· March, 2011

Stories about Latin America from March, 2011

Cuba: Meeting Carter

  31 March 2011

The Cuban Triangle summarizes former President Jimmy Carter's visit to Cuba, while Generation Y blogs about their meeting and the symbolic gift she gave him “in the name of several bloggers and other Cubans.”

Communities in Limbo on Honduran-Salvadoran Border

  31 March 2011

Voices from El Salvador's Weblog writes about the communities affected by an ongoing dispute on the Honduran-Salvadoran border, and argues that the governments from both countries “must take immediate action to ensure that those residents in limbo are granted citizenship so that they may have the rights that everyone else...

Honduras: Security Forces in Denial Over Human Rights Violations

  31 March 2011

RNS in Honduras Culture and Politics reports that “security forces in Honduras continue to be in denial about their trampling on the human rights of Hondurans.” RNS concludes: “Until there is a recognition on the part of the police and military that they are violating the human rights of the...

Venezuela: H1N1 Cases on the Rise

  31 March 2011

The H1N1 virus has hit Venezuela. While writing this post, on March 28, the number of people infected with the virus is 415. Using Twitter, Venezuelans are sharing their frustration at the increasing number of cases as they tweet the latest official information and encourage each other to take precautions.

Colombia: Indigenous Communities Protect their Food Security

  31 March 2011

Indigenous communities in Colombia are taking steps to protect their food security. Not only are they educating their communities to eat what they grow on their vegetable gardens instead of buying expensive food brought from outside but they are also protesting new laws and regulations limiting their access to milk.

Brazil: On Opening the Archives of the Dictatorship

  31 March 2011

A collective blogging was called to demand the opening of the archives of the Brazilian military dictatorship (1964-1985), responsible for torturing of thousands and for killing 380 Brazilians. Of these, 147 remain missing and nothing is known about the fate of their bodies. Until now their families are suffering without knowing their stories.

Mexico: Drug Trafficking in Mexican Media vs. US Media

  30 March 2011

Gancho argues that “The contrast between the pessimism and obsessiveness of media coverage of drug trafficking in Mexico with the relative ignorance of the same in the US is striking. Especially with regard to American media–the Mexican outlets often seem to do a better job scanning the news wires for...

Colombia: The Lady of Colombian Television Dies

  30 March 2011

The blog Portal Vallenato reviews the death [es] of Gloria Valencia de Castaño [es] (1927 – 2011) from respiratory failure on March 24. Valencia pioneered radio and television projects in Colombia. She was known as “the lady of Colombian television” and as a major figure (as host, image and voice...

Colombia: Fractal, a Sci-Fi event in Medellín

  30 March 2011

Juan Diego Gómez posts in his blog about Fractal'11, an event about fiction, art, science and technology that will take place in Medellín, Colombia, on April 8-9, 2011. Juan Diego introduces [es] some of the speakers: awarded Science Fiction writer Kij Johnson (@kijjohnson), cyborg anthropologist Amber Case (@caseorganic), researcher Johanna...

Bolivia’s Conflicting Stance With the USA on Coca Chewing

  29 March 2011

The 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs ordered the elimination of chewing coca leaves within 25 years of the treaty going into effect. Bolivia has again resurfaced as a proponent to eliminate this UN ban. The US moved to block Bolivia’s request, further citing that an amendment to the article shows Bolivia’s lack of cooperation in the fight against the drug trade.

Mexico: New (Dis)Agreement on Reporting Violence

  29 March 2011

On March 24, most of the biggest Mexican media outlets signed the "Agreement to Cover Violence in Mexico," an agreement that unifies the editorial criteria to cover and report news related to "the drug war." Many support and defend the document, but the text has also sparked strong disagreement and criticism.

Cuba: More on Carter

  29 March 2011

Cuban bloggers continue to comment on former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's visit.

Peru: Analysis of Latest Election Poll Results

  29 March 2011

Silvio Rendon from Gran Combo Club [es] analyzes the latest election poll results. The latest poll from March 27 shows candidate Ollanta Humala in the lead with Alejandro Toledo and Keiko Fujimori close behind him: “Humala's growth, the collapse of Toledo and Fujimori's stagnation follow a trend seen previously,” Silvio...

Guatemala: Should Inmates be Allowed to Vote?

  29 March 2011

Blogger Luis Figueroa [es] wonders if inmates should be allowed to vote in the upcoming elections. Guatemala's Tribunal Supremo Electoral (Supreme Electoral Tribunal) is considering installing polling stations in prisons to allow inmates to vote.

Honduras: Teacher Protests Continue

  29 March 2011

Hemispheric Brief reports: “Teacher protests continued in Honduras Monday, despite a threat from President Pepe Lobo that his government would begin suspending, without pay, those who did not return to their classrooms this week. […] The protests, triggered by six months of unpaid wages to Honduran teachers, are now entering...

Colombia: Controversy Over Photos of Minors Published by Adult Magazine

  28 March 2011

An article, titled "Let the children come to me" (referencing Mark 10:14), which includes photos from an exhibition by photographer Mauricio Vélez depicting staged scenes of nude underage boys (or models pretending to be minors) being watched by actors dressed as Catholic priests has caused controversy both offline and online.

Cuba: Carter's Visit

  28 March 2011

Cuban bloggers weigh in on former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's visit to the island.

Peru: 2 Weeks Before the General Election

  28 March 2011

Carlos A. Quiroz in Peruanista writes a thorough post on the political climate in Peru two weeks before the general elections. He includes a short review of the use of social media during the campaign.

El Salvador: Online and Street Protests During Obama's Visit

  28 March 2011

Tim in Tim's El Salvador Blog reports that, “not everyone was happy to see Barack Obama on Salvadoran soil. Protesters in the streets of San Salvador and in cyberspace raised their voices against a variety of aspects of US policy impacting this tiny country in Central America.”

About our Latin America coverage

Gabriela Mesones Rojo
Gabriela Mesones Rojo is the Latin America Spanish-language editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.

Fernanda Canofre
Fernanda Canofre is the Brazil editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.