· May, 2008

Stories about Latin America from May, 2008

Colombia: FARC Laptops Reveal Ties to Politicians and Foreign Governments

  28 May 2008

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.

Cuba: Incipient Crackdown?

  27 May 2008

Both Uncommon Sense and Ninety miles away…in another country blog about an incident in which “police and thugs from a ‘rapid response brigade’ swarmed about two dozen people as they marched toward a local cemetery to present a floral wreath honoring the memory of the iconic political prisoner Pedro Luis...

Venezuela: The Poet Who Enjoyed the Simple Things in Life

  27 May 2008

Poet Aquiles Nazoa had always led a simple life. His poetry illustrated the beauties of daily life and the humorous soul of all Venezuelans. He was also one of the most furious advocates of Human Rights during the 1960s in Venezuela. Venezuelan bloggers pay tribute to this poet, who had a certain love of the simple things in life.

Chile: How To Read Smog Map

  27 May 2008

Chileno provides an in-depth look at the Chilean government's smog map and what it says about the levels of contamination in the capital city of Santiago.

El Salvador: A Computer in Ecuador Stirs Up Salvadoran Presidential Campaign

  26 May 2008

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

  26 May 2008

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.

Ecuador: Internet Access Lacking in Countryside

  26 May 2008

Christian Espinosa of Cobertura Digital [es] cites figures regarding internet access in Ecuador and notes that more than 60% of the toal internet users are based in Quito. He writes, “the challenge is in the rural areas,” in reference to the alarming statistic that between 1-4% of residents in the...

Peru: Lima Plays Host to Regional Summit

  25 May 2008

Lima, Peru recently played host to the 5th Latin America - European Union summit, which aims to address some of the pressing matters of the region. Peruvian bloggers provide their thoughts on how valuable these summits are and whether the city disorder is worth the hassle. Other bloggers were left disappointed after offering to volunteer at the summit.

Brazil: Can the Amazon problem be solved with new management?

  24 May 2008

Changing the command in a Brazilian Ministry used to be a domestic affair, but the resignation of the renowned rainforest defender Marina Silva from the Environmental Ministry has sparked global reactions. Ms. Silva's replacement was quickly announced by President Lula, through the designation of Carlos Minc, former environmental secretary of...

Saramago's reaction at the lauch of Blindness, the film

  23 May 2008

Bárbara Axt [pt] publishes a spot on video showing Jose Saramago‘s reaction just after watching Blindness, an adaptation of his book by Brazilian Fernando Meirelles, which was launched the Cannes film festival on Wednesday. “I am so happy to watch this film… as I was when I finished writing the...

Brazil: Promoting the country's fine art

  23 May 2008

Guilherme Montana [pt] starts a new series of posts about Brazilian fine art. “The first artist to be honored in this rudimentary humbly artifact of online publication is one that lives and paints the Central West area. His name is Humberto Espíndola, and the picture is Bovinocultura V – Boi-Águia,...

Colombian anti-military youth group commemorates 10 years of resistance

  23 May 2008

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.

Brazil: Images of the ‘Invisible Indians’ in the Amazon

  23 May 2008

Altino Machado presents pictures [PT] of what could be the last isolated ethnic group in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, the so called ‘Invisible Indians’. The pictures were taken from a plane by José Carlos dos Reis Meirelles Jr., coordinator of FUNAI's [Brazilian National Indian Foundation] Ethno-environmental Protection Front, in the...

Cuba, Bermuda: Who Was Che?

  23 May 2008

A Radical in Bermuda shares his views on who he thinks Che Guevara was, while Child of the Revolution warns that the director and stars of the new feature film Che “have been happily providing plenty of colourful quotes to the media, along with their own versions of the Che...

Argentina: The Countryside and Social Conflict

  23 May 2008

During the last two months, the Argentinean political agenda has been marked by the conflict between the government and “the countryside,” a generic denomination that groups everything from big land owners, to private companies that rent the land for soybean harvesting, to small producers, and rural workers. Blogs on both sides take a stand on the conflict.

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.