· March, 2014

Stories about Latin America from March, 2014

Massive Online Campaign to Free Political Prisoner Oscar López Rivera

  31 March 2014

The international campaign to free Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar López Rivera is asking people from all over the world to contribute in making the hashtag #freeOscarLopez a trending topic tomorrow, April 1st. Tweets should also include U.S. president Barack Obama's handle @BarackObama. This year, López Rivera will have been...

15 Free (or Very Cheap) Things to Do in Bogotá, Colombia

  28 March 2014

Bogotá and its price points tend to get a bad rap. This is a very valid point when you consider that the average monthly salary in the city as of 2013 was just over 1 million pesos (about $500 at the current exchange rate), and that it has the biggest...

Brazilian Congress Approves Pioneering Bill of Rights for Internet Users

  26 March 2014

Marco Civil has finally been approved in the lower house of Brazil's Congress and next should be voted in Senate. The bill of rights for Internet users became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter, following a large-scale campaign that was promoted during the day of the vote, March 25, 2014, under the hashtags #MarcoCivil and #EuQueroMarcoCivil (I want...

Brazil's Internet Bill of Rights Ignites Storm of Posts

  25 March 2014

Activists who support Brazil's bill of rights for Internet users, known as the #MarcoCivil, and who have Facebook or Twitter accounts are invited to participate in a large-scale campaign on social networks to pressure the National Congress to vote on the current version of the bill. An article by Julie Rovono on TechCrunch explains how...

‘The Subject': A New Crowdfunding Tool for Brazil's Independent Media

  24 March 2014

Aimed at providing an alternative to the traditional business model of media production, a new crowdfunding platform for independent journalism has been launched in Brazil. O Sujeito (The Subject) [pt] is hosted by the crowdfunding website Catarse, which wrote about the new venture [pt] coming at a time of transition for media funding: O veículo impresso está...

“Happy” Video Exposes the Other Side of Rio de Janeiro

  22 March 2014

Inspired by the “worldwide contagious happiness” that was sparked by Pharrell Williams’ viral music video “Happy“, as can be seen in hundreds of dancing videos from around the world, Brazilian group of video-makers Jeitinho Carioca (“Shit Cariocas Say”) has created a local version for Rio de Janeiro with a satirical tone.  Besides showing people...

Unlocking Time: A Collective Virtual Album of Old Photos from Latin America

  19 March 2014

All links lead to Spanish-language pages #plenoverano en ABRIR EL TIEMPO: los animales inflables en el mar. Fotos playeras de Uruguay, 1940! pic.twitter.com/IM3Tg801 — Abrir el tiempo (@abrireltiempo) January 16, 2013 Summer in Unlocking Time: Inflatable animals in the sea. Beach photos from Uruguay, 1940! Abrir el tiempo (Unlocking Time)...

Zapatista Textbook Now Available in English

  19 March 2014

Put on your thinking caps because the first of four Zapatista textbooks from last year’s widely popular escuelita (little school) have been translated to English. For those who are not yet familiar, the Zapatista Escuelita (Zapatista little school), brought 1630 students from around the world to learn what it really...

In Peru, Racism Strikes Again

  19 March 2014

Racism is alive and well in Peru's multiethnic society. With the spread of social networks, racist practices have become a topic of debate among activists and the general public.

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.