Stories about Colombia from May, 2008
Colombia: FARC Leader “Sureshot” is Confirmed Dead
After countless false claims of the death of the FARC's top leader Manuel Marulanda Vélez aka "Sureshot," the Colombian government confirmed that he passed away in March of natural causes. Colombian bloggers were quick to react and provide their thoughts on what this means for the future of the guerrilla group, the future presidential elections, and Sureshot's legacy.
Colombia: FARC Laptops Reveal Ties to Politicians and Foreign Governments
The laptops found in the FARC guerrilla camps were sent to Interpol for independent analysis. The findings, which were leaked to the press, reveal some disturbing ties to foreign governments and some Colombian politicians. However, some Colombian bloggers think that the leaked information has become too political in nature and that one should not necessarily jump to conclusions based on the leaked information.
El Salvador: A Computer in Ecuador Stirs Up Salvadoran Presidential Campaign
A computer file purportedly discovered on a laptop computer at a FARC guerrilla camp in Ecuador, has bloggers in El Salvador wondering what impact it will have and what impact it should have on the upcoming elections in their country scheduled for March 2009. Much of the focus has been on FMLN presidential candidate Mauricio Funes and his reaction to the discovery.
Colombia: Paramilitary Leaders Extradited to the United States
In Colombia, 14 demobilized paramilitary bosses were recently extradited to the United States to face charges of drug trafficking. Bloggers in Colombia discuss how this might affect the current political situation in the country and how much the jailed individuals might reveal now that they have very little incentive to keep silent.
Colombian anti-military youth group commemorates 10 years of resistance
Last May 17th marked the ten year aniversary of the Antimili sonoro, an event organized by the Youth Network as a way to spread the word about resistance to the mandatory military service in Colombia through music. The date was celebrated with a concert, and the whole month of May was programmed with conferences, talks and marches commemorating the 10 years of the youth organization's Disobedience and Civil Resistance movement. Showcasing the invitation to the events, the promotional clips and a short video from one of the ska bands playing in the concert.
Colombia: Statistics on Internet Usage and Access
Seventy-five percent of Colombians do not have access to the internet reveals a recent studty. Campus Comunicativo [es] provides more of the findings.
Colombia: Campus Party Speakers
Campus Party – Colombia is about a month away and Carolina Botero provides an update on some of the activities and speakers planeed for the week-long event.
Colombia: Update on Suso en La Loma
“Suso” is a well-known person in the community of La Loma in Medellín, Colombia thanks to the documentation by the Hiperbarrio project. Catalina Restrepo of Cosas del Alma [es] provides an update on the work that has been done to help improve the living conditions of Suso. Gabriel Vanegas of...
PangeaDay: an event lived worldwide
Pangea Day took place Saturday, and people from different parts of the world got together to watch movies and be a part of the worldwide event where movies, speakers and music showed us a bit of life on the other side of the globe, uniting people from all walks of life to believe that we aren't as different as we would believe. It also included a mobile video contest, with an international lineup of winners.
