Stories about Spanish from March, 2011
Venezuela: Learning to Play the Cuatro on the Web 2.0
The cuatro - an instrument in the guitar family - is the principal icon of traditional Venezuelan music. A love for the cuatro has also reached citizen media, where songs are shared, and its history, musicians and even how to play the instrument, are widely discussed.
Peru: The Presidential Campaign in Videos
Juan Arellano gathers several videos from this year's presidential campaign in his blog Globalizado [es].
Bolivia: Bike Path Project in El Alto is Rejected
Blogger Mario R. Duran in Palabras Libres [es] regrets a decision by the Municipal Council of El Alto, La Paz to reject funding from the World Bank to build a...
Latin America: Website Tracks Progress in Electronic Voting
Juan Arellano in Globalizado [es] writes about the Observatorio del Voto-E en Latinoamérica (Observatory of E-Voting in Latin America) which seeks to track the progress of electronic voting in Latin...
Mexico: U.S. Drones Gather Intelligence on Drug Cartels
A story first reported on March 15 by The New York Times has garnered strong responses from Mexican netizens based at home and abroad. Citing American and Mexican officials, the paper reported that "the Obama administration has begun sending drones deep into Mexican territory to gather intelligence that helps locate major traffickers and follow their networks."
Costa Rica: Netizens Discuss Wikileaks Cables
Newspaper La Nación of Costa Rica is the first Central American media outlet to receive and publish diplomatic cables related to the country. The content of these cables has provoked different reactions in Costa Rican blogs and social networks; opinions are as diverse as the topics covered in the cables.
Ecuador: New Developments and Cyber-Activism in Chevron Case
On February 14, 2011, an Ecuadorian judge ruled that oil company Chevron had to pay US$9.5 million in environmental damages. Almost a month later, Chevron has appealed the sentence; citizens and activists are sharing information and taking part in online campaigns for this case.
Puerto Rico: Tite Curet Alonso at the Plaza
Art blogger Javier Martínez celebrates the installation of a life size sculpture [es] honoring the life and music of composer Tite Curet Alonso in the central square Plaza de Armas...
Puerto Rico: Students, professors and solidarity
Artist, professor and blogger Alejandro Carpio analyzes and contextualizes the recent debates [es] on the student strike at the University of Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico: On the film “América”
In 80 grados [es] film director Sonia Fritz reflects on her latest film “América,” based on the novel by Puerto Rican author Esmeralda Santiago, and the challenges and the joys...
Puerto Rico: Al Jazeera in Puerto Rico
Journalist Dalila Rodríguez Saavedra reflects on the recent visit of a team of Al Jazeera to the Island [es] to film a documentary on the severe economic crisis. Rodríguez Saavedra,...
Cuba: Confessions of a digital fan
“I am not a digital native, but I consider myself part of the Generation 2.0. I am a facebook girl and intense blogger,” says Cuban journalist Katia Monteagudo [es] about...
Argentina: Controversy Over Mario Vargas Llosa Attending Book Fair
The 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature, Mario Vargas Llosa, has been invited to inaugurate the 37th International Book Fair in Buenos Aires. The invitation has sparked a debate among those who celebrate it and those who criticize the author's political stances and his recent comments related to Argentina.
Paraguay: Netizens Discuss Indigenous Issues on Facebook
Netizens share information and discuss indigenous issues in a Facebook group called “Por una vida digna para los indígenas del Paraguay” [es] (For a dignified life for the indigenous people...
Peru: Civic-Mindedness During Election Year
Global Voices author and translator Gabriela García Calderón blogs [es] about civic-mindedness during this year's presidential elections in Peru. She argues that voting and working at polling stations shouldn't be...
Paraguay: One Laptop for Every Child
In Camino al Paraguay [es], Juan Carlos Rodríguez posts a video and a slideshow presenting a project led by the Ministry of Education and Culture to give a laptop computer...
Racism in Latin America
During the International Year for People of African Descent -as declared by the United Nations- a video from Chile and another from Colombia spread through social networks show cases of racism in Latin America.
Peru: Presidential Candidates on Internet Access
Antonio Rodriguez Lobatón at Blawyer [es] summarizes what several presidential candidates have presented as their plans for information technology and telecommunications. Most focus on giving Internet access to more citizens.
Chile: Promoting ‘Recycled Art’
Contenidos Locales [es] highlights the blog Arte Reciclado (Recycled Art) by artist Bernardita Novoa [es] from the coastal city Algarrobo. Bernardita uses recycled materials in her artwork and teaches schoolchildren...
Dominican Republic: Violence is not love
Blogger María Isabel Soldevila writes about the high rates of violence against women [es] in the Dominican Republic, and warns that love can never be expressed through violence.
Cuba: “I miss Bloggers Cuba”
Blogger and journalist Elaine Díaz reflects on the disappearance [es] of the collective Bloggers Cuba, of which she was a member.
