que pasan y nada nos queda grande?? #LaRespuestaEsColombia

@JenTomy: Where can we live so happily despite absurdities that may occur, where nothing is too big to overcome?? #TheAnswerIsColombia

Similarly, Johana Moreno (@JjohanaMoreno) [es] writes:

@JjohanaMoreno: En que país, que aunque se este lleno de problemas, se puede vivir feliz? #LaRespuestaEsColombia

@JjohanaMoreno: In what other country, though full of problems, can one live happily? #TheAnswerIsColombia

Alejandra Mazo (@Aleja_Mazo) [es] makes a comment referring to another Colombian campaign with the slogan “The only risk is wanting to stay”:

@Aleja_Mazo: Quieres un país donde no hay amigos sino hermanos, donde el único riesgo que corres es que te quieras quedar?. #LaRespuestaEsColombia

@Aleja_Mazo: Do you want a country where instead of friends there are brothers, where the only risk is that you want to stay? #TheAnswerIsColombia

However, the hashtag has also been used for to point out not so positive aspects of Colombia.

Cepeda the Nose (@Madamemagola) [es] recalls that some taxi services won't go to some neighborhoods because they are considered dangerous:

@Madamemagola: ¿En qué país el taxi lo lleva sólo si le sirve la ruta? #LaRespuestaEsColombia.

@Madamemagola: In what country will taxies refuse service if they don't like the destination? #TheAnswerIsColombia.

Sergio Falla (@_sergiofalla) [es] writes:

@_sergiofalla ¿Un país donde te matan por un celular? #LaRespuestaEsColombia

@_sergiofalla In what country do they kill you for a cellphone? #TheAnswerIsColombia

Cristian Gómez (@CristianGommez) [es] makes this allusion to political corruption:

@CristianGommez: En qué país hasta el gobierno nos roba? #Tristemente #LaRespuestaEsColombia.

@CristianGommez: In what country will even the government rob us? #Sadly #TheAnswerIsColombia.

Meanwhile George (@tatanGeorge) [es] questioned the relationship between the government and its political oppostion:

@tatanGeorge: En donde el presidente y el líder de la oposición pertenecen al mismo partido? #laRespuestaesColombia

@tatanGeorge: Where does the president and the leader of the opposition belong to the same party? #TheAnswerIsColombia

Carlos Duque (@_carlosduque) [es] points out:

@_carlosduque: Asegurar que “Colombia es la respuesta” es como decir que tenemos la solución sin definir cual es el problema.

@_carlosduque: Assurances that “Colombia is the answer” is like saying we have the solution without even defining what is the problem.

Colombian netizens continue sharing diverse opinions on Twitter under the hashtag #LaRespuestaesColombia [es] (#TheAnswerIsColombia). Reactions can also be found on the Marca Colombia's official Facebook page [es].

Spain: How Social Networks are Cleaning Up TV

Stephen Cairns — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:58:30 +0000

Technological progress doesn't always equate to progress in quality of life. The case of Spanish TV programming is a clear example of this disconnect of these two. For several years low-quality content has been broadcast in Spain. Called telebasura in Spanish (trash TV), it has been a very profitable business model for its low cost production and wide audience reach. These programs earn lots of money for the television networks by broadcasting the worst facet of humanity, often dwelling on the scandalous or immoral. The sensational is played up for financial gains which raises serious questions about the ethics and whether the public is being well-served or honestly served by the information in these programs. A large part of reality shows and gossip or roundtable programs are dressed up with a journalistic appearance. These are some of the comments of the Manifesto against TV trash [es], of the Platform For Quality TV:

Bajo una apariencia hipócrita de preocupación y denuncia, los programas de telebasura se regodean con el sufrimiento; con la muestra más sórdida de la condición humana; con la exhibición gratuita de sentimientos y comportamientos íntimos. Desencadenan una dinámica en la que el circense “más difícil todavía” anuncia una espiral sin fin para sorprender al espectador.

Hypocritically worried and complaining, the trash on TV wallow in suffering, displaying more and more sordid conditions including the gratuitas exhibition of emotions and intimate disclosures. They've unleashed a downward spiral as the trashy spectacles must continue to surprise or shock the viewer.

NO TRASH TV! TURN IT OFF BEFORE IT DISCONNECTS YOU. Photo from arrakis.es

Mainstream Media vs Social Networks

However TV trash is in serious danger thanks to an active audience that has used the power of social networks and digital campaigns. Since 2008, the journalist and blogger Pablo Herreros has been critical of these programs on his blog, Communication is what the game's called [es], even calling some programs “subsidized crime” on TV. Some programs have presented interviews with criminals or their families to talk about their crimes on set in exchange for large sums of money.

In October 2011, Pablo Herreros put together a petition on his blog with over 33,000 signatures that demanded advertisers to punish the programs that engaged in these practices. Among the programs the petition sought to stop is the show La Noria, which paid for an interview with the mother of El Cuco, guilty of killing the young woman Marta del Castillo [es] after a highly publicized case. The advertisers heeded the petition, making it the first time advertisers have completely withdrawn from a program. Just a few weeks ago the program stopped broadcasting.

The blogger Pablo Herreros also spread a video (in Spanish) that shows the victim's families pain and trauma caused by these type of paid interviews:

The fight in the social networks for responsible TV programming continues under the hashtags #NomáscrímenpagadoenTV (No more paid crime on TV) and #Otratelevisiónesposible (Another television is possible). The goal is for the petition to garner enough support to include politicians and television stations. Several advertisers have heard its call which is itself a great achievement.

Some media outlets already point to a possible decline in trash on TV [es] referring mainly to those programs that pay criminals, and sensationalist journalistic TV shows. The advertising crisis in Spain could be the perfect moment to think over what type of TV is most desired by society and help bring it about.

While it is important to trust in popular initiatives on the Internet and their influence, it cannot be forgotten that four days ago the Big Brother reality TV show, after 12 years of being broadcast, continued breaking audience records with 1.3 million viewers in Spain.

Colombia: Painter and Sculptor Fernando Botero Celebrates 80

Stephen Cairns — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 23:48:43 +0000

The Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero has been attending a series of events for the celebration of his 80 years of life which will be official April 19, 2012. These events have included private [es] and public events during Holy Week, including highlighting his donations to the Museum of Antioquia [es], the exposition [es] of “Stations of the Cross: the passion of Christ” and the official donation of the sculpture “The Cat” to his hometown Medellin.

“Stations of the Cross: the passion of Christ” is a combination of 27 oil paintings and 33 drawings completed in 2010. The exposition arrived in Medellin after first being exhibited in Marlborough Gallery [es] in Manhattan, New York. The Marlborough exhibition will extend through August of this year, allowing time for a cultural and academic agenda that increased awareness of the artist and his works through conferences, panels, chats and audiovisual projections.

Fernando Botero, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

According to Botero, the “Stations of the Cross” has been reflected “in the eyes of a modern artist, allowing certain liberties like including himself and his mother [es] in the works.” He made the stations of the cross without satirical elements and with a Jesus figure more man than God, the aureola was not painted for example, but he does allude to the sacred with an angel that flies over the tomb. He said it was painted in a Latin American vibe with an Italian air.

His other celebration was held April 3, with the inauguration of his “The Cat” sculpture [es] in the park which carries his name in the city district of San Cristobal [es], Medellin. “The Cat” [es] is a bronze sculpture weighing 1.050 kilos, and measuring 390 x 150 x 190 centimeters and created in his workshop in Pietrasanta (Italy). This work adds to the many others [es] that Botero has so generously donated to Medellin and the 300 present across Colombia.

Many other events are being held in honor of his birthday, such as an exhibition [es] at the Fine Arts Palace in Mexico City. This will be a grand retrospective review of his works, combining a collection of 177 pieces including oil paintings, drawings, technical mixed pieces, small and large sculptures.

Botero, who made clear his desire [es] to be remembered for his untiring work, wants to continue making art with passion and enthusiasm. He also confirmed that he hasn't considered leaving art because he cannot conceive of life without painting. He recognizes Pietrasanta, Italy as a city he is fond of and where he passes the majority of his time developing his works [es]. He has done 160 international exhibitions, half in museums and the other half in open spaces [es] (streets, parks, etc).

During the celebrations for his birthday, Botero has been surrounded by many people but also by security, as captured in this photo [es] by Donaldo Zuluaga on Twitter (@donaldozuluaga). However he has demonstrated his delight in daily recognition when passing the streets of the city and the almost ‘idolatry’ that is felt for him. This reverent feeling can be seen in various media outlets promoting his presence [es], as well as social networks like Twitter and blogs.

Vanessa de la Torre, (@vanedelatorre) applauded [es] Botero for the new work donated to the city district of San Cristóbal:

Todos los aplausos al Maestro Fernando Botero por regalarle una escultura: El Gato, a su ciudad natal. Esta en San Cristóbal, Medellín

Standing ovation for Master Fernando Botero for donating the sculpture The Cat to his hometown. It's in San Cristobal, Medellin.

Gabriel Jaime Rico (@RICOGabriel) wrote [es] about the importation process for “The Gat” and its installation in San Cristóbal:

#elgatodebotero fue importado desde Italia por @plazamayormed y será instalado en el parque biblioteca “Fernando Botero” de San Cristóbal.

#TheCatByBotero was imported from Italy by @plazamayormed and will be installed in the Fernando Botero park in San Cristobal,Medellin

Esteban Vegue V. (@estebanvegue) mentioned [es] ”The Cat” sarcastically and as an analogy of the thieves that wander Medellin:

Esperemos que “El Gato” de Botero coja tanta “Rata suelta” que hay en Medellín.

We hope that “The Cat” by Botero catches as many “Thieving Rats” as there are in Medellin.

Camilo Durán Casas (@cduranca) called Botero [es] a noble representative of the country and praised his birthday making allusion to his human and professional values:

El maestro Fernando Botero a sus ochenta años está en la cúspide de su madurez artística y humana. Un orgullo para Colombia.

The master Fernando Botero and his 80 years are on the cusp of his artistic and human maturity. A point of pride for Colombia.

Samir Yesid Urazán (@samurga) repeated the phrase [es] used frequently by Botero when he is asked about his final years:

“Sólo temo tener que vivir sin poder pintar.” Fernando Botero

“I only fear living without the ability to paint.” Fernando Botero

Estefanía Ruíz (@estefaniaruizZ) commented on the subject [es] of Holy Week and the Stations of the Cross, though she admits to preferring the artistic rendering of the stations:

Al único viacrucis que me encantaría ir a ver es la obra del maestro Fernando Botero.

The only stations of the cross that I would like to see are the works by master Fernando Botero

While La Silla Vacía [es] completed an analysis of the latest Botero donations, in other media [es] and on Twitter [es] the comments and reports on this subject have multiplied.

'The Cat' by Botero, Medellín. Image from Telemedillín on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

There are some who took time to allude to Botero's works in a playful tone, like Eduardo Morales (@EduardoMorale93) [es] who pokes fun at himself in this tweet:

Yo sí hubiera sido un excelente modelo… Pero para las pinturas de Botero! #ViernesSanto #SemanaSanta

I would be an excellent model… for Botero's paintings!! #HolyFriday #HolyWeek

But others did not share the same administration for the works or style of Botero. Sergio Araujo (@sergioaraujoc) [es] criticized Botero for his dismissive comments of other painters in Colombia:

Fernando Botero “No tengo cuadros de ningún pintor Colombiano porque no admiro a ninguno.” Uffff ¡Terrible frase! despectiva, despreciativa.

Fernando Botero “I don't have any works by Colombian painters because I don't admire any of them.” Ach, terrible thing to say! Contemptuous and unappreciative.

Jorge Rocker (@jorgerocker) [es] also does not share any love for Botero, questioning the motive behind his ”donations” in Colombia:

Botero es feliz tramando bobos con los “regalos” que hace de sus esculturas….si, me cae mal ese tetramalparido :)

Botero is happy deceiving fools with his “donations” that he does with his sculpture….yeah, I don't like this 4 fold bastard.

Bitter Swet (@InvokedDream) [es] comments that he didn't enjoy the Botero paintings on exhibition in the Fine Arts Gallery in Mexico:

Hoy fui a la expo. de Botero en Bellas Artes; Puras pinturas de gordas feas y todas iiug y mal encaradas, y bueno, la verdad no me gustó.

Today I went to the exhibition of Botero's works at the Fine Arts Palace; just paintings of ugly fat women and all uuug, not great faces. Really I didn't like it.

Also from Mexico, Jesús Martínez Gutiérrez, from the blog Del castillo literario, spoke about Botero's style [es]:

Botero es un sólido continuador del modelo del arte como representación, o como reproducción de lo que hay, aunque su técnica no sea calcar la realidad sino inflarla para encontrar lo bello más allá de los límites de volumen real de las personas o de las cosas.

Botero solidly continues the representative art model, or better said the reproduction of what is, although his technique does not capture the reality but rather exaggerates or inflates reality to find the beauty beyond the limits of real volume of people or things.

In the same blog, besides referring to the artist's activities across the world, he comments about the exposition in Medellin [es]:

La exposición desvela el detallado estudio y el amor que el artista colombiano siente por la pintura italiana del Renacimiento. Botero aborda el tema de la pasión de Cristo desde contextos tan diversos como Manhattan o los pueblos antioqueños. El artista permanece fiel a los eventos de la historia de Cristo y también al singular estilo con el que ha conquistado la fama.

The exposition unveiled the detailed study and love the Colombian artist feels for the Renaissance Italian paintings. Botero approaches the passion of Christ from contexts as diverse as Manhattan or small Colombian villages. The artist remains faithful to the events of Christ's story and also to the particular style that he has used to achieve fame.

On April 19, his birthday, Botero will be recognized in the Botero Museum [es] in Bogota, Colombia in a production with public school children and authorities.

Colombia: Lawmakers Rush Bill on Author Rights and Intellectual Property

Stephen Cairns — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:17:03 +0000

This March 20 the proposed Law 201 (2012) [es] was presented, somewhat hurriedly, to the Colombian congress. This proposed law reforms [es] the legislative and regulatory framework of intellectual property and the rights of authors. On March 23, only three days after its initial reading, the law was approved by the Senate and House of Representatives secondary committees.

Red Pa Todos (“Internet for Everyone”) has been collecting petition signatures [es] asking the Colombian congress to debate the proposed law without unnecessarily rushing through procedures to vote on its approval.

The law attempts to conform to one of the obligations [es] arising from the implementation of a free trade agreement with the US (FTA). The law's proposal also coincides with the arrival of the President of the United States Barack Obama on April 14 in Cartagena, where he will attend the Summit of the Americas. The Colombian government plans to make an official announcement on the Colombia-US FTA at the summit.

These developments have unleashed several reactions [es] in traditional media [es], as well as numerous protests from diverse citizen media [es]. Activists and citizens have rejected the urgent, hurried attitude with which the law has been presented. Many connect this law to the previous “Lleras Law” that sought to regulate the liabilities for author's rights infractions as well as internet derived rights.

Anonymous, the famous hacktivist group so hard to define, shared a note about the law on Facebook [es] and also published a video on YouTube that was titled “#LeyllerasRecargada” (“#LawLlerasReloaded”):

On March 27, La Silla Vacía [es] reported on Anonymous’ recent actions:

La semana pasada, el primer debate de este proyecto de ley fue aprobado “a pupitrazo” [en un procedimiento de urgencia], y hoy, aunque no comenzó el segundo debate en el Senado, Anonymous está usando la estrategia a la que recurrió hace casi un año: la facción colombiana de este grupo difícil de definir envió un comunicado esta mañana criticando al Gobierno Nacional por presentar este proyecto y desde su cuenta de twitter @Anonymous_co llamó a sus seguidores para atacar la página del Senado que está caída desde hace unas dos horas.

The past week the first debate on this proposed law was resolved with approval “a pupitrazo” [a legislative procedure that fast tracks the law's approval], and today, though the second debate has not started in the Senate, Anonymous is using the same methods and strategy they used almost a year ago to get action. The Colombian faction of this group sent a communication [es] this morning criticizing the national government for proposing this law and from their Twitter account, @Anonymous_co, [es] called their followers to attack the Colombian senate's website [es] which has been down [es] for the past 2 hours.

For their part, Red pa todos [es] clarifies the difference between the Law Lleras and the newly proposed one:

En contenido el Proyecto de Ley 201 no es la Ley Lleras, esa se ocupaba de la responsabilidad de los proveedores de servicios de Internet por las posibles infracciones de sus usuarios, responsabilidad por hechos de terceros, mientras éste es una reforma al derecho de autor, toca plazo de protección, excepciones, definiciones, derechos conexos, reforma los delitos, habla de Medidas de Protección Tecnológicas, etc.

In content the proposed Law 201 is not the same as the Lleras law. The Lleras Law made internet service providers liable for the possible IP infractions of their users, responsible for third parties. Meanwhile the proposed law 201 is a reform of the rights of authors, touching on the protective duration of works, exceptions, definitions, derived rights, reform of crimes, technology protective measures, etc.

The group [es] also confirms that they are preparing a complete proposal to present to congress, airing 5 initial concerns including the following:

También podría violar derechos de usuarios si, como sucede en esta versión, no se consagra el procedimiento administrativo que el propio TLC contempla para ajustar cada 4 años esas excepciones. En el proyecto no se desarrolla el procedimiento sino sólo una facultad general para el gobierno de proponer cambios. Nos preguntamos entonces, ¿para qué el afán? Tampoco se están cumpliendo con todas las obligaciones del TLC, falta esta.

Also this proposed law would violate the rights of users if, as exists in the proposed version, an administrative procedure is not established (which the FTA itself contemplates) to adjust exceptions every 4 years. The proposed law does not develop the procedure, rather it outlines a general ability of the government to propose changes. We ask ourselves then, “Why the rush?” The law isn't even fulfilling all the obligations of the FTA. It lacks this administrative procedure.

María Juliana Soto also expreses her concern [es] on the Fundación Karisma portal. The lawyer Iván Vargas Chaves provides an analysis on website equinoXio [es]:

Una de las grandes preocupaciones que nos atañen como ciudadanos de la sociedad de la información es el vernos obligados a dejar el bloqueo de contenidos en Internet en manos de una autoridad administrativa, y no de un juez como siempre lo ha sido, aquellas libertades que no son más que el reflejo de un Estado Social de Derecho, pues ante todo, es el juez mismo, en atención a la figura de reserva judicial, el único que luego de una ponderación y aplicación del debido proceso puede decidir sobre éstos, lo que se traduce en tener la certeza sobre la aplicación de garantías a la libertad de expresión e información y derecho de huelga y competencia.

One of the biggest worries that concerns us as citizens of an information society is that this new law seems to make mandatory an administrative authority having the power to block internet content rather than a judge, as has always been the case. These are liberties which are no more than the reflection of a legal social state because, well before anything, it is the judge himself, attentive to judicial reserve, as the only one that can decide on these things after contemplation and the application of due process. This judicial presence translates to having certainty in the application of the guarantees of freedom of expression and information as well as the right to protest and compete.

Carolina Botero in her blog Carobotero-co asks that the law be debated over a prudent time frame [es], and argues that the congressmen are not well informed on the law's contents:

Sería bueno cumplir TLC a tiempo, pero sería mejor hacerlo bien, no sería el primer país en pedir plazo y al menos los congresistas la leerían

It would be good to fulfill the FTA obligations in a timely manner, but it would be better to do it well. We won't be the first country to ask for an extension and then at least the congressmen could read this law.

German (@germread) [es] refers to the term “pupitrazo” [es] while talking about the same topic on Twitter:

Hoy aprendí en mi visita al congreso la palabra #pupitrazo, Dícese de de congresistas que aprueban leyes #lleras sin leerlas y discutirlas.

Today during my visit to congress I learned the word #pupitrazo, which is used when congressmen approve laws #lleras without reading or discussing them.

The blog Hyperconectado [es] titled an article “The New Lleras Law” [es] and puts forward a series of questions for the government, including:

¿Por qué tan rápido quieren la aprobación? o ¿Por qué el gobierno no quiere una discusión abierta y transparente sobre el tema?

Why do they want to pass this so quickly? Or, why does the government not want open and transparent discussion on this subject?

Geraldine Juárez at ALTI040 compares this law against others [es] and finds an interesting similarity, a “coincidence,” in how they have been presented for debate:

No es una casualidad que Ley Sinde, Ley Lleras, SOPA, etc…compartan la peculiar característica de la prisa. Su objetivo es excluir el debate público para evitar que sus abusivos fines y colusión de los gobiernos con las corporaciones, sean expuestas.

It isn't a coincidence that the Sinde Law, Lleras Law, SOPA, etc. share a peculiar rushed feeling in their approval process. Their objective is to exclude public debate in order to avoid exposure of their abusive fines and the collusion of governments and corporations.

Finally, from the blog El Kilo, Arias publishes an open letter [es] to the Colombian congress, concluding with this call to accounting:

Si le queda dignidad, señor congresista, al menos discuta el proyecto, y tómese un rato para informarse acerca de lo que está legislando, antes de ponerle su firma.

Mr Congressman, if you still have some dignity, please at least discuss the proposal and take some time to inform yourself about what you are legislating, before putting down your signature.

Colombia: FARC Announces End to Kidnappings, Release of Hostages

Stephen Cairns — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:29:38 +0000

The FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), the largest and oldest guerilla group in Colombia, recently announced on February 26 [es], 2012, that they would release ten military hostages currently being held captive. The group had suspended a previously scheduled release of 6 hostages last year after denouncing ongoing military operations.

Through this announcement the FARC reported that they would renounce kidnapping as a financing means and emphasized their desire to stop the war which has been ongoing for 48 years. This news naturally has set off reactions among several citizen mediums, national and international.

And despite it only being several weeks since their announced desire to end the war, the FARC continues making news for its violence [es], having an armed protest strike in the department of Choco, where serious problems [es] springing from the conflict have been expressed on Twitter with the hashtag #EL_CHOCÓ_NECESITA_PAZ (Choco needs peace) [es]. In addition there continue to be reported various confrontations with the armed forces in Cauca and other regions of Colombia.

March against FARC, February 4, 2008. Photo by Juan David Medina (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

In the meantime, preparations for the upcoming liberation of the ten hostages have been announced.

The website Colombia Soy Yo (I am Colombia), founded in 2008 by a group of civilians whose mission is “Constructing a Colombia without armed outlaw groups, pushing responsible, collective action based on human development,” have promoted campaigns like “Today is Your Day: Second Message Marathon for Reconciliation and Freedom,” [es] mentioning the FARC communication and repeat their petition [es] for the liberation of six hostages.

They conclude with this emphatic statement:

Junto a las Voces del Secuestro y otras organizaciones aliadas, seguiremos insistiendo y estamos dispuestos incluso, a ir hasta lo más profundo de la selva, para traerlos de regreso con sus familias

Together with the Voices of the Kidnapped and other allied organized we will continue pushing for this and we're even prepared to go to the darkest depths of the jungle to bring the kidnapped back to their families.

In the blog Atrabilioso [es], the columnist Jorge Monroy believes that past kidnappings are still crimes that should be judged:

¿es posible creerles a las FARC? No importa, lo único que hay que hacer es aplicar las leyes y llevarlos ante la justicia

Is it possible to believe the FARC? It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that the laws be enforced and the kidnappers brought before justice.

At the website Silla Vacía (Empty Chair), Juanita León and Dora Carvajal make an analysis [es] of the current state of the FARC and conclude with a discouraging vision for peace in Colombia:

En este complejo escenario del conflicto, se abre con el anuncio de las Farc de proscribir el secuestro una pequeña ventana para ir aminorando el sufrimiento de los civiles víctimas de esta guerra. Pero el fin de la guerra aún está lejos.

In this complex scenario, a small window of hope can be seen with the FARC's announcement to ban kidnapping, reducing the suffering for civilian victims of the war. But the end of the war remains far off.

On the blog Quartely Américas, Jenny Manrique opens with the question “Will all hostages go free?” and ends her post saying [es]:

Mucho se ha hablado acerca de las retenciones de personas, hombres o mujeres de la población civil, que con fines financieros efectuamos las FARC a objeto de sostener nuestra lucha. Con la misma voluntad indicada arriba es un buen momento para mirar la complejidad del secuestro y a las víctimas en su totalidad. Un país que jerarquiza a sus víctimas, también se acostumbra a olvidarlas.

A lot has been said about holding people, civilian men or women, hostage as a means of financing FARC and their fight. With the same intention as expressed above, it is a good moment to look at the complexity of kidnappings and their victims. A country that ranks its victims is also accustomed to forgetting them.

The historian Medófilo Medina (founding member of the blog Razón Pública [es]) made a video analysis on YouTube and indicates this is a opportune moment for the government to make a lasting peace:

On Twitter, some like Cavib77 (@cavib77) [es] and Diana Urrutia H (@DiiuUrrutia) [es] are taking the news with hope for the future:

De corazón espero q las FARC cumplan su anuncio de no más SECUESTROS y se de la pronta liberación de todos los secuestrados militares o civiles.

From the bottom of my heart I hope that the FARC fulfill their announcement of no more kidnappings and quickly release all of the hostages, military or civilian.

Buenos días, leyendo el anuncio de las Farc, se incrementa mi esperanza en el fin de la violencia que ha golpeado tanto a Colombia

Good morning, reading the announcement from FARC and my hope has increased that the violence which has struck Colombia will end

Meanwhile others are incredulous and critical of the FARC's announcement, such as Andrés Gutiérrez (@andresmgs) [es] and Charles Figueroa (@CharlesFiguero) [es]:

Las FARC dicen que “no habrá mas secuestros” y como muestra de sus intenciones de paz bombardean Cauca, peor aun hay payasos que les creen!!

The FARC says “There will be no more kidnappings” and then show their peaceful intentions by bombing Cauca, you're worse than a fool if you believe them!

¿Qué estará tramando las FARC con su sorpresivo anuncio de paz y reconciliación?

What is the FARC up to with this surprise peace and reconciliation announcement?

Sergio Rodríguez V. (@Sergi_Rodriguez) [es] started a call for the end, demanding commitment from the FARC:

Ya son 14 años secuestrado por las FARC… No mas secuestro… #LiberenlosYA

Now we've lived through 14 years of FARC kidnappings… No more kidnappings… #LiberenlosYA (FreeThemNOW)

Juanito Alimaña (@CuadroAlfonso) [es] for her part criticized what happened in Choco and accused the FARC of holding hostage not persons but regions of the country:

Las FARC anunciaron que dejarán la práctica del secuestro de personas y dieron paso al secuestro de departamentos enteros.

The FARC announced they will stop their practice of kidnapping people and will instead kidnap whole departments.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (@JuanManSantos) [es], one of the first to spread the news, reacted to it on Twitter this way:

Valoramos el anuncio de las FARC de renunciar al secuestro como un paso importante y necesario pero no suficiente en la dirección correcta

We value the FARC's announcement of giving up kidnapping as an important and necessary though insufficient step in the right direction.

Finally analysts on the blog Razón Pública provided a positive vision for peace [es]:

Tanto el gobierno como las FARC han dado pasos importantes. El reto es definir la hoja de ruta hacia la paz. Colombia puede inspirarse en sus procesos anteriores, en la experiencia de numerosos países y en el nuevo escenario mundial. La negociación entre gobierno e insurgencia será imprescindible, pero hay tareas básicas más allá de la mesa de los diálogos. De hecho el proceso de paz ya está en marcha

Both the government and the FARC have made important steps. The challenge is now defining the roadmap to peace. Here Colombia can be inspired by previous processes, the experience of numerous other countries and the new world stage. The negotiation between the government and the insurgency will be unprecedented but there are basic tasks beyond the negotiating table. This means the peace process is now on its way.

Internet Radio and Podcasts from Ecuador

Stephen Cairns — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:04:58 +0000

All links lead to Spanish-language websites unless otherwise noted

Campus Party Quito was held after the Free Culture Congress in October 2011 in Quito, Ecuador [en] (see reports here). In a previous post [en] we shared some video interviews with people present at that event. We are presenting a few more of these people because they showcase internet radio and podcasts from Ecuador.

We start with the team at Radialistas, an entrepreneurial company that now has had more than 10 years of production and distribution of radio content by traditional mediums and the internet. In addition, they organized the Free Culture Congress. Unfortunately due to scheduling complications we were not able to speak directly but from their own words on their website we learn about their mission:

Nuestra misión es contribuir a la democratización de las comunicaciones, especialmente de la radio, desde las perspectivas de género y ciudadanía. Somos un centro de producción al servicio de radialistas de todos los continentes, priorizando América Latina y el Caribe.

Our mission is to contribute to the democratization of communication, especially radio communication, from citizen and gender perspectives. We are a production service center for broadcasters and content producers around the world, with special focus on Latin America and the Caribbean.

In their website we can find a lot of material, from videos to radio productions organized by subject: Culture, Harmony, Ecology, Training, Human Rights, Women, Gender, Sexuality and Specials. But they also have a very interesting section on books and guides: Must-read Guide for Content Producers, Sexual and Reproductive Rights Guide, Citizen Radio, Guide for Technically Illiterate Content Producers and more.

As an example of their radio productions we are sharing this audio clip (link includes audio transcript in Spanish) titled “The Secret of the Herbs. Tsáchilas or painted indians, the best folk healers of Ecuador” from their series “Living Roots“. You can also find Radialistas on Facebook and Twitter.

THE SECRET OF THE HERBS
Radialistas.net

Another initiative that has to be mentioned with internet radio in Ecuador is Radio Turismo Ecuador. As their name indicates, they publish content on tourism in Ecuador and have been doing so for a little over a year. Here they share their mission:

Difundimos y promocionamos la imagen de Ecuador, un país de gente amable y emprendedora; de riqueza étnica, natural y cultural, e impulsamos a través del Centro de Negocios y Servicios Turísticos de la Radio, actividades directa e indirectamente vinculadas con la industria del turismo.

We spread and promote the positive image of Ecuador, a country of a friendly and industrious people and a richness of ethnicities, culture, and nature. Through our Business Center and Radio Tourist Services we seek to boost activities directly and indirectly linked to the tourism industry.

Radio Turismo Ecuador was present at Campus Party and broadcast a special 5 hour program from there. There is a summary of highlights on their website. Because of their participation in Campus Party we were able to meet with them, including their manager Mayra Clavijo:

Even though their productions are made for online streaming, there are some programs available as downloadable podcasts. You can follow Radio Turismo Ecuador on Facebook and Twitter. An excellent example of their work is the program “Interview with Carlos Nuñez,” where Nuñez skeaps about his findings on the migrations from Ecuador to Central America and Mexico.

And finally we want to highlight more traditional podcasts that have a style similar to blogging. Adrian Paliz, Dennis Pazmiño and Diego Cevallos have created a group of podcasts, now numbering 20, which they call Ctrl Alt Freak:

…es un podcast quincenal, que de forma divertida y un tanto freak, habla de temas de actualidad acerca de tecnología, internet en general, software, series, cine, video juegos y demás temas a fines. Los temas que este podcast trata, son el compendio de lo mas relevante y comentando en la semana, así como también de temas que por su importante “recuerdo”, no lo pasamos por alto.

..it is a biweekly podcast that tries to be fun and freaky. We speak on current news related to technology, internet, software, TV series, movies, video games, and other interesting subjects. The topics we address in this podcast are a summary of the most relevant things and what people are commenting on during the week, as well as some subjects that are worth remembering.

During Campus Party, we were able to speak with Dennis about how Ctrl Alt Freak came about, what they do to keep it going and more.

In their last podcast they covered some interesting subjects. During their “Music” section they speak about open database Musicbrainz, which is collaboratively maintained by users. In their “Our Listeners” section they read comments made on their blog, social networks and podcast broadcasting services. Their third section spoke about developments on the internet front, discussing SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), which was being pushed forward in the U.S. Congress:

Ctrl Alt Freak has a presence on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

If you know of more great podcasts from Ecuador, leave us a comment with the details.

Post originally published on the personal blog [es] of Juan Arellano.

Special thanks to Amara and Global Voices contributors Sole Biestro, Verónica Sabalete, Helen, IngridHG, MomoFloyd11, Juliana Rincón, and Vipin_11 for transcribing and subtitling the videos in this post.

Nicaragua: Telecom Company CLARO Censors Clients

Stephen Cairns — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:31:44 +0000

This past November 29, some less-than-satisfied customers decided to start a blog complaining about the telecommunications company CLARO Nicaragua [es], a subsidiary of América Móvil consortium which belongs to the most wealthy man in the world, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helú. The blog is called Claro que NO! [es], a play on words in Spanish meaning ‘of course not,’ and describes the bad service and worse treatment of customers by CLARO employees.

However in less than 3 days the company responded to this initiative by blocking the website [es] hoping to impede dissatisfied clients from freely expressing themselves on the internet. Many users have manifested their objections toward this on blogs, Twitter and Facebook.

Blogger Juan Ortega was one of the first to write about this on his blog juanortega.info [es]:

Esto claramente atenta no solo a la neutralidad de la red, sino que es una clara violación a nuestro derecho de libertad de expresión en cualquier medio, por lo que esperemos que Claro Nicaragua se pronuncie al respecto, y rectifique su error. Mientras tanto, invito a todos mis colegas blogueros, tumbleros, y demás, a que denuncien por cualquier vía lo que está sucediendo, en twitter pueden encontrar mas información, de igual forma se está siguiendo el caso con el hashtag #clarobloqueo.

This is clearly threatening not just net neutrality but is also an obvious violation of our freedom of speech on whatever medium. We hope that Claro Nicaragua acknowledges this and rectifies their error. Meanwhile, I invite all of my fellow bloggers, tumblr users, and others to decry this action through whatever means. On Twitter you can find more info, if you are not doing so already, follow the hashtag #clarobloqueo.

Image for the campaign against the Claro censorship

Also, blogger Adolfo Fitoria [es] comments on the following:

Esto sienta un terrible precedente, en un futuro podrían bloquear a otras empresas competidoras, blogs independientes, alguna aplicación que no les convenga y a como ya hacen: limitar ancho de banda en cierto sitios como youtube.
No esperen ver nada de esto en los medios, no creo que publiquen algo al respecto ya que casi NUNCA critican a esta empresa, que es una de las que mas gasta en publicidad en el país, y los medios escritos que por esta época mueren no tienen otro palo donde ahorcarse.

This feels like a premonition of a terrible future where these companies will block access to competitor companies, independent blogs, some application that doesn't suit them… like we see already where the bandwidth has been limited for some sites like YouTube.

Don't expect to see any of this covered by the media. I don't think they will publish something because they NEVER criticize this company, which is one of the companies that spends the most money on advertising in the country, and print media outlets are now dying and have no other means to survive.

Leandro Gómez on his blog comuNIdad [es] continues with a similar thought:

Esta acción ilegal de parte de Claro Nicaragua puede representar el comienzo de una nueva era para los ciudadanos digitales en Nicaragua. Si esta empresa, una organización privada extranjera, no tiene el menor reparo en prohibirte visitar sitios que los critican abiertamente, el día de mañana podrían comenzar a bloquear otros sitios; por presiones políticas, por conveniencia económica, o porque simplemente les dió las ganas, y nosotros, los ciudadanos de este país no vamos a poder hacer absolutamente nada.

This illegal action on the part of Claro Nicaragua could represent the start of a new era for the digital citizens of Nicaragua. If this company, a private foreign enterprise, does not have the least reservation in denying access to openly critical sites, the day may come when they will start blocking other sites to exert political pressure, to improve their financials, or just for kicks… and we, the citizens of this country, will not be able to do a single thing in response.

The blogosphere has not been the only place to strongly reject CLARO's heavy-handed measure; social networks like Twitter (@CQN_Nicaragua) and Facebook have been used to broadcast to others what is happening.

Nicaraguan bloggers united their voices to denounce the action on social networks and due to their persistence received a response from CLARO. The response which is less than convincing alleges that they didn't block anything, rather the website's server settings caused the problem. The website administrator for claroqueno.com responded by stating that at no point were there server settings to block incoming traffic from CLARO subscribers.

For their part, on December 13 the official Twitter account of @ClaroNicaragua [es] maintained:

@evialejandrina As we have already indicated to@nim_rod, we did not block that page. There's no problem on our side.

Marketing director for CLARO Nicaragua published an article [es] in the daily La Prensa that same day, citing the vandalism and defamation of companies that happens on social networks via fake, anonymous accounts. Even though the marketing director did not refer to the specific claroqueno.com situation, the article was very negatively received by Nicaragua's netizens.

The independent blogger movement was the only group to denounce the act; traditional media did not publish anything on the censorship applied by CLARO Nicaragua.

On December 25, CLARO Nicaragua lifted the access block, once again allowing CLARO subscribers to visit the website. On Twitter, ClaroQueNo (@CQN_Nicaragua) celebrated:

Ganamos! aparentemente @claronicaragua al fín enmendó su error y levantaron el bloqueo. Por favor entren a http://claroqueno.com y confirmen

We won! So apparently @claronicaragua mended their ways at last and lifted the site block. Please visit http://claroqueno.com and confirm!

In an article published [es] in the paper El Nuevo Diario on Wednesday December 28 by journalist Oliver Gómez, CLARO Nicaragua recognized the block but alleged it had taken such action because of the defamation and lies about CLARO which were published on the website. The Corporate Communications Manager Azalia Salmerón said: “we respect the freedom of expresson but not defamation or licentious behavior.”

The group Claro que NO! celebrated its victory and has confirmed its continued commitment to working with dissatisfied users; its Twitter and Facebook page as well as its website continue to be active, receiving new complaints to publish.

Colombia: El Puente_lab Making a Difference in Moravia, Medellin

Stephen Cairns — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:46:06 +0000

In the thriving city of Medellín, Colombia, project Hiperbarrio [es] (a Rising Voices grantee) and several more interesting initiatives are in development, focusing on social inclusion and citizen media training. One of the new projects is El Puente_lab [es], a production platform for art and culture. They define their objectives as [es]:

desarrollar proyectos culturales en el ámbito local, creando puentes de comunicación con artistas y expertos a través una infraestructura operativa de cooperación internacional.
Los proyectos que desarrolla el puente_lab responden a necesidades especificas del contexto social donde se realizan, utilizando la creatividad artística como instrumento de activación de dinámicas culturales que inicien, faciliten y/o acompañen procesos de educación, comunicación y transformación urbana y social.

[to] develop cultural projects on a local level, building bridges of communication with artists and experts through a strategy of international cooperation.
The projects developed by el puente_lab meet the specific needs of the social context where they are carried out, using artistic creativity as a tool of activation of cultural projects that initiate, facilitate and/or accompany processes of education, communication and urban and social transformation.

Moravia, Medellín. Photo compilation from Flickr user Archivo_vivo (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Among their projects is Proyecto Espacios de Memoria (memory spaces) [es]: “artistic interventions in the public space of the Moravia neighborhood in Medellín. These interventions will serve to communicate to Moravia's inhabitants at first place and to the public in general, the importance of the neighborhood’s urban and social development and urban transformation during the past years”; and Nodos de Desarrollo Cultural (cultural development nodes) [es], that tries to “tackle the lack of cultural spaces in a marginalized densely populated neighborhood, and in addition, work under the condition of a low budget, using recycled materials and strict conditions of use of public space.”

Moravia is a neighborhood in northeast Medellín sharing a common story with other neighborhoods in Latin America. As this article [es] explains:

During the 70s and 80s, [Medellín] received a tidal wave of provincial, rural displaced Colombians that settled in a haphazard manner, setting up shacks on top of a landfill next to the bus station. This encampment received the name ‘El Morro de Moravia’ (Hill of Moravia). [...] [Later] a complete intervention project began that involved different action stages: relocation of inhabitants, decontamination and recovery of Morro as a public space.

The blog G4Moravia reports [es] additional characteristics of this neighborhood:

Moravia y su área cercana son hogar de miles de familias que surgieron con el crecimiento de Medellín, principalmente con el auge de las grandes empresas manufactureras y de construcción. También ha sido la puerta de otros grupos familiares que llegaron principalmente desde el norte y el Urabá antioqueños, los departamentos de Córdoba y Chocó y que encontraron alternativas de subsistencia en la economía formal e informal de la ciudad. [...] Por la manera como se urbanizó, Moravia es un sistema urbano de configuración cerrada, que propicia el “desarrollo hacia adentro” de la vida comunitaria de sus habitantes, presenta una malla urbana laberíntica y poco permeable desde y hacia la ciudad.

Moravia and the surrounding area is home to thousands of families that have grown as Medellín has expanded, mainly due to the boom of the large manufacturing and construction companies. Also it has been a gateway for other families arriving from the north and Urabá, the departments of Córdoba and Chocó, as these families encounter alternatives to subsistence living through the city's formal and informal economy. [...] Due to the way it has grown, Moravia is a closed configuration urban system, which helped in the introverted development of the communal life, creating a labyrinthine urban mesh difficult to navigate or visit from the city.

In this environment the projects of El Puente_lab have been developed. Daniel Urrea [es], one of the members of the Puente_lab group, spoke with Global Voices about what Puente_lab is doing currently:

Given that this video dates from April, the date of the project mentioned by Daniel working with girls from Moravia is currently nearing completion. The blog Moravia Video_Lab [es] has information and news on the workshops and what has been accomplished so far. In their About us [es], they state:

El proyecto pretende capacitar en video a un grupo de 20 mujeres del barrio Moravia a través de talleres que tendrán lugar entre el 16 de Agosto y la primera semana de Septiembre, liderados por las artistas María Rosa Jijón y Margarita Vázquez Ponte [...] Será un proceso en el que chicas entre los 12 y los 17 años aprenderán a registrar y editar video, pero además será un espacio para reflexionar en torno a su rol como mujeres.

The project attempts to build up and train, on video, a group of 20 women from the Moravia neighborhood through workshops taking place between August 16 and the first week of September. These workshops are led by artists María Rosa Jijón [es] and Margarita Vázquez Ponte [es] [...] It will be a process for the girls between 12 and 17 years old to learn how to record and edit video, but it will also be a chance for reflection by these women in their gender role.

You can also visit their Flickr site and Vimeo video channel, where 10 videos from the workshops are already uploaded, including this one:

Finally, Margarita Vázquez Ponte, the visual artist and one of the facilitators of the training classes, wrote on her blog [es] about her experiences in Medellín and the workshops. In one post [es] she relates her impressions from the final socialization session of the project:

Bueno, ¿qué puedo decir? todo, el taller, la presentación, fue como que un éxito, las chicas eran una mezcla de turbación y orgullo de ver sus trabajos en público y en pantalla grande, creo que fue empoderador para ellas ver cuánto podían hacer en tan poco tiempo. Todas recibieron certificados por su trabajo. ¿Qué nos piden ahora? Están dispuestas a hacer más… lo que es excelente y espero suceda…

Well what can I say, it the whole thing, the workshop, the presentation was a bit of a success I think, the girls are a mixture of embarrassed and very proud to see their work in public and on a big screen,; I think it was very empowering for them to see how much they could do in such a short time. They all received certificates for their work. They ask us what now? They are keen to do more…which is great and hopefully will happen…

Global Voices Author Catalina Restrepo supported the El Puente_lab workshops in Moravia and helped compile much of the information in this post.

The image used in this post is a photo composition from Flickr user Archivo_vivo used under the license CC BY-SA 2.0.

Beatriz Arze helped subtitle the videos in this post.

Blog Carnival: Mexico – Verbalizing the Violence

Stephen Cairns — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:17:31 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.

After reading the 36 participating blogs for the Blog Carnival: Mexico – Citizenry, Violence and Blogs, there is little doubt that despite everything that has been written, commented and analyzed on the subject of violence in Mexico, there is still more to be said. In posting on their individual perspectives of the violence, some have struggled with putting it into words. This has been an exercise in exorcizing, processing and transforming the violence. By doing this, it is hoped the vicious cycle is broken for the next generations. It is generating not just acts of resistance and protest, but also steps to avoid future violence. It's not a secret: violence will not be condoned; it will not easily be legitimized.

#nosoncifras @tienennombre. From Lockerz.com user Daniel Gershenson http://lockerz.com/s/121154026

Verbalizing the violence.

We start the collection of posts submitted to the Carnival with “A Shout of Pain” [es] from Ana Lilia Rodríguez Olvera in her blog Poeterno (en honor al arte). She lets us know: “The following text was written as a scream of desperation and releases the tremendous anger I have against the attackers of my grandfather…”:

Seguramente tú los perdonaste, de fe, de ley, los perdonaste porque así eres tú, pasible y seguro, y maravillosamente empático. Pero yo no los perdono, yo no soy capaz de decir ya ni modo, la resignación llegará, la resignación es una vaga consecuencia de nuestra historia por el mundo. Yo no los perdono porque te mataron a ti de cuerpo y a mí de alma. ¿Cómo puede perdonar un cuerpodesalmado? ¿Cómo puede perdonar un árbol seco?

Surely you forgave them, out of faith, out of respect for the law, you forgave them. That is how you were before it happened, calm and confident, marvelously empathetic. But I don't forgive them. I'm not capable of saying those words. Though eventually resignation will come; resignation is one of the undeniable facts of life. I don't forgive them. They killed you; they took your body and a part of my soul. How can a person without a part of their soul forgive? How can a dried up heart forgive?

If some of us deny forgiveness of recent events, others deny forgetting of these events. This is what we are told [es] in the blog Papás DF by Diana Medina through references to recent events, and her words “The news story shelf life has already expired. The news is from last week and for the modern news cycle, where what happened an hour ago on Twitter is ‘old news', what happened the past May 31st is far from our consciousness. For this reason I'm writing. So that we don't forget this event.”

Los niños y niñas que vivieron la balacera en Monterrey siempre la van a recordar. Hay una generación de futuros ciudadanos que tienen en sus recuerdos actos violentos dentro de su país, su casa de identidad cultural. Por otro lado están los niños y niñas que viven otra realidad, como si vivieran en otro país, pero que han aprendido desde pequeños que el país ya perdió, que la violencia nos derrotó ¿Cuál será el futuro de esta generación en la que la idea de su país se quebrantó? Esa es la que me preocupa.

Children that survived the shooting in Monterrey will keep remembering it. There will be an entire generation of future citizens with memories of violence in their country, forming a part of them, a part of their personal identity. On the other hand though there are children that live in another reality, as if they were living in another country. These children have learned since they were young that the country has already been lost and that the violence has beaten us. What do you suppose will be the future of a generation of people that already believe the country is broken? This is what worries me.

Also discussing the forgotten, Daniela Pérez Michel reflects [es] on her blog La Trinchera. The act of forgetting in her post is not voluntary; it has been imposed:

Decir que duele es repetitivo. Oímos, leemos y vemos a diario el rostro del dolor en una provocación mediática diaria, que se nutre de una pantomima escandalosa sobre un deber ser democrático de palabras efímeras y vacías. Tan sumamente vacías, que se congratulan de acuerdos sobre dejar de informar entre medios que cuentan entre sus publicaciones periódicas, aquellas que muestran las imágenes despedazadas y crueles del #Mexicorojo.

Saying that it hurts is redundant. We hear, we read, we see daily the face of pain in a constant media onslaught that nurtures a scandalous fiction about what must it mean to be a democratic nation in ephemeral, empty words. So empty that the there is a self-congratulatory agreement among the media to not report on what is happening. This media releases publications that show cruel, shattered images of #RedMexico.

Leonor Reyes Pavón on the blog El Gallinero Revuelto writes [es] about the daily violence and the effect that violent images have, despite the fact that the writer lives in an area that hasn't suffered as much as the rest of the country:

¿Como no vamos a vivir con miedo, si estas imágenes son el pan de cada día? Es cierto, ahora la tecnología nos permite muchas veces enterarnos rápido de lo que esta pasando, sin duda también es usada irresponsablemente lo que fomenta el miedo y la incertidumbre, recuerdo por ejemplo cuando estuvieron hace un par de meses los narcobloqueos en Guadalajara y las balaceras, por lo que leía realmente me asuste y en seguida me puse en contacto con dos amigos muy queridos, resulto que no era tan grave como parecía, aunque en el momento por la información que circula, no siempre responsablemente, se crea un panico generalizado. Sin duda hay casos exitosos como #reynosafollow en twitter o El Blog del Narco que buscan ayudar a informar a la sociedad de manera veraz de lo que esta aconteciendo en el país.

How can we not go on living in fear, if we're fed these violent images with our breakfast every day? Of course, technology lets us find out what is going on much quicker now. There is little doubt it is used irresponsibly when it spreads fear and uncertainty. I remember for example a few months ago when there were roadblocks by criminal organizations in Guadalajara and shootings. When I read the news I really was scared. I immediately got in contact with some close friends near the violence. It turned out it wasn't as bad as it seemed although at the time the information being published, rather irresponsibly, created a general panic. However there are good counter-examples of responsible reporting such as #renosafollow on Twitter or Blog del Narco that try to keep people informed in a truthful manner about what is going on right now in our country.

Ernesto Priego on #SinLugar, goes a little further and speaks about weapons and drug trafficking [es], a traditional source of violence:

¿De qué manera hemos normalizado el papel definitivo del acceso a las armas en el conflicto de la droga en México? ¿Cuáles son los peligros de acostumbrarnos a su presencia y apariencia, y hasta cuando lo vamos a tolerar? ¿Cuándo quedará claro quiénes son los verdaderos culpables de que el periodismo cotidiano se haya vuelto una nota roja permanente?

In what way have we normalized the accepted role of access to guns in the drug conflict in Mexico? What are some of the dangers of getting used to their presence and visibility? Until what point will we tolerate them? When will it be clear that the truly guilty ones are the daily papers and media that seem to be becoming sensational, tabloid news?

El Grupo de Información en Reproducción Elegida AC (GIRE) brings [es] us another aspect of the violence, the women that suffer:

A las mujeres en este país se las agrede por el solo hecho de ser mujeres. La Ley General de Acceso a las Mujeres a una Vida Libre de Violencia define esta violencia como “cualquier acción u omisión, basada en su género, que les cause daño o sufrimiento psicológico, físico, patrimonial, económico, sexual o la muerte tanto en el ámbito privado como en el público”.

The women in this country are being hurt just by being women. The General Access Law of A Violence-Free Life for Women defines violence as “whatever action or omission, based on gender, that causes women psychological, physical, economic, sexual damage and/or suffering, including death, as much in a private setting as in a public one.”

This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.

Editor's Note: Due to the article's length and to make it easier for you the reader, we have decided to publish this article in several parts. This is the first part, shortly the second part will be available.

Colombia: Citizens Speak Out Against Government Corruption

Stephen Cairns — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:37:50 +0000

In Colombia several cases of corruption have surfaced over the past year. Dating to events that happened during the two terms of former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez, these cases include legal action against several high-ranking members and lower functionaries of Uribe's government.

For example, there was a case over the scandal involving the Agricultural Subsidies Insurance (AIS, initials in Spanish). A program supposedly destined to rejuvenate the agriculture sector through subsidies to small agricultural companies, yet the reality was that its public resources have gone to large agro-industrial companies, major landowners, and even certain AIS employee relatives.

Corruption caricature by Tomaz Garzia (CC BY-NC 2.5)

Another case is the multi-million dollar embezzlement by the Nule brothers Miguel, Manuel Francisco y Guido) [es], who received government construction and other infrastructure contracts and still have not fulfilled them. Supposedly endorsed by the former mayor Samuel Moreno Rojas and his brother Nestor Iván [es] (now defendants in their own corruption cases) the Nules are alleged to have made illegal payments during the government's contracting process in order to improve their company's chances.

Also being tried for corruption and other crimes are Bernardo Moreno, former secretary general for Uribe [es], and María del Pilar Hurtado [es], former director of the government intelligence service DAS, for the illegal wiretapping of reporters, individuals, and members of the Colombian Supreme Court.

And in the past month the discovery of several multi-million dollar embezzlements have been announced: at the national office of customs and taxes (DIAN, initials in Spanish), at the national healthcare program (EPS in Spanish) and at the regulating and enforcement entity for controlled substances.

Internet reactions to these corruption cases have been plentiful.

Pedro Restrepo (@pepar1950) makes a reference [es] to Uribe's connection to Andrés Felipe Arias, former agriculture minister during Uribe's government, and a longtime friend of Uribe:

Los próximos talleres democráticos los tendrá que hacer Álvaro Uribe en la Cárcel La Picota. Allá están casi todos sus amigos.

The next test of our democracy will have to be putting Uribe in the Prison La Picota. That is where almost all his friends are now!

Aleja Villota (@Aleja_Villota) writes [es] against the justices in these corruption cases:

Ningún poder del estado es inefable e infalible; la majestad dela justicia que se presupone omnipotente, huele a dictadura de jueces parcializados

No power of the state is infallible or ineffable; the justices that presume themselves omnipotent have themselves a whiff of that dictatorship of partisan, biased judges

Carlos F. Masmela (@pipemasmela) mentions [es] the recent fate of two close collaborators of the former President (Andrés Felipe Arias is called Uribito or little Uribe):

¡Dos golpes muy fuertes para Uribe en la misma semana, primero Uribito y Hoy Bernardo Moreno le dieron medida de aseguramiento en su contra!

Two heavy blows against Uribe in the same week, first Urbito and now Bernardo Moreno is being held as a flight risk!

Juan Manuel López on the website Kien & Ke [es] analyzes and discusses the facts [es] against the former president:

No parece difícil establecer que los escándalos cuyos protagonistas son sus subalternos no pudieron ser desconocidos por quien se preciaba y demostraba tener la información y el control sobre todo lo que sus funcionarios manejaban. Que él no acabe vinculado con nada de ello, parece imposible.

It doesn't seem difficult to establish the criminals in these scandals are being indicted for the actions of their subordinates, actions that had to have been known by people who prided themselves in being aware of everything, even flaunting their control and ability know in detail what their subordinates did. That Uribe has not been linked with any of this seems impossible.

Carlos Iván Zuluaga (@oizuluaga), an integral part of the national political party Partido Social de Unidad Nacional, commonly called Party of the “U”, (and led by Uribe), writes [es] in favor of DIAN and Uribe:

En el gobierno Uribe la DIAN avanzó contra la evasión y la corrupción con el programa MUISCA. EL recaudo entre 2002 y 2010 se triplicó

Uribe's government made advances against corruption and tax evasion with its MUISCA program. The collections from 2002 to 2010 tripled!

Henry D. Carrión (@HDCARRIONG) cites [es] various instances of corruption:

INJUSTO, DESCARADO, CARA DURAS LOS DE LA DIAN DEFINITIVAMENTE NIDO DE LADRONES y pensando que solo eran los NULE y Combo Moreno

WRONG, SHAMLESS, SCOUNDRELS, EMPLOYEES OF DIAN DEFINITELY A PACK OF THIEVES and I was thinking it was just the Brothers Nule and Combo Moreno

Jorge Ángel (@jotangelito) responds to news from the RCN Radio Twitter account with one of the most repeated hashtags on Twitter in recent days:#puestoparauribe:

@rcnlaradio: El Ex Presidente Uribe afirma que hay un ambiente que su gobierno fue corrupto” ¿Ambiente? ¡Una absoluta claridad! #puestoparauribe

@rcnlaradio:The Ex President Uribe confirms there were suspicions of corruption in his government” Supicions? An absolute certainty!

In the blog Atrabilioso [es], Jorge Monroy says this is an attack [es] against Uribe and his people:

Un ataque combinado desde todos los frentes imaginables. Los más relevantes que puedo describir en este momento son los que provienen de los medios de comunicación, de la rama judicial, del Ejecutivo, del bloque bolivariano, de las FARC y de los miembros civiles políticamente activos que representan los intereses del terrorismo.

A combined attack on all possible fronts. The most notable that I can describe right now are those coming from the media, from the judicial branch, from the Executive branch, from the Bolivarian block, from the FARC and politically active civilians that represent terrorist interests.

Reporter Claudia López (@CLOPEZanalista) writes about the parliamentary immunity proposal [es] for the Colombian senate which has started to generate several comments:

El que la debe la teme. Senador Conservador Juan Manuel Corzo propone INMUNIDAD parlamentaria. ¿Teme investigación por narco- política?

Someone is acting scared. Conservative Senator Juan Manuel Corzo proposes parliamentary IMMUNITY. Is he afraid of an investigation into narco-political ties?

All of this has caused the launch of several pages on Facebook such as “Una Colombia sin corruptos, es posible” / Colombia corruption free is possible [es], or “Marcha de los antifaces” / Masked March [es] - a new movement [es] that is promoting a non-partisan march against corruption, which will be led by the writer Gustavo Bolívar and TV actors but which was born on Twitter [es].

The movement has uploaded several videos [es] to YouTube where they invite citizens to participate [es]:

Chile: Nurse Expedites Organ Transport Using Twitter

Stephen Cairns — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 20:06:40 +0000

Cristina Bizama (@cristi_enf), a nurse at Talca hospital in Chile, has devised a way to speed up the transport of organs for transplant from Talca to the capital, Santiago, some 260 kilometers away (162 miles). It all started with a tweet sent the night of April 12, 2011:

Increíble, No existe forma de llevar 5 organos a scl [Santiago]

Incredible! There's no way to transport 5 organs to Santiago

According to the online daily El Dinamo [es] the nurse was referring to two kidneys, a liver, and a heart that were ready for transport to the capital but the means didn't exist to do it at that moment.

New wing of Talca Hospital (Flickr: Besser, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Action through tweets

The Twitter community sprang into immediate action.

One of the first users to raise the alarm was programmer Felipe Zúñiga who wrote to various media, entertainment and government Twitter accounts:

@felipezuniga_: En Talca hay 5 órganos listos para donación y la Fuerza Aérea no dispone de avión hasta mañana AM. Hagamos campaña…

@felipezuniga_: In Talca there are 5 donor organs ready for transplant and the Air Force [es] doesn't have a single plane available until tomorrow morning. Lets make people aware of this

Member of Parliament Rubilar (@karlarubilar) was one of the first people to respond to the call for action and followed up as can be seen in the following series of tweets (1, 2, 3):

@felipezuniga_ de donde sacaron esa info??? Puede informarme mas?

@felipezuniga_ where did you get this info??? Please tell me more?

@cristi_enf que necesitan? Que le digo al ministro?

@cristi_enf What do you need? I will tell the minister

@FelipefromChile super! Yo llame al ministro @allamand! Para que hablen con la Fach [Fuerza Aérea de Chile]

@FelipefromChile great! I called the minister @allamand! So that they'll talk with the Fach [Chilean Air Force]

Luego Felipe Zúñiga (@felipezuniga_) was thankful:

Me avisan q a través del Ministerio de Defensa se está coordinando el traslado de órganos. GRACIAS A TODOS!!!

They told me that through the Defense Minister's help the organ transport is being coordinated. THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!

However, the parliament member reported to El Dínamo [es] that both the Health Minister (Jaime Mañalich) and Defense Minister (Andrés Allamand) had been contacted, besides the transplant coordinator, within the hour that the organs became available. They planned for the organs to move the following day though this would have caused problems with compatibility tests for recipients.

One of those involved in the organ transport effort, Health Ministry nurse, Felipe Cortés (@FelipefromChile), related what happened on Twitter:

@FelipefromChile: @karlarubilar Yo trabajo para el Minsal [Ministerio de Salud] y estoy haciendo contactos para agilizar traslado. Gracias por apoyar con sus llamadas a Talca!

@FelipefromChile: @karlarubilar I work for MinSal [Health Ministry] and I am contacting people to make this organ transport happen. Thank you for the support with your calls to Talca!

Also he reported:

@FelipefromChile: A esta hora de la noche, coordinando con Enfermera de Procuramiento traslado de órganos de donante óptimo desde Talca a SCL @MarcelaAninat

@FelipefromChile: At this time of night, we're coordinating with the Procurement Nurse, the organ transport from the optimal donor in Talca to Santiago @MarcelaAninat

Finally an Air Force [es] plane was made available, but unfortunately because the Institute of Public Health [es] hadn't examined the organs, the transport could not take place until 8 am the next morning, April 13. El Dínamo [es] reported: “We are monitoring the situation through the night, including Minister Mañalich personally.”

Afterwards, parliament member Karla Rubilar (@karlarubilar) let it be known through Twitter:

@karlarubilar: El paciente está estable todo coordinado pa mañana 8 AM x corporacion trasplante. Habrá q evitar las deficiencias logísticas. @jmanalich

@karlarubilar: The patient is in stable condition, everything is prepared for tomorrow morning at 8 am through the Translplant Corporation. We will have to avoid these logistic deficiencies going forward. @jmanalich

She added that it will be important to review the process so that the organ donation system can be streamlined with fewer major delays:

@DanielCastell hay problemas mas allá del traslado. Hay q hacer una seria revisión. La corporacion trasplante no puede ser pariente pobre.

@DanielCastell there are more problems than just the organ transport. There should be a serious review of everything. The Transplant Corporation [es] cannot do a poor job.

After El Dinamo [es] reported on the incident, the Procurement Coordinator for National Transplant Corporation [es], Diego Buchuk, explained that the nurse who raised the problem to public attention on Twitter was not involved in the coordination that was already taking place to collect and transport the organs.

The call for help raised by Cristina Bizama and the later responses of the parliament members and ministers showed the power that exists in a social network like Twitter and the need to review the organ transport procedures.

The network CNN Chile [es] also reported the story, mentioning that this was a “good exercise of social networks”.

This tweet by Felipe Cortés (@FelipefromChile) perfectly summarizes what happened:

Se dan cuenta cómo UN TWEET puede salvar una vida? Cuidemos esta herramienta, gente. #Trasplante #DonaciondeOrganos

Do you realize that ONE TWEET can save a life? Let's take care of this tool, people. #Transplant #OrganDonation

Colombia: Citizens Reject Proposal to Reform Higher Education Law 30

Stephen Cairns — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:59:34 +0000

The proposal of the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, to reform the Higher Education Law 30 of 1992 [es] has not been received well [es]. University students, professors and common citizens agree that the majority of the proposed changes — especially those touching on financial matters and university autonomy — do not help improve the quality of education nor the lives of Colombians.

Before the matter is to be settled in the national congress, opponents of the reform proposal have tried to get the government's attention through meetings to analyze the proposal's impacts in university conferences [es], assemblies and other gatherings to debate the proposal in areas designated by the Education Ministry. A recent large national march [es] has also brought attention to the issue. Organized by Colombian Federation of Educators [es] (FECODE [es]), it took place Thursday, April 7 with students and workers joining together in protest.

The flurry of gatherings has been accompanied by internet chatter on blogs, videos, web pages, and social media networks. Despite there being Colombians that accept the reform proposal, the loudest voices heard, as much online as in the streets, have been the voices of the opposition.

On his blog [es], Sergio Fajardo, vice-presidental candidate in the 2010 elections, makes a general observation while emphasizing the serious and bleak outlook of higher education. He also calls for the debate to stay civil:

(…) No es seria la reforma. No plantea la más mínima sugerencia sobre posibles formas de enfrentar el problema de la deserción que se acerca al 50% de los estudiantes que entran a la Educación Superior. Ni siquiera tiene un estudio de mercadeo para justificar la existencia de los agentes privados que entrarían al negocio. (…)

(…) Somos muchas las personas que tenemos los argumentos y las realizaciones que nos permiten demostrar que la educación pública es crucial para construir una sociedad justa que crea igualdad de oportunidades, lo podemos hacer dando ejemplo de civilidad e inteligencia.

(…) This is not serious reform. You do not propose the weakest option over all of the other possible solutions. Something better is needed to face the problem of drop-out numbers that are nearing 50% of students that enter higher education. Not even having a market study justifies the existence of the private agents entering into the public education business. (…)

(…)We are many people and each have our own motives and competencies which permit us to to show that public education is crucial towards building a fair society that creates equal opportunity, we can be examples of civility and intelligence.

Luis Ángel Pérez Cante in his blog, disapproves [es] of the traditional media for not covering extensively the national day of protest, and also disapproves the weak state of democracy in Colombia:

Si este en realidad fuera un país democrático, los titulares de primera plana se referirían a las multitudinarias manifestaciones de ayer en todo el país donde más de 30000 personas rechazaron políticas gubernamentales del Plan Nacional de Desarrollo del gobierno Santos como su Reforma a la Ley 30 y el manejo a las regalías, además de las políticas educativas que se han venido imponiendo sin ningún consenso y las malas condiciones laborales del Magisterio.

If this really were a democratic nation, the front page headlines would make a reference to yesterday's popular protests all over Colombia where more than 30,000 people rejected the government policies in the National Development Plan under the Santos government including his Reform of Law 30 and the management of privileges, as well as the education policy that has been put into place without the least bit of consensus and the teaching profession's terrible labor conditions.

Jorge Luis Galeano in Hechoencali.com published a video [es] that shows what happened during the march in Cali, Colombia's third largest city. At the same time he relates [es] the positions of the different sides and reports the government's position:

Sin embargo, el Gobierno ha sido reiterativo en decir que las universidades no se van a privatizar y en que el capital privado no tendrá nada que ver en el precio de las matrículas. Lo que busca la reforma, ha dicho la Ministra de Educación María Fernanda Campo, “es hacer que los más de 3 millones 200 mil bachilleres que no han podido ingresar a la educación superior, tengan esa oportunidad ahora

However, the government has been firm in saying that the universities are not going to privatize and that private capital won't influence the cost of enrollment. What the reform is trying to do, the Education Minister Maria Fernanda Campo has said, “is to make those more than 3 million 200 thousand high school graduates that have not been able to access higher education, to have that opportunity now.

Tomáz Garzía in his blog Mundo Desgrafiado, analyses and also explains [es] how students were removed from the University of Antioquia on March 31 by the mobile antiriot squad “ESMAD” [es]:

(…) En menos de quince minutos la policía entró por todas las porterías disparando gases e insultos, con los que metódicamente echaron fuera a todos los que en ese momento se encontraban protestando por la actual reforma a la Ley 30, que regula la educación superior en el país; y, sea dicho de paso, a los que no estaban protestando también los sacaron de la misma forma.

(…) In less than fifteen minutes the police came in through all entrances, launching tear gas and insults, with which they methodically kicked out everyone that was there protesting the current reform of Law 30, which regulates higher education in Colombia; and, by the way, those that were not protesting but were present were also removed in the same fashion.

Suregión.com, from the Colombian regional department of Huila, made a record of how the reform was received in that region, reporting [es]:

La masiva movilización contó con proclamas como “se va caer, la reforma a la Ley 30 se va caer”. La comunidad Huilense manifestó su rechazo a este proyecto de Ley que interviene el carácter de la universidad pública bajo el argumento de permitir el capital privado para una mayor cobertura y calidad.

The massive mobilization had proclamations such as “Its going down, the Law 30 reform is going down.” The Huila community demonstrated their rejection of this modification of the law that changes the basic characteristics of public universities by allowing private capital to assume a greater portion of the funding.

Crowds protest against the higher education reform in Bogota. Luis Ramirez, Copyright Demotix

Many blogs repeated and discussed what Semana.com [es] said on the subject including their list of the pros and cons of the reform proposal. Among the positives that this website noted included the following:

El Gobierno advirtió que los recursos son limitados, por eso, aliarse con la empresa privada es una alternativa.“Hoy un empresario contrata servicios con la universidad, pero queremos que no solo contrate, sino que invierta capital para desarrollar proyectos específicos, que se meta la mano al bolsillo y genere innovación con las universidades (…) que pongan la plata, vendan servicios, desarrollen conocimiento y ojalá ganen bastante”, explicó la ministra de Educación, María Fernanda Campo.

The government let it be known that resources are limited, and for this reason, allying with private enterprise became an alternative source of funding. “Today a businessman contracts services with the university, but we want that he not just contract [services] but also invests capital to develop specific projects, and generate innovation at the universities (…) that they would put down money, sell services, build knowledge and hopefully earn a lot of money,” explained the Education Minister Maria Fernanda Campo.

On Facebook various [es] groups have already been created [es] rallying against the reform of Law 30. On Twitter, messages on the subject are also appearing, like this pro-reform tweet from Alex Arango (@ALEXANDERCALI) from Medellin:

Desde que garanticen la calidad en la universidad pública, yo si apoyo la reforma a la ley 30/92.

While they guarantee the quality of public universities, I do support the reform of the 1992 law 30.

Valeria Morales (@ValeriaMoralesR) tweets in disagreement:

Un pueblo q camina para adelnate y un gobierno q camina para atras, RECHAZO A LA REFORMA DE LA LEY 30.

A nation that moves forward and a government that moves backward, I REJECT THE REFORM OF LAW 30.

For his part, Edgar Acosta (@EdgarAcostaM) says:

Ayer se envidenció el inconformismo a las politicas del #Gobierno y se dijo un NO rotundo a la reforma a la ley 30/92 de Educación superior.

Yesterday the dissent was evident against the #Government‘s politics and that a resounding NO was spoken against the reform of the 1992 higher education law.

Diego Correa (@diegoco66) also rejects the proposed reform and says “it must be debated and changed,” while Pedro Nicolas Perez (@pnperezz) saw the national march as a complete success:

Que alegría hoy la marcha, una marcha pacifica y ordenada. Se lleno 3 veces la Plaza de Bolivar. En Colombia se puede el cambio, hay que creer.

It was great that today's march was orderly and peaceful. The Plaza de Bolivar filled up three times. In Colombia change is possible, you can believe it.

Peru: Gay Marriage Becomes Presidential Election Issue

Stephen Cairns — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 18:37:14 +0000

Cake at Gay Wedding. (Antonio Guerra/Flickr. Used under Creative Commons License BY-NC-ND 2.0)

The issue of same-sex marriage has been discussed among the Peruvian public for some time, but only recently has it become a part of the political platforms of presidential candidates [es]. The reason for this change comes from statements made by a representative of the Catholic Church in Peru, firmly rejecting the notion of marriage between people of the same sex [es], which generated a media frenzy that, in turn, has provoked all types of reactions among activists, bloggers, newspaper columnists, common citizens and, as mentioned previously, among the presidential candidates in the election this year. The candidates are using the situation to define their positions on the issue.

Former president Alejandro Toledo (of the party Perú Posible), who leads the recent polls for President [es], confirms that his suggested political program is examining civil unions between homosexuals and working “toward an inclusive society. This is not a repressive State.” Manuel Rodríguez Cuadros, candidate of the party Fuerza Social [es], has declared himself in favor of reforming Peru's laws in order to have marriages between couples of the same sex [es]. Meanwhile, other candidates are considering less radical legal measures. Luis Castañeda (of Solidaridad Nacional) has proposed giving inheritance benefits, and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (of Alianza por el Gran Cambio [es]) suggests establishing civil unions [es], as does Keiko Fujimori (of Fuerza 2011).

Political analysts in the media share the opinion that this issue doesn't seem to be an attempt to win voters’ ballots, although in a democracy it is always good for the candidates’ images to be seen defending the rights of minorities. Meanwhile, opinions in the local blogosphere (and on Twitter) appeared immediately.

El Davo indicates on his blog DaV [es] that,

El debate entre los candidatos al sillón presidencial está girando en torno a tres puntos: Consumo de drogas, aborto y unión civil entre personas del mismo sexo.”

The debate between the candidates vying for the presidential chair are circling in turn to three subjects: drug consumption, abortion, and same-sex civil unions.

Peruanista [es] alerts us on his blog [es] that, despite the subject having been politicized by the election:

es importante que se discuta la igualdad de derechos civiles de los ciudadanos peruanos que son gays, lesbianas, bisexuales y transgénero (LGBT), a nivel público y de forma respetuosa.

it is also important that the equality of civil rights be discussed in a public and respectful manner for those Peruvians that are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT).

Diego Avendaño, in Desde la Clandestinidad [es], points out a real problem challenging same-sex couples in Peru:

El caso es que muchas veces las parejas homosexuales no son reconocidas ante el Estado cuando deben reclamar bienes heredados o para tomar decisiones sobre la salud de la pareja, como sí es posible con las parejas (heterosexuales) casadas…

The case is that many times the homosexual couples are not recognized by the State when they claim inherited real-estate or try to make important healthcare decisions on their partner's behalf, as heterosexual married couples can…

Tonnio from Gay Como Tu [es] makes a review of differences and similarities among the legal measures of civil marriage and free civil union (this last being suggested by several candidates), and links them to current laws related to the issue under debate, indicating that:

debemos recordar que de lo que se trata aquí es de obtener los mismos beneficios conyugales como el hecho de no querer (sic) desamparados ante la ley después de tantos años de convivencia o en caso de enfermedad, viudez, herencia, hijos y demás derechos que encierra la figura marital.

we must remember that what is being attempted here is the obtainment of the same marital benefits. That is to say, not wanting to be helpless before the law after so many years of living together or in the case of sickness, bereavement, inheritance, children and other rights that go along with the legal implications of marriage.

The collective Respeto X Respeto [es] suggests the de-regulation of marriage as is set out right now in the Peruvian Civil Code:

El matrimonio no es otra cosa que un contrato entre dos partes… en la que las partes deben decidir por ellas mismas qué reglas cautelan mejor sus intereses… Así, se dejaría de exigir que se trate de la unión de “hombre y mujer”, pudiendo hacerse referencia a la unión de dos personas.

Marriage isn't anything other than a contract between two parties… in that the two parties must decide for themselves what rules best protect their interests… In that, the law would not demand that a union be defined between “man and wife,” but rather making it to be instead a reference to a union of two people.

Alvaro Felipe, notices the opportunistic, politicized use of the issue, and on his personal blog [es] calls for maintaining the level of debate:

si tú te arañas hablando de tolerancia con los homosexuales, o eres un candidato improvisado más que usa ese tema en campaña, recuerda que la tolerancia que pregonas deberías aplicarla con quienes no están de acuerdo contigo. Sino eres un hipócrita más que está seguro que todos le creen.

if you manage to start talking about tolerance toward homosexuals, or you are an improvising candidate using this subject solely for your campaign, remember that the same tolerance that you are extolling should also apply to those who don't agree with you. Otherwise you are a hypocrite and surely so are the people that believe you.

Peru: Drag Queens dressing in costume of viceroyalty in the Gay Pride Day parade. (Photo: MANNOVER/Flickr. Used under Creative Commons licenase CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

The debate has extended to Twitter where it has been rougher and more caustic:

@Pornosgay declares:

campaña electoral hacia la presidencia de Perú ha encontrado en la legalización del matrimonio homosexual un gran tema de debate

the presidential election campaign of Peru has found in homosexual marriage legalization a great subject for debate

Alejandro Toledo (@atoledomanrique), candidate for Perú Posible and predecessor of the current president Alan García, clarifies:

No planteamos matrimonio gay. Proponemos la Unión Civil como un mecanismo legal de protección de derechos.

No we are not suggesting gay marriage. We are proposing a civil union as a legal mechanism to protect peoples’ rights.

Gio Infante (@gioinfante) gives his opinion on the matter:

La agenda del matrimonio y la unión civil es frívola, ¿sabían que en Perú cada 5 días muere asesinada una lesbiana, travesti o gay?

The issue of marriage or civil union is frivolous. Did you know that in Peru a lesbian, transvestite or gay is killed every 5 days?

Mapi Aguirre (@estroginoxxx) continues:

Toledo quiere legalizar drogas luego Bruce union civil gay Castañeda quiere hacer de Peru un MEGAPUENTE Y Keiko sacar al padre #CIRCO

Presidential candidate Toledo wants to legalize drugs, candidate Bruce gay civil unions, candidate Castañada has big plans for Peru and candidate Keiko wants to save her dad #CIRCUS

From a constitutional perspective, Agustin Haya (@agustinhaya) reports:

La Constitución del Perú desde 1979 no precisa género en el matrimonio. Las uniones civiles homosexuales o lesbianas están protegidas

The Constitution of Peru, since 1979, generally does not define marriage. Homosexual or lesbian civil unions are protected

Vilma Granados (@vilmavgc) observes:

@elecciones tantas cosas de las q tratar y todos los candidatos solo hablan del matrimonio gay

@elecciones so many things that have to be dealt with but the only thing all the candidates are talking about is gay marriage

Armando Solís (@Belloperuviano) distributed on Twitter a message from the Facebook page Yo apoyo el matrimonio gay en Perú/ I support gay marriage for Peru [es]. The complete message reads:

…Es tiempo de que en nuestro país, se apruebe la Peru: Union Civil Gay, puesto que la comunidad gay peruana, por el momento no tiene ninguna clase de derecho, a pesar que la Unión Civil, no es del todo igualitaria, sería un primer gran paso para el Yo estoy a favor de la legalización del Matrimonio Gay, en nuestro país.

…It is time for this in our country, prove yourself Peru: gay civil unions, a place for the gay Peruvian community, because at this moment they do not have any rights. Although the civil union is not completely fair, it would be a first, great step for the country. I am in favor of the legalization of Gay Marriage in our nation.

Cristhian Rojas (@ChristhianRS) refers to Fuerza Social party as FS when he says:

haha FS cree que vive en un país moderno, liberal… casi europeo para proponer “matrimonio gay”. Demasiado lejos para ser el Perú.

haha FS believes that they live in a modern, liberal nation… maybe a European one for them to be proposing “gay marraige”. Peru is very far away what they are thinking.

Agustin Gamarra (@A_Gamarra) declares:

@atoledomanrique NO AL MATRIMONIO GAY EN PERÚ, que se vayan a casar a Argentina pero q no se corrompa la sociedad

@atoledomanrique NO TO GAY MARRIAGE IN PERU! Those that want it can marry in Argentina but don't corrupt our society

Ale Ramirez (@alesuszero) responds to the Catholic Church's statements:

Los gays iran al cielo, el obispo no RT @larepublica_pe: Obispos del Perú emiten comunicado en el que rechazan el matrimonio homosexual

Gays will go to heaven, but not the bishops RT @larepublica_pe: Bishops of Peru release statement that rejects homosexual marriage

Diego (@Mapache9999) also reacts to the bishops’ position on the issue:

A ver, que rechacen iglesias que protegen pedofilos RT @larryportera: #Peru obispos rechazan aborto y matrimonio gay http://twurl.nl/0qws5p

Hmm, the churches that reject homosexual marriage are the same ones that protect pedophiles @larryportera: #Peru bishops reject abortion and gay marriage http://twurl.nl/0qws5p

As the election date, April 10th, nears, this issue will surely be politicized further, as much by the candidate advertisements as the activist analysts and other members of society. The issue and its repercussions will be followed to see if finally a negociation is possible between supporters and opponents in the legal rights of LGBT citizens, which ultimately is what the supporters are calling for.

Chile: Citizens respond to natural gas crisis in Magallanes

Stephen Cairns — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:22:10 +0000

On Tuesday January 11th, the government of Chilean President Sebastian Piñera announced a 16.8% increase in natural gas prices in Magallanes, the southernmost region of Chile. Natural gas is a vital resource in Magallanes, [es] whose mean yearly temperature is 9ºC (48.2ºF) [es], and where natural gas is used in electric energy production [es].

The measure generated an immediate response. Protests [es], barricades [es] in the streets supporting the movement #noalalzadelgas [es] (Say NO to raising gas prices) and criticisms [es] were vented against the historic-tendency toward Chilean centralism [es].

Lorena Francisca in El Alma en la Pluma Virtual [es] explains the strong reaction of that region:

Por favor, compárenos permanentemente con una familia del resto de país, compare cuánto nos cuestan los alimentos en especial la fruta y la verdura, cuánto nos cuesta viajar, cuánto nos cuesta la vida en Magallanes y, después, súbale los precios a todo el resto del país por pagar tan poco por la comida, por comprar 1 caja de tomates con lo que nosotros compramos 1 kilo. Compare qué significa darles a nuestros hijos una educación ya que no contamos aquí con todas las universidades, qué significa buscar una mejor atención de salud, ya que no contamos con la cobertura necesaria.

Please, just compare us to the rest of the country, compare how much food costs here, especially fruits and vegetables, how much it costs to travel, how much it costs to live in Magallanes and, after that, raise the prices of the rest of the country because they are paying so little for food, because they can buy 1 crate of tomatoes with what we use to buy 1 kilo. Compare what it means to give our children an education because we can't count on the universities here, what it means to search for better healthcare because we can't count on adequate coverage.

In the middle of the protests a Citizen Assembly [es] formed in Magallanes [es] and rebelled against the high cost of the mandated prices of natural gas and decided to go out into the streets to reject the government measure.

Fernando Olmos G. (@FerOlmosG) announced on Twitter:

qé pasa q los medios no informan sobre la crisis del gas q se vive en #magallanes ? @tvn_gonzalo , @tvn_consuelo @mxperez @SoledadOnetto

What is happening that the news media doesn't report on the natural gas crisis happening in #magallanes? @tvn_gonzalo , @tvn_consuelo @mxperez @SoledadOnetto

Carola C. (@vemi) said:

Cabros, tienen que escuchar esta: No al alza del gas, Magallanes protesta http://bit.ly/fBjavL

Lads, you have to listen to this: Say no to raising gas prices, Magallanes protests http://bit.ly/fBjavL [es]

On January 10th the music group Inti-Illimani (@inti_illimani) denounced the repression being suffered by the area:

Gobierno no descarta reforzar contingente policial en Magallanes http://bit.ly/fTSKKs || [Ministro de Interior] Hinzpeter y su “pacificación” de Magallanes

The government doesn't rule out reinforcing the police contingent in Magallanes http://bit.ly/fTSKKs [es] || [Minister of the Interior] Hinzpeter and his “pacification” of Magallanes

Fernando Lecaros (@Yoshimatsu_san) explains the impact that the citizen protest had on tourism in the area:

Turistas aislados y aislados, se toman la calle en Magallanes y comienzan a protestar. (@mapardo live on http://moi.st/e5797 )

Tourists are cut off and isolated. The citizens have taken over the street in Magallanes and are beginning to protest. (@mapardo live on http://moi.st/e5797 )

The Twitter user @MiriMiriChan puts a tragic face on the situation, with the death of two young women during a day of protest [es]:

Por respeto a las dos chicas q fallecieron durante las protestas en #Magallanes, no podemos dejarnos vencer. GOBIERNO escucha a #Magallanes!

In regards to the two girls that passed away during the protests in #Magallanes, we cannot allow ourselves to give up. GOVERNMENT listen to #Magallanes!

Finally, on January 18th an agreement was reached between the Minister of Mining and Energy Laurence Golborne and the Citizen Assembly to reduce the increase in gas prices to 3%, matching Chilean inflation, and increasing the aid for families in need.

Time for Analysis

Alexis Meza in the newspaper El Ciudadano [es] analyzes the situation:

La reciente crisis del gas, que movilizó a la región de Magallanes, concitando una amplia y extendida simpatía ciudadana en todo el país, deja en evidencia una vez más la frágil relación entre el aparato del Estado (expresado en el gobierno central) y las regiones.

The recent natural gas crisis, which mobilized the region of Magallanes, arousing expanded and extended sympathies from citizens across the country, gives evidence once more the fragile relationship between the State apparatus (expressed in the central government) and the administrated regions.

Patricio Contreras in the news portal Medioamedio [es] relates the emergence of urban social movements, citizens and territories in Chile:

Hay que destacar el rol clave que tienen en el desarrollo de los movimientos de hoy las redes sociales como twitter, facebook y la web en general, que logran contrainformar o convocar llegando un cierto grupo de medios de comunicación, especialmente a los “alternativos”.

The key role that social networks have in the development of today's movements must be highlighted. Social networks, such as twitter, facebook and the web [es] in general, are achieving to counter mainstream reporting or organize and getting together through certain communication mediums, especially “alternative ones” [es].

Mauricio Zanotti on the website Guioteca [es] compares the citizen reaction in Magallanes with the past year's response to the thermoelectric energy project Barrancones:

Entre las redes sociales, si bien el conflicto en Magallanes no fue tan potente como Barrancones, también tuvo acontecimientos interesantes, como un sitio en Facebook que acumuló más de 1.400 seguidores en sietes días, mientras que en Twitter el biministro Laurence Golborne fue un Trend Topic el día que se logró el acuerdo y finalizaron las manifestaciones.

Among the social networks, while the conflict in Magallanes wasn't as potent as Barrancones, it also had points of interest, like a Facebook page [es] that accumulated more than 1,400 followers in seven days, and on Twitter minister Laurence Golborne was a Trend Topic the day the agreement was reached and the protests ended.

Panama: Fire in Youth Prison Sparks Controversy

Stephen Cairns — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 04:38:21 +0000

The Panama national police have written another controversial chapter in the administration of the current government of Ricardo Martinelli. The site Kaosenlared [es] reports what has happened:

7 menores recluidos en el Centro de Cumplimiento de Menores resultaron seriamente quemados, 5 de ellos de gravedad, en un incidente ocurrido este domingo 9 de Enero.

Los menores reclamaban que tenían más de 8 días sin agua, producto de la crisis del suministro de agua potable en la ciudad capital. Más de 8 días sin bañarse ni tomar agua.

Una de las celdas se incendia y los menores imploraban a los policías que los auxiliaran. Los policías no actuaban y hasta se mofaban del sufrimiento de los jóvenes.

The 7 locked-up minors in the correctional facility for juvenile offenders were burned seriously, 5 of them gravely, in an incident that happened this past Sunday January 9th.

The juveniles complained they went without water for 8 days, a by-product of the potable water supply crisis in the capital city. More than 8 days without washing or drinking water.

One of the cells was set fire and the juveniles implored the police to help them. The police didn't act and even made fun of the suffering of the young men.

The situation has caused all types of reactions, more still after the death of three of the young men. For its part the police are trying to defend themselves and explain what happened, and on the other side the Panamanian people are divided between those asking for heads to roll among the facility's guards and those that justify the police actions.

Gloribeth Sinclair (@glorisin) shares on Twitter:

NO puedo ser tan justa con mi opinion sobre los presos quemados (menores) si ellos NO son justos con las personas que han matado u robado!

I CANNOT be fair in my opinion of the burned prisoners (juveniles) as they were NOT fair to the people that they murdered or robbed!

For her part, Natasha Pineda (@natashaP12) shows her disgust of the police actions.

Aun no creo lo inhumanos que fueron esos policias con los menores de edad! Ya van 3 muertos y siguen en cuidados 4 mas ¿y el cambio?

I still don't believe how inhumane the police were to those minors! Already 3 have died and 4 more remain in critical care. And for what?

Susana Merina Lezcano in her blog Sin mordazas [es] debates the same worry of many Panamanians, the idea that those boys weren't precisely saints as the families and media attempt to portray them, but that despite that, no human being deserves to be treated that way:

Los familiares de los reclusos dicen en televisión cosas como “el no era malo, solo lo agarraron con una metralleta”, como dijo la abuela del primer muchacho que murió tras este fuego. Es como si la realidad de estas personas estuviese tan distorsionada que no tienen consciencia de qué tan malos son los pasos que siguen sus hijos, o su entorno está tan podrido que para ellos es normal que un niño tenga un arma.

The families of the inmates say on television things like “he wasn't bad, they just caught him with a submachine gun,” as the grandma said of the first young man that died after the fire. It is as if the reality of these people has been so distorted that the families are no longer aware of how bad the path their sons were on was, or their environment is so twisted that for them it is normal that a boy would have a gun.

Susana adds to these thoughts that the same reasons that brought those young men to be in jail are the same ones that brought the police to the point that they acted the way they did:

¿Que los guardias del centro actuaron de forma inhumana? No podemos esperar otra cosa, si muchos de estos guardias provienen de los mismos barrios que los infractores que custodian, y al igual que ellos, crecieron influenciados por el mismo sistema corrupto donde un celular vale más que una vida.

Why did the guards of the center act so inhumanely? We can't expect something different, as many of the guards come from the same neighborhoods as the offenders they guard, and just like the inmates, grew up influenced by the same corrupt system where a cellphone is valued more than a human life.

Publio De Gracia (@PublioDeGracia) reminds Panamanians that those who died and suffered burns were also human beings.

escucho que algunos aplauden lo del centro de custodio de menores, xq no importa eran “maleantes”, CARAJO! eran seres humanos x Dios

I hear that some have cheered what happened at the correctional facility for juvenile offenders, because it doesn't matter what happens to “thugs,” BULLSHIT! They were human beings, for Christ's sake!

Yadisel Buendia (@yadiselbuendia) joins the clamor of Panamanians that demand punishment and imprisonment for those that participated in this atrocity.

Nadie preso x crimen contra menores del C. Cumplimiento. Ya van 2 muertos! Reina la prepotencia e impunidad en mi país

No one is imprisoned for the crimes against minors from the correctional facility. Two are already dead! The powerful reign with impunity in my country!

There is nothing left that one can do apart from pausing, reflecting and reviewing the social causes of this situation in the country, this is what Miguelángel Moreno tells us (@mikemocast):

Que clase de agentes de la seguridad publica tenemos en (no todos); el caso de los menores quemados y ejecutados es de analisis!

What type of officers of law and order do we have (not all); the case of the burned and murdered minors should be analyzed!

It remains to be seen what will happen to the implicated police officers in this horrible situation. For the moment Panamanians hope that something like this will not happen again.