Lakota Sioux Indians Declare Sovereign Nation Status
Lakota Sioux Indian representatives declared sovereign nation status on Wednesday, December 19th in
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Chilean Coastal Bird Faces Extinction
Time appears to be running out for the Gaviotín Chico, a small bird whose coastal habitat extends from northern Chile to southern Peru. […]
Ecuador’s New Constitutional Assembly: Up With the Executive, Down With Traditional Parties
Ecuador followed in the footsteps of Venezuela and Bolivia this past November 30 by beginning the task of writing a new constitution. The goal is to remake the country’s political and social landscape. Similar to Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales, president Rafael Correa has pledged to use a new constitution to introduce socialism for the twenty-first century into Ecuador. […]
Brazil: Films, Music as Damage Control in Prisons
Cultural activities in Brazilian jails these days include film screenings, live bands and libraries with shelves packed with books — part of an attempt to combat the consequences of the appalling living conditions in prison."So far, I think we’re managing to limit some of the damage. Because we know that we’re fighting a very cruel system," rapper Marcelo Yuka, who likes to define art as "a mirror of society." […]
Bolivia: Guarayo Indians Struggle to Hold Onto Their Land
The Guarayo indigenous people in eastern Bolivia are losing their land to large landowners. But one woman is heading a social movement to fight the greed of timber companies and agribusiness interests in the area.San Pablo is a poor town in Bolivia’s eastern lowlands made up of mud-walled, thatched-roof houses 335 km north of the city of Santa Cruz and 14 km from Ascensión, the capital of the province of Guarayos.
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Transformation Via Constitutional Reforms
As left-leaning forces have been elected to power in several countries in South America’s Andean region, they have undertaken constitutional reforms to incorporate far-reaching economic and social changes. The trend stands in contrast to left or centre-left governments farther to the south, which have implemented social programmes, put a stronger emphasis on nationalism or brought to justice those responsible for crimes against humanity committed by past dictatorships, without the need to rewrite their constitutions.
Reggaeton Nation
Photo: Sony International
It was a stunning sight. Onstage in 2003 at San Juan’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium, five-time senator Velda González—former actress, grandmother of 11, and beloved public figure—was doing the unthinkable. Flanked by reggaeton stars Hector and Tito (a.k.a. the Bambinos), the senator, sporting tasteful makeup and a sweet, matronly smile, was lightly swinging her hips and tilting her head from side to side to a raucous reggaeton beat. […]
Gender Issues in Venezuela’s Constitution
Two days following Venezuela’s constitutional reform referendum, a group of forty anti-sexism advocates held a joyous gathering in Mérida, Venezuela to inaugurate the first edition of their collective magazine which focuses on gender consciousness issues. […]
Radio Report: Upheaval in Bolivia, Empire in Latin America
Photo: ABI
Benjamin Dangl reports on Bolivia’s new constitution and regional divisions; Greg Grandin reports on empire and torture in Latin America. […]
Mexico’s Street Brigade: Sex, Revolution, and Social Change
Photo: Indymedia
The alliance between Zapatistas, sex workers, and transvestites shows the power of social change in a key cultural way—when it’s anchored to daily life. In Mexico, one of the strongest and most overbearing enclaves of patriarchy and machismo, Subcomandante Marcos has opened the doors to debate about discrimination in a controversial area. […]