· January, 2011

Stories about Latin America from January, 2011

Puerto Rico: Best Culture Blog

  26 January 2011

The Coalition of Artists of Puerto Rico gave the award of best cultural blog for the month of January to El Naufragio de las Palabras [es] maintained by Carlos Antonio Otero.

Latin American Presidents to Follow on Twitter

  25 January 2011

Christian Espinosa in Cobertura Digital [es] ranks the top 5 Latin American presidents with the most followers on Twitter. He also shares other information on the use of Twitter by different Latin American administrations.

Puerto Rico: More Arrests and Civil Disobedience

  25 January 2011

The student blog Desde Adentro [es] and the monthly Diálogo [es] are offering live coverage of the most recent round of arrests at the University of Puerto Rico. About 30 students and protesters have been arrested today for engaging in civil disobedience against the imposition of a special tuition fee....

Cuba: Marta's Victory

  25 January 2011

Crossing the Barbed Wire blogs about the experience of Marta Diaz Rondon, who was reportedly imprisoned and beaten by “men who claim to be patriots and protectors of Cuba’s security.”

Cuba: Old Age in Cuba

  25 January 2011

“Hands shaking with Parkinson’s offer sugary snacks at bus stops, wrinkled faces offer razor blades for only five pesos”: Generation Y says that the system the elderly helped to build “cannot provide them with a dignified old age.”

Brazil: Neo-Colonialism in Africa

  25 January 2011

Leonardo Sakamoto refutes [pt] the statement of the foreign affairs adviser to the Brazilian presidency, Marco Aurelio Garcia, that “A neo-colonial relationship is only established if neo-colonizer and colonized are in agreement.” For him, it is necessary to examine the complicity of local elites and the situation of colonized countries...

Colombia: Inspiring videos

  25 January 2011

@coloresmari posts in her blog [es] that she feels inspired when she watches videos by @juancanola and says: “I see people from different communities and regions in Colombia really working, taking advantage of the possibilities that digital media gives them.”

Brazil: Belo Monte Dam returns to the spotlight

  25 January 2011

The Brazilian government expressed its wish to start building the controversial Belo Monte hydroelectric dam in 2011. Immediately, a virtual mobilization against the project broke out. In spite of the intense flow of information on the Internet and other media, clarifications on the socio-environmental impacts of Belo Monte are still to be provided by the government.

Guatemala: Challenges for First Female Public Prosecutor

  24 January 2011

Recent appointments of women to public administration and key political positions could shake the political scene in Guatemala. Furthermore, the appointment of the first female Public Prosecutor could help end impunity for crimes committed against women.

Mexico: The Passing of Indigenous Rights Supporter Bishop Samuel Ruiz

  24 January 2011

Bishop Samuel Ruiz passed away this morning. Tim Johnson explains: “Ruiz […] started the Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center out of his diocese, and played an instrumental role in keeping the Zapatista uprising  that erupted in 1994 from flaring into broader violence. Ruiz’s work on behalf of...

El Salvador: Transparency Law Stalled

  24 January 2011

A law that, “would have required government institutions, and private entities tied to the state, to make information available to the public without, necessarily, a formal request, by establishing an accessible database of information,” is stalled, as reported by Voices from El Salvador's Weblog.

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.