Stories from Quick Reads and Latin America
In Guatemala, Mayan families ask for wisdom, health, and strength for 2023
"This Mayejak is carried out to ask permission from our Mother Earth, the hills and valleys that surround us and the 20 Nahuales that represent the days of the Mayan month."
Woman dubbed ‘Messi's grandma’ goes viral in Argentina following World Cup win
The tune "Abuelalalalalalala" became Argentina's World Cup anthem
Twitter and Facebook have suspended accounts affiliated with the Cuban government
For the first time in Cuba, Twitter has also marked some accounts as "government-affiliated"
Venezuela's Oscar Entry Speaks an Indigenous Language
“Gone with the River” by Mario Crespo is Venezuela's Oscar entry in the Best Foreign Language Film… https://t.co/XR8tzauaSU — Carlos Aguilar (@Carlos_Film) September 3, 2015 Lo que lleva el río (“Gone With the River”), from Cuban-Venezuelan filmmaker Mario Crespo Dauna, is a Venezuelan film shot almost entirely in Warao, the language...
Minority Women Communicators Conference Looks To ‘Occupy the Media and Internet’ in Mexico
The official announcement has been made for the Second Conference of Women Communicators of Indigenous and African Descent. The conference, whose slogan is “We occupy the media, we occupy the internet”, will take place October 6-10, 2015, at the Centro de las Artes CASA (CASA Arts Center) in San Agustín Elta,...
How Do You Say ‘Bro’ in Latin America?
The Facebook page for Pictoline, a highly visual site for news and information, shared this map with the different ways people in Latin American countries say “bro”, short for brother in English. While in Mexico they use wey and pata in Peru, it's pana in Venezuela and parce in Colombia.
The Happiest Countries in the World Are All in Latin America
The happiest (and least happy) countries in the world, ranked http://t.co/4EccwDNBp7 — Quartz (@qz) August 27, 2015 Gallup interviewed 150,000 adults in 148 countries, asking such questions as, “Did you smile or laugh yesterday?” and “Did you learn or do something interesting yesterday?” to build a positive-experience index. Surprisingly, the leading countries...
You Can Also Demand Justice for the Journalists Killed in Mexico
Writers around the world ask President Peña Nieto of Mexico to probe journalist murders. (Here's their letter) https://t.co/qAkZI5K2MR — Susana Hayward (@mediasayer) August 16, 2015 More than 500 journalists, writers, artists and defenders for freedom of expression from around the world wrote an open letter to the president of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, in which they...
Search Coordinator for Ayotzinapa Students Assasinated
Asesinan en #México a coordinador de búsqueda de 43 normalistas de #Ayotzinapa Miguel Ángel Jiménez Blanco http://t.co/WMgteMU0JM Fue @EPN — PrensaRebelde (@RebeldePrenssa) August 9, 2015 Miguel Ángel Jiménez Blanco, coordinator of the search for the 43 Ayotzinapa teachers’ college students, was assasinated in Mexico. Miguel Ángel Jiménez Blanco, 45, was...
The ‘Escopetarra': A Killer Instrument
If you believe that nothing good can come from a rifle, then you have to get to know the “escopetarra”—a hybrid that transforms two “lethal” weapons (an AK-47 and a guitar) into an instrument of peace. “Escopetarra” is a Spanish blend that combines the words “escopeta” (shotgun) and “guitarra” (guitar). In his Spanish-language podcast,...
An Amazon Tribe's 500-Page Traditional-Medicine Encyclopaedia
The Matsés peoples of Brazil and Peru—have created a 500-page encyclopedia of their traditional medicine! http://t.co/4t9hh6KIQr — Moonching Wu (@SunMoonLake99) July 4, 2015 The Amazon Rainforest supports millions of plants that could be vital ingredients in still-undiscovered medications. For that reason, many pharmaceutical companies and even the US government are currently funding...
Public Prosecutor's Office in Colombia to Monitor Twitter Accounts of Public Servants During Elections
¿Conoce irregularidades que atenten contra la transparencia o la seguridad de las #Elecciones2015? Denuncie en: http://t.co/fiNivGSeDQ — Procuraduría General (@PGN_COL) July 25, 2015 Are you aware of any irregularities which might jeopardize the transparency or security of Elections 2015? Tell us here: On October 25, Colombians head to the polls...
Watch This Giant Rainbow Mural Transform a Low-Income Mexican Neighborhood
A low-income neighborhood in Mexico was transformed in a giant rainbow by the collective Germen Crew—a youth organization of muralists and street artists formed by 15 graffiti artists, under the direction of Mibe (Luis Enrique Gómez Guzmán), who's teamed with Mexican Government. The more than 200 homes of the village of Palmitas, in...
‘Stereotypes Are Another Unregulated Way to Commit Violence Against Nicaraguan Women’
In an opinion piece published in alternative magazine Conexiones, Katya Najlis explores the ideas that lead to women being harassed on the street in Nicaragua. The essay presents multiple examples and reflections linking the majority of theories defending the right of Latin American women to move about freely without concern for safety to the...
Pope Francis in Latin America: ‘Ideologies End Badly, They Serve No Purpose’
Pope Francis Lashes out against Ideologies: http://t.co/EiiH1kqntX pic.twitter.com/NzaCiraLbS — El Universo (@eluniversocom) July 11, 2015 Pope Francis concluded his eight day tour of South America, where he held mass in the three countries he visited: Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay. The pontiff's message centered on peace and the most needy. He...
Global Voices Partners with Sin Embargo México
Global Voices Latin America and Mexican news site Sin Embargo recently agreed to join forces to spread original stories form Mexico and Latin America.
Do You Know These 10 Afro-Puerto Ricans?
The reclaiming of history as an ally of marginalized groups is key to their very survival. This is especially true in a colonial context such as Puerto Rico, where history has been and continues to be used as a means to justify inequalities and deny visibility. In the spirit of...
Peruvian Police Arrest Elderly Drivers for a Good Reason
In the Peruvian city of Huancayo, located in the center of the country, agents of the local Police Transit Authority arrested several elderly drivers of public transportation vehicles: A pesar que los conductores se resistían a ir a la dependencia policial, por contar con todos los documentos en regla. Fueron...
Peruvian Ministry of Education Makes 24 Indigenous Alphabets Official
The alphabets of 24 indigenous languages were made official in Peru as a result of joint efforts by the Ministry of Education and numerous indigenous communities. The documents were adopted by consensus and will be used to help preserve and improve the use of these languages, both in their written and spoken forms. De ese modo, los...
Argentinian Football Fans Travel 1,500 Kilometers in a Refurbished Bus to Cheer on Their Team
Five very loyal fans of the Argentinian national football team traveled over 1,500 kilometers by land to cheer on their favorite team in the Copa América, to be hosted in Chile between June 11 and July 4, 2015. The fans departed from Mar del Plata, southwest of Buenos Aires Province, and...
Mexican Indigenous Community Accuses Famous Designer of Plagiarism
French designer Isabel Marant has made a name for herself in the world of fashion, owing to her eclectic style, which blends materials and ethnic influences together in her designs. These creations carry a price tag starting in the hundreds of dollars. However, for the authorities and citizens of Santa...