Latin America | VivirLatino

Archive for the ‘Latin America’ Category

Notes From The Afro-Latin@s Now! Conference Plenary

5 Nov 2011

The Afro-Latin@s Now! Conference is taking place as I write. It began on Thursday at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture with the Plenary and continued through Friday with “traditional” presentations throughout the day and wraps up this Saturday with events targeting youth at El Museo del Barrio.

I was asked to participate in one of the sessions on sexuality but my workload didn’t allow me to attend any of the events except for the Plenary. I’ve included some notes I took on the plenary and some other reflections from other folks who did attend Friday.

The plenary had four extremely well-known people doing work within the Afr@Latin@ community in various capacities. The panelists included Educardo Bonilla-Silva, sociologist at Duke University and author of several texts on white supremacy, Maria Rosario Jackson a researcher and professor who works in urban planning and development and , Evelyne Laurent-Perrault a biologist and historian and founder of the annual Arturo Schomburg Symposium at Taller Puertorriqueno in Philidelphia, and Silvio Torres-Saillant a professor of English and founder of the Dominican Studies Institute at City College and the author of several texts about Dominican identity. The facilitator for the evening was James Counts Early the Director of the Cultural Heritage Policy Center at the Smithsonian instituion. You may read more about each panelist and a fuller bio at the Afro-Latin@ Now! Conference site.

The first question that was posed to the panelist were “why is there this interest in Black Latin@s at this time?” Responses included an increased interest in Blackness, the diaspora. Torres-Saillant shared that when he was growing up Blackness was something one had to apologize for in the Dominican Republic. Rosario Jackson shared that with the browning of the US being more local yet there is still a crisis which she believes may lead to more creative opportunity. Laurent-Perrault mentioned the term “coyuntura” and how there is an increase in energy within particular communities that is leading to this attention. Bonilla-Silva shared that we are living in a “new racial order” which is how the US is moving towards a more Latin Americanist perspective on race, which he believes is NOT a good thing. He states we, in the US, are living in a “multi-racial white supremacist regime” and that there is a three point racial consciousness for Black Latin@s which includes: being racially Black, being ethnically Latino and being US citizens as well.

The next question was about being proactive. Torres-Saillant began by indicating how mestizaje is connected to the “multi-racial white supremacist regime” where the US hides racism under mestizaje in the US in the same way that Latin American’s are currently finding themselves in crisis regarding their mestizaje. Rosario Jackson shared that we must begin to claim racially Black people as a strategy to be proactive. At this point the facilitator Early shared how many Black Latin@s Anglicized their names to pass just as Blacks in the US. He gave the example of actor and producer Terry Carter and several Black Latin@ baseball players who changed their names to simply be in the Negro Leagues and be Black only. Laurent-Perrault indicates this is why she loves history because it already gives us some of the answers we need. It’s at this time that the panelists indicate that Black US folks can learn from LatiNegr@s as we have 100 years longer of Blackness in our countries compared to the US (based on documentation of when the first African slaves were brought to the areas in the 1500s). Bonilla-Silva mentions the connections to the ideas of mixing among Black Latin@s in an effort to “better” (i.e. whiten) the family and community. He also mentions this being connected to a myth of nation building where we validate whiteness by using the same categories and structures that were created by whites to identify and label/mark Latin@s worldwide.

Monday Morning Musica : Calle 13 Latinoamérica

6:05 am By Maegan La Mala · Latin America|Music · Comments Off

3 Oct 2011

As some readers may know, I have a love/hate relationship with Calle 13. Sometimes they are so on point with their message and yes they always can get you to move your culo, but sometimes they border on gross objectification and misogyny.

Just in time for Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month, the Rican duo has released a new video for their single, Latinoamérica, off of their Entren Los Que Quieran album and as featured in their documentary Sin Mapa.

I found the editing beautiful and the video very moving as it shows both the diversity of Latin America but also some of the basic rituals and life milestones we all share.
I also appreciated the voices of of mujer legends of Latin American music, Susana Baca from Peru, Totó la Momposina from Colombia and Maria Rita from Brazil.

Enjoy.

Remembering and Not Forgetting

9:21 am By Maegan La Mala · Chile|history|New York City · Comments Off

11 Sep 2011

I have written about 9-11 for as long as this website has been in existence. I remember to write about it every year because my head and my heart do not forget. They are two separate things – remembering and not forgetting but they are the same in that they are both subjective, victims of our own age, our biases, our challenges.

I remember being stuck underground for hours in a subway car that filled with smoke and darkness, not knowing that the World Trade Center was collapsing above me and that my mother was running just ahead of it.

I remember walking the streets from downtown to Queens, half crying, half in a daze because an officer has told me at 14th Street that there was no more World Trade Center and I remember hearing that as there is no more mommy.

I remember my mother and I finally finding each other back home – she walked out of the World Trade Center and on that walk to Queens she thought I too was dead.

I remember kissing my then 4 year old daughter and trying to call Chile to let her father know we were ok but I will not forget that I was also checking to see if he was ok because his September 11th had happened already. He knew already of searching for bodies with pictures in the hands of mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, and children. He knew of checking and rechecking lists of names.

On 9-11-96 I will not forget that I first tasted and absorbed tear gas by the Universidad de Chile, surrounded by students whose families had their own planes, their own dead and disappeared. I will not forget that they eyed me with suspicion – gringa – Norte Americana – representative of the sponsor of their 9-11.

I will not forget how I have a whole generation of students who have grown up in the last 10 years being told to fear terrorism and that they, as Muslims, as brown are the terrorists.

I remember all the dead – the men and women I used to call almost on a daily basis from work who would answer from their top floor office in the WTC. The lists stacked floor to ceiling in the Vicaría de la Solidaridad de Chile of names, some shared by my Chile-Rican daughters.

They do not remember. One was a pre-schooler. The other wasn’t even a thought But they cannot forget that histories like memories are subjective and layer upon one another to form identity and policy and the space between truth and lie. I will not let them forget.

Chilean Police Kill Student Protester – Pattern & Practice Leftover from Pinochet Days?

10:07 am By Maegan La Mala · Argentina|Chile|Latin America|Police Violence · Comments Off

30 Aug 2011

Last Thursday, people gathered in the streets of Jaime Eyzaguirre Macul in Chile, participating in a two-day national strike. Among those was 16 year old Manuel Gutierrez. While police violence against protesters, especially students, is not uncommon in Chile, Manual probably expected to return home after the protests. Instead, he was mortally wounded due to shots fired by the police.

Originally the police denied responsibility, a position they have since retracted. Officer Miguel Millacura, who said he was responding to shots fired by protesters by shooting his Uzi 9 millimeter in the air, was asked to resign. An investigation continues.

Someone in Chile sent me the following video, demonstrating how common unprovoked violence is from the Carabineros de Chile. I urge you not just to watch the disturbing images but to also listen to how some the audio references Pinochet, so many years after the dictatorship.

Chile Debe Ser Distinto 25/8/2011 from ALAA ALSADI on Vimeo.

While a recent article in The Guardian, looks at police brutality specifically in Argentina and its role as part of the legacy left by right-wing dictatorships there, I think the following quote is applicable to the Southern Cone as a whole:

A recent study at Tennessee’s Vanderbilt University identified Argentina as having one of the worst records of police violence in Latin America, with 8.7% of the population subjected to some form of violence and abuse by the Argentinian police forces in 2009… 28 years after the end of the military-led dictatorship, still hangs over Argentina’s human rights and security practices. Nationally, “there is almost one case of police violence every day”, says Gerardo Netche, Argentinian lawyer and researcher for the anti-police corruption organisation Correpi. Most cases are “easy trigger” murders (so named by a 1980 judge who thought it was more sensitive to victims’ families than “trigger happy”) or torture. “These days,” says Netche, “generally all prisoners get beaten up, with more or less force depending on their case. Sadly it is very rare that any of these cases reach any kind of conviction.”

Martes Musica : Francisca Valenzuela Releases U.S. Album

11:52 am By Maegan La Mala · Chile|Music · Comments Off

16 Aug 2011

Blame my time in Chile and my ChileRican hijas and because my head needs a break from S-Comm posts.

24 year old Chilena, Francisca Valenzuela has just released he album, “Buen Soldado” in the U.S. via iTunes.
I think I have been listening to Francisca for about a year now and really like some of her work and her voice. I often think that Chilean rock/pop music is overlooked. It’s also interesting hearing/reading some the critique of Valenzuela and music in Chile in general for representing only a certain sector of Chilean society.

Here is the video for the 2nd song off the album, Qué sería.

Que creen.

VL At The Cine: Summer Indie Latino Films To Check Out

26 Jul 2011

This summer it’s all about saving money and supporting important films for our comunidad! I write this knowing that sometimes to support important films we may spend a little extra at film festivals, and if you live in an area where film festivals are coming (or have been) it’s def worth the energy to check out what they have to offer.

Mala and I will try to bring you some highlights of the film festivals we are going to this summer and year. In the meantime, here are a few films that have caught my attention and that I’d love to see (note that I’ve only seen some of these films and you can too, so they are not reviews), pero if any VL readers have seen any of these films I haven’t, please tell us your thoughts!

The first set of films is offered to view for free by the organization FUTURESTATES which are:

short narrative films created by established filmmakers and emerging talents transforming today’s complex social issues into visions about what life in America will be like in decades to come.

FUTURESTATES has also created a web resource for educators to use the films with grades 9-12 (but let’s be honest these are useful for any age!). The curriculums focus specifically on film and media.

The first film is one that was shared with me while I was away at a wedding. It is created, written, and directed by NYU alumna A. Sayeeda Clarke. Her film WHITE is in one word: phenomenal! It’s a short about 15 minutes long, and you may watch it online for free here. Clarke’s film takes place in the near future in NYC where the currency is skin color/melanin. She questions our ideas of identity, skin color, importance, class, natural resources, community, race, ethnicity, health, parenting, work, capitalism, global warming, and survival. The lead character is Bato, a Black Puerto Rican (yes, he’s written as that and indicates his identity in the film as such!), an activist in his community and expectant father. When the midwife working with his partner shares that she will have to give birth in a hospital setting, the couple must now find the money to pay the entrance fee to have a safe birthing outcome for their child. Bato must now find the money to do so.

The fact that there is a LatiNegro at the center of this story warms my heart. That we remain a part of the FUTURE is important for us to see and recognize. It also shares an important narrative of how white supremacy will/may continue in the future, but in new forms. This is one of those films where after seeing it I was so uncomfortable yet calm. I wanted more of the story and that alone is what makes this short film one of my favorites! Below is an interview with A. Sayeeda Clarke discussing her film:

US Officials Seize Seven Computers as Caravan to Cuba Crosses US-Mexico Border

9:11 am By Maegan La Mala · Activism|Cuba|Health|Justice|Politics · 1 Comment

21 Jul 2011

Note: Some beloved mentors of mine are participating in the caravan this year so, like just about everything, this is more than political, it is also personal. – Mala

Dear Friends and Supporters,

At 12:20 PM on Wednesday, the 22nd Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba arrived at the US/Mexico border to break the US blockade against Cuba. The US border officials have again decided to interfere with our mission of breaking the US blockade, and have seized seven computers. More information is in the press release below. Although we are continuing on the caravan and taking the remaining 100 tons of aid to Cuba, our protest against the seizure continues! Your support is vital! We are asking you, our emergency response network, to spread the word:

Call your senators and congressional representatives, the White House, call your local media, and organize in your communities to demand that the US government:

- Return the 7 computers immediately!

- End the blockade and travel ban of Cuba now!

- Find your Congressional Representative here:

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Find your Senator here:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Contact the Whitehouse here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Now is the time for action against this criminal blockade and in support of the Pastors for Peace Friendshipment Caravan to Cuba!

You can support our work by making a donation here:

https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=4382

Let us work together to end the blockade!

In solidarity,

IFCO-Pastors for Peace

US Officials Seize Seven Computers as Pastors for Peace Cuba Caravan Crosses into Mexico

US Customs and Border Patrol officers seized seven computers intended for Cuban hospitals, schools, and a veterinary clinic at the Pharr (TX) International Bridge on Wednesday.

The computers are part of the 100 tons humanitarian aid carried by the 22nd IFCO/Pastors for Peace Friendshipment Caravan to Cuba. Caravan participants observed officers X-raying and searching the vehicles. Customs officers then said that they were ‘detaining,’ not ‘seizing’ the computers, in order to determine whether the caravan needed to have a license to take them to Cuba. Three of the computers seized were the same ones that were taken from last year’s caravan in 2010, and were later returned to IFCO/Pastors for Peace.

While the brightly painted trucks and school buses were being searched, caravanistas chanted “Cuba is no threat to you; let our computers through!” and “Love is our license! Free the computers!” and held banners and signs reading “Cuba is not our enemy” and other slogans. Caravanistas then prayed and chanted together as they gathered around the pickup truck holding the seized computers.

Although IFCO/Pastors is protesting the computer seizure, we are continuing through the border to deliver to Cuba the 100 tons of aid that have crossed successfully through the border.

This year more than 100 North Americans and Europeans have joined the Caravan.

For updates check www.pastorsforpeace.org and www.facebook.com/pastorsforpeace

Original Pelo Diva Mirta de Perales Passes

6:46 am By Maegan La Mala · Celebrities|Cuba|Culture|Entrepreneurs · 2 Comments

10 May 2011

This isn’t usually the story I would write about but I would be denying a huge part of my NY Rican upbringing if I didn’t give a moment to acknowledge the passing of Cuban beautician Mirta de Perales at the age of 88 in her Miami home.

For those of you who don’t know, Mirta de Perales is cult legend, seen in between the novelas your abuela used to watch and Walter Mercado’s show or Iris Chacon’s show (depending on the night), Mirta used to advertise her extensive product line that included shampoos and conditioners. Her segments were more than just mere commercials. She told you the right way to wash and brush your hair (with her branded brush of course). I particularly remember one of my childhood babysitters using the lemon shampoo with conditioner, bright yellow in a clear, small bottle with green lettering. According to El Nuevo Dia, Mirtha became interested in hair at the age of 11 after having some undisclosed hair issues. She grew her business into an empire, apparently even earning some sort of award from President Reagan.

Rest in Peace Mirta and may all your hair days be good ones.

Miercoles Morning Musica : Pretenciosa de Denise Murz

6:50 am By Maegan La Mala · Argentina|Music · Comments Off

13 Apr 2011

I’ve been called pretentious by a lover or two in my lifetime, pero this Argentina, Denise Murz, properly (re)defines ,via electro-pop, chica dificil to chica who knows the value of her time. Kind of fun, cheesy reflection of alot of my own feelings at the moment.

NYC peeps, Denise will play her first NY show on May 13th, and she´ll do it on Nacotheque (Fontana´s Bar, 105 Eldridge St)

Bolivia’s “Law of Mother Earth”

2:54 pm By BiancaLaureano · Activism|Bolivia|Environment|history|Religion · 11 Comments

12 Apr 2011

There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding Bolivia’s new law that, when passed, will grant Nature all and equal rights granted to humans. This news is not new as Bolivia’s President Evo Morales, the first indeginous President of Latin America, announced December 2009 at the U.N. Climate Summit they were creating a Mother Earth Ministry. Days prior to the summit President Morales hosted the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Bolivia.

During President Morales’ speech in 2009 he stated: “The budget for the United States is $687 billion for defense. And for climate change, to save life, to save humanity. They only put up $10 billion. This is shameful.” Yeah, I don’t even want to go back and look up the numbers for education and healthcare.

The law is said to establish 11 new laws for Nature which include:

the right to life and to exist;
the right to continue vital cycles and processes free from human alteration;
the right to pure water and clean air;
the right to balance;
the right not to be polluted;
the right to not be affected by mega-infrastructure and development projects that affect the balance of ecosystems and the local inhabitant communities;
the right to not have cellular structure modified or genetically altered

(I know that’s not all 11, pero I’m having a hard time finding them in English or Spanish, if you know of a link with all of them please share and I’ll update the post!)

VivirLatino