Stories about Colombia from March, 2012
‘Mujeres Construyendo': Empowering Women, One Blog at a Time
Mujeres Construyendo, the first platform for female bloggers in Spanish, wants to convert Hispanic women into creators of internet content. We talk to its founder, Claudia Calvin, about this growing community of bloggers.
Colombia: Eduardo Montealegre Appointed as New Chief Prosecutor
Blogs [es] and social networks [es] report [es] and comment [es] on the appointment of the lawyer and Uribe supporter Eduardo Montealegre [es] as new Chief Prosecutor, in replacement of Viviane Morales. Montealegre said he intends to pass a statutory law to permit the extension of the protection of human...
Video: Indigenous Communities Document their Growth and Governance
The Indigenous Territory and Governance Platform is made up of a series of institutions all working together to provide the indigenous people of Latin America the tools and resources to be able to strengthen the governance they have of their territory and their community. A series of short videos is used to document their progress. All links lead to Spanish language sites.
Colombia: Video Contrasts Ads Vs. Reality of Oil Extraction Companies
In Is Pacific Rubiales Really Colombia? [es] the people of Puerto Gaitán contradict the statements made by oil and mineral extraction corporation Pacific Rubiales’ television ads where community members state they are better off and happy with Pacific Rubiales.
Colombia: Interactive llustrated Tour of Medellin
Take a virtual tour of Medellin, Colombia through illustrations, picture composites and images of the different locations around the city, all placed within a clickable map in Medellin Illustrated [es].
Colombia: New Pension System ‘Colpensiones’ Sparks Protests
After the government announced the transfer of the Social Security Institute [es] (ISS), a public pension fund, to Colpensiones [es], the new state entity that will administer the pension system starting April 2, the Central Union of Workers (CUT) called for protests [es] that were carried [es] in different cities. This has...
Colombia Orders Arrest of Colombian Ambassador to Peru Jorge Visbal
Colombia's Attorney General ordered the arrest [es] of Colombian ambassador to Peru, Jorge Visbal Martelo, for alleged links with paramilitary groups. After the order Visbal resigned [es] and is expected to return to the country, as confirmed by his lawyer. Twitter users [es] are connecting him [es] with former President Alvaro...
Colombia: A “Football for All” Bill Proposed in Congress
Since the biggest TV cable operators could not reach a deal with the Colombian football administration for the rights of the domestic tournament matches until 2016, a Senator proposed a bill in order to break the “monopoly,” so the matches can be broadcast on over-the-air channels (only one of the...
Colombia: Barranquilla Short Film Festival Call for Entries
Friday March 17th is the last day to submit a 30 minute or less short film or documentary for the XII International Short Film Festival A la Calle in Barranquilla, Colombia. Awards will be given to the best local, national and international short film and documentary.
Intercontinental Cry Will Launch Spanish Edition
Ahni announces the upcoming Spanish edition of Intercontinental Cry [es], which will go live on March 31, 2012. “The main objective of IC Espanol is, of course, to provide Spanish readers with the same news that our English readers have come to expect from us; what I consider to be...
Colombia: FARC Announces End to Kidnappings, Release of Hostages
On February 26, the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) announced they would release ten military hostages they currently hold. Despite hope the announcement generated, there are doubts and other uncertainties over what will happen now.
Colombia: Protests Against TransMilenio Bus System in Bogotá
On March 9 a peaceful protest against the Bogotá bus transportation system TransMilenio ended with clashes and looting at several stations, causing property damage, injuries and arrests. The National Student Board [es] (MANE) issued a statement [es], which added to statements by Mayor Gustavo Petro [es] generated the Twitter hashtags...
Ibero-American Blogging Competition Asks Teens: “What are you reading?”
The Organization of Ibero-American States invites teens ages 12 to 15 to enter a blogging competition about reading. The sign up [es] deadline is May 31, 2012, and judges will consider blog posts written until July 31. The winner from each participating country will receive an iPad. Visit the official...
Colombia: Celebrating Gabriel García Márquez's 85th Birthday on Facebook
Renowned Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez turns 85 today, March 6, 2012. Fundación Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericano (“New Iberoamerican Journalism Foundation”, FNPI for its initials in Spanish, founded by García Márquez) has created a Facebook page dedicated to the author's 85th birthday, as the blog 233 Grados [es] reports. The Facebook...
Colombia: President Santos’ Performance According to Gallup Polls
Jaime Restrepo Vásquez from the blog Atrabilioso [es] compares Gallup poll results for current President Juan Manuel Santos to figures during previous administrations. Specifically, Jaime looks at whether Colombians think that the situation in the country is worse or better, whether they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the...
Colombia: Chief Prosecutor Viviane Morales Removed from Office
The State Council, a regulatory institution of the Supreme Court, declared the election of Chief Prosecutor Viviane Morales invalid, arguing that in December 2010 the Court's internal rules were violated, causing irregularities in the voting, as La silla Vacía [es] explained. The news became a local trending topic on Twitter...
Colombia: Film Festival Award Goes to Indigenous Film
The Cartagena International Film Festival [es] awarded one of its India Catalina awards in the category of New Creators in Short Films to the documentary short Mu Drua (My land) by Mileidy Orozco Domicó of the University of Antioquia [es]. The documentary, in the Embera tongue, follows the struggles of...
Global Voices Podcast: Remembering Our School Days
In this edition we’re going back to school! From extreme teaching on the Niger River, to the fondest or most memorable educational moments of Global Voices contributors around the world. Plus: How Ethan Zuckerman learned to type so fast.
