Stories about Latin America from February, 2011
Peru: Ex-Minister Asked US Embassy to Help Contain Opponent's Presidential Campaign
On February 19th, Spanish newspaper El Pais released a cable stating that "Fernando Rospigliosi, former Minister of the Interior in the government of Alejandro Toledo, asked the assistance of the United States Embassy to carry a campaign against Ollanta Humala." Peruvian bloggers and Twitter users quickly reacted to the cable that rocked the local political environment during an election year.
Uruguay: Growing Support for Decriminalizing Marijuana for Personal Use
Erwin C. reports: “Political support has reportedly been growing in favor of decriminalizing the use of marijuana. Legislator Sebastián Sabini told the local press that he would introduce a bill...
Honduras: Taxi Drivers and Teachers Strike
“La Gringa” blogs about a strike led by teachers and taxi drivers in La Ceiba on February 21. “This was the third national strike of the school year, which only...
Mexico: Photos of Tlacotalpan, “the most colourful place in the globe”
Catherine from Small Fish in the Big Taco shares colour coded images of “a very sleepy town in the state of Veracruz….namely Tlacotalpan.” She calls Tlacotalpan, “the most colourful place...
Cuba: Damas de Blanco Attacked
Bloggers discuss the latest crackdown on Cuban dissidents.
Cuba: Watching from Within
“There has not [been] enough coverage or information to even begin to address the complexity of these events and the numberless perspectives interpreting them”: Graham Sowa blogs at Havana Times...
Cuba: The Day Zapata Died
Iván's File Cabinet remembers the day that hunger striker and prisoner of conscience Orlando Zapata Tamayo died.
Argentina: Hackathons and Budget Transparency in Bahía Blanca
As we have witnessed in the last month, there are moments in civic life that drive citizens to change and challenge institutions, to create solutions and to express their concerns...
Mexico: Kidnapping Case Affects Diplomatic Relations with France
Relations between Mexico and France have been strained due to the kidnapping conviction of French national Florence Cassez in Mexico City. Cassez was arrested in 2006, accused of kidnapping charges and sentenced to 60 years in prison.
Chile: Remembering 8.8-magnitude earthquake with tweets from Feb. 27, 2010
Gonzalo A. Luengo O. compiled a long list of tweets [es] from February 27, 2010, when an 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Chile at 3:34 a.m. local time.
Latin America: On teleSUR's Coverage of Libya Uprising
Latin American news channel teleSUR managed earlier this week to send several journalists into Tripoli to cover the ongoing uprising in Libya. Nonetheless, its coverage, which seems quite different to the one provided by other international news media, has caught the attention of many Latin American netizens.
Latin America: Latest Cables Released by Wikileaks
The Latinamericanist sums up some of the latest diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks on Colombia, Chile, Peru and Brazil.
Cuba: Marking Zapata's Anniversary
Diaspora blogger El Cafe Cubano posts photos from a march in honour of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, while Uncommon Sense reports that “Cuban independent journalist and activist Guillermo Fariñas…said the government's...
Peru: Controversy Over Removal of Anonymity in Electoral Polls
A new policy preventing opinion polls from being conducted anonymously caused a storm in the press and on social networking sites. Finally, faced with a barrage of questions from the public and the press over its conduct, the National Jury of Elections was forced to retract the regulation.
Chile: Electronic Textbooks for Schoolchildren?
The school year is starting in Chile, and Enzo Abbagliati in Cadaunadas wonders, “why aren't textbooks in Chile digital?” after he spent almost $300 USD in textbooks for his son....
Mexico: Reports of Growing Violence Against Human Rights Activists in Chihuahua
Hemispheric Brief reports that, “A recent uptick in violence against human rights defenders in the state of Chihuahua continues to be met with impunity and silence by the Mexican government.”
Cuba: Zapata Vive
“The fact that Zapata’s death came about through starvation is one more piece of the hunger we have endured for over half a century”: Crossing the Barbed Wire explains why...
Cuba: What do the Cables from Havana Say? (Part III)
In the last part of a series on WikiLeaks and Cuba, author Elaine Díaz analyzes the content of cables regarding the Cuban opposition and the role of bloggers.
Colombia: Interview with Director of NGO “Forjando Futuros” (Shaping Futures)
Albeiro Rodas interviewed Nora Isabel Saldarriaga, the director of “Forjando Futuros” (Shaping Futures), “a Colombian NGO with different projects, but only one ideal: to stay at the side of vulnerable...
Mexico: Achievements and Challenges for Artisan Women
Adele Hammond writes about artisan women in a village outside Oaxaca: “[…] the women we work with are committed to creating better lives for themselves and their children, despite the...
Venezuela: False rumor of Gaddafi flying to Venezuela calls attention to relationship with Chávez
Greg at Two Weeks Notice reports that “Twitter has been loaded with rumors the past two days about Libya, and there was no juicier rumor than Moammar Gaddafi flying to...
About our Latin America coverage
