Stories about Spanish from March, 2015
Nicaraguan Mother Recovered Her Child Detained At German Embassy in Managua
Ximena Gutiérrez, a Nicaraguan mother, recovered her child who was detained by his father at the German Embassy in Nicaragua. Arun was taken to the Embassy's office in Managua by his father, a German citizen. Considering the unwillingness to leave the place, the little child's mother reported to the authorities...
Before the Border: The Immigrant Odyseey Across Mexico
The perils of crossing the border between Mexico and the United States are well documented, but for thousands of undocumented migrants from Central America, crossing Mexico is even more dangerous. To reach the US border, undocumented migrants from Central America undertake a dangerous 1,500-mile trip through Mexico, where they risk...
Colombia Past and Present: An Interview with Author William Ospina
Excerpts from the most popular segments of an interview with the writer William Ospina on history, perception, and cultural identity in Colombia and Latin America.
The Government is Unprepared as Peru's Heavy Rains Unleash Lethal Landslides
The rain season is getting stronger and longer every year in Peru. This year at least seven people died in landslides caused by the rain in Chosica, near Lima.
Bus Users Fight Over Seat in Peruvian Bus and You Can't Imagine How This Ends
A video posted on Facebook by user PeruRec show two men almost coming to blows over a seat in a bus of the Metropolitano, Peruvian capital public transportation system. At one point, the stockier guy sits over the other guy, while other bus users laugh out loud. Immersed as they...
The Media's Role in Mexico's ‘Warped’ Democracy
Blogger Fernando Vázquez Rigada reflects on the role of the media in Mexico, a country where he says democracy is “warped” because it only works on a formal level, and society isn't adequately represented by the political institutions. He adds that Mexican media bear a huge responsibility in this issue....
Eerie Similarities Between Germanwings Tragedy and Argentinian-Spanish Film ‘Wild Tales’
More than once, screenwriters have found inspiration in reality for their fiction. This time, it seems reality was inspired by fiction. The news that the co-pilot of German airline Germanwings‘ Flight 9525 is suspected of intentionally crashing the plane, taking the lives of 149 people with him, seems to be one of...
The Arduous Journey of Colombian Migrants Headed for Chile
Global Voices, in collaboration with Connectas, Agenda Propia, Útero.pe, Vice and El Mercurio de Antofagasta, explored the challenges and history of migration in Latin America during a Google Hangout.
Balloons Released in Brussels in Support of Jailed Iranian Student Hamid Babaei
Ever since the tribulations of Hamid Babaei and his wife began, his classmates at Liège and in Brussels have shown them unrelenting solidarity.
#HackEC15 — An Open Data Challenge in Ecuador
As part of the Second International Conference on Democracy and Digital Government 2015 (ICEDEG 2015), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is hosting Hack Ecuador Challenge 2015 (HEC'15). The event welcomes Ecuadorians with open-data apps that promise to deliver needed services in local communities, improving the nation's online ecosystem, especially in the...
10 Common Words in Spanish and English That Come From Quechua
If you think that Quechua is only used in the Andes, you're sorely mistaken. Spanish, Catalan and even English use Quechua words.
Mexico's Airwaves Aren't the Same Without Journalist Carmen Aristegui
Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui says her firing is an attack on freedom of expression; her bosses say it's a breach of confidence. Either way, this is not her first rodeo.
How Guatemalan Group ‘Las Poderosas’ Uses Theater to Confront Violence Against Women
For these women, theater is a means to heal trauma and raise awareness of gender-based violence within a country where two women a day are killed on average.
Film Documents Alleged Human Rights Crimes by Peru's Military in the 80s
Recovering Latin American historical memory and raising awareness of the atrocities committed in the past are crucial steps to take in order to ensure they are never repeated and that, instead, we continue to work towards strengthening our democracies. To that end, film can play a crucial role in compiling...
Can Artists Earn a Living in the Age of Social Media?
Not only can artists live off their work, but the Internet can actually be a lifeline for them in today's increasingly competitive marketplace. The blog RamGon looks into opportunities for painters in social media and, more importantly, into how the medium can help artists to publicize and market their work. In...
Indigenous Activists Threatened and Attacked in El Cauca, Colombia
Several indigenous communities in Colombia continue to be victims of human rights violations and threats by paramilitary groups. Moreover, activists also report being attacked by public security forces and ESMAD, Colombia's mobile anti-riot squad, as exposed by Ama Pachamama in a Facebook post from March 11, 2015: […] A la fecha, se reportan...
Firing of Mexican Journalist Carmen Aristegui Unleashes Heated Comments on Twitter
At the launching of MéxicoLeaks, a platform that collects leaked information about possible corruption, journalist Carmen Aristegui and her research team declared that they would back the project. This lead MVS Radio, their employer, to fire Aristegui's collaborators, Daniel Lizarraga and Iriving Huerta, for supposedly compromising the company name. In...
Back-to-Back Murders of Journalists Raise Concerns in Colombia
The murders of Colombian Edgar 'Quintin' Quintero and Luis Peralta highlight the dangers journalists face in Colombia today.
The Butterfly Effects of Panamanian Social Media
Venezuelan immigrant Rita García answered a lawmaker's reactionary speech with a controversial tirade against Panamanians, comparing them to "monkeys" and saying they're incapable of respecting foreign cultures.
Chilean Espionage in Peru Cools Diplomatic Relations
The traditionally complicated Chilean-Peruvian relations have reached a new level of complexity thanks to the latest round of espionage accusations.
The Country as a Mirror: Reflections of a Young Colombian in Bristol
"When you immigrate for a second time, the home that remains closest to you is the one you just left behind. You end up with a significant identity crisis."
