Brazilian Artists Prevent Culture Ministry Shutdown

Marcelo Calero was sworn on Tuesday as Brazil’s new Culture Minister under Acting President Michel Temer though that was not under the new leader’s original plans. Temer originally opted to merge the Ministry of Culture (MC) into the Education Ministry but days ago reinstated the department following campaigning by the local artistic community.

The main thrust came from the “Ocupa MinC” movement that mobilized to voice their discontent against Temer’s actions. Hundreds of artists, musicians, actors and others protested by taking over MC buildings in twenty-three cities throughout Brazil. In the Teatro Oficina in Sao Paulo, for instance, demonstrators at their sit-in chanted the popular song “Baile de Favela” as a form of resistance. Renowned música popular brasileira singers Caetano Veloso and Erasmo Carlos performed in concert last week at the MC headquarters for Rio de Janeiro.

“MinC is ours (and) is a victory of the Brazilian state.  It does not represent any government,” said Veloso who left Brazil under exile during the repressive military rule of the 1970s.

“Any person who thinks culture is superfluous is someone out of touch with the identity of our nation,” declared Carlos in an apparent message for Temer.

Other artists aligned to Ocupa MinC are not only upset at Temer but also outraged over the process that led to impeachment proceedings against his predecessor, Dilma Rousseff. In a video purportedly produced by Ocupa MinC and embedded at the top of this post, at least eleven figures criticize the “illegitimate government” under Temer for removing eight other ministries including those representing women, indigenous communities and human rights.

“The fight for democracy does not have a deadline,” actress Marieta Severo mentioned at the end of the video.

Daily Headlines: December 28, 2012

* Brazil: Doctors In Brazil who previously had to notify officials of patients who developed AIDS will now need to inform authorities of all HIV cases.

* Latin America: Could Latin America’s “culture of family, support, and living a life to spend time with your family” explain why some countries in the region are at the top of a global happiness index?

* Colombia: The son of a former Colombian senator and ambassador filed a civil lawsuit in Florida against the South American country’s two main guerilla groups.

* Argentina: In a setback for the government the Argentine Supreme Court backed an injunction protecting media giant Grupo Clarin from being partially broken up.

Video Source – YouTube via user 1818video (Excerpt from a Frontline documentary, possibly “Sick Around the World” from 2008).

Online Sources- USA TODAY, CNN, ABC News, Christian Science Monitor

Observing the Day of the Dead (Revisited)

Note: This post was submitted by guest writer Bronson Pettitt and 

originally published on November 2, 2009.

In Mexico and in Mexican expat communities, November 1st and 2nd mark "Día de Muertos," or Day of the Dead. The two days are a chance for families to remember their lost ones, combining ancient Aztec, Mayan, Náhuatl, Purépecha and Totonocao traditions with Spanish Christianity. In the days prior, many Mexicans put up an altar in their house. Usually adorned with flowers (cempasúchil, or marigolds), a candle for and photo of each loved one, sugar or chocolate skulls, fruits, the sugary "bread of the dead" (pan de muerto), pumpkins, candied squash, religious symbols and paper decorations, the altar is said to be an offering for the departed.

On the first day of celebrations, families that have lost children will go to the graves where they are buried, clean and paint the site and spend the night telling anecdotes and stories. Usually, they leave toys at the grave.

The second day commemorates adults who have passed away and the tradition is similar to that of children, but it is common to take to the grave typical Mexican drinks such as tequila, mezcal, pulque or atole.

What´s uniquely Mexican about these days is the attitude. Ancient indigenous views took a more natural view toward death: the spirit of the departed was determined more by the way the person died rather than their behavior during their time on earth. Death was an accepted, not feared, part of life. These perspectives, with infusions of Christianiaty, are present today, not only on Día de Muertos but in Mexican culture in general.

Daily Headlines: September 21, 2012

* Brazil: Petrobras CEO Maria das Gracas Foster said that the company’s attorneys are trying to overturn an injunction against oil drilling contractor Transocean.
 
* Peru: At least person died after police clashed with protesters who claimed that a gold mine owned by Canadian company Barrick is polluting the local water supply.
 
* Mexico: The U.S. Department of Justice inspector general blasted the ATF for its role in the controversial Operation Fast and Furious but exonerated Attorney General Eric Holder.
 
* U.S.: A pair of national Latino organizations denounced the apparent “constant pattern of exclusion of Latinos” from receiving the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors.

Video Source – YouTube via Associated Press (Video from November 2011).

Online Sources- Reuters, CBS News, Huffington Post, Politico

Today’s Video: Identity

Black History Month will soon be coming to a close. But it's never an inappropriate time to ask what does it mean to be an individual of African-American and Latino background? In the video below via mun2, several celebrities including actor Gina Torres, musician Christina Milian and journalist Soledad O'Brien provide insight into issues of cultural identity, discrimination, and race:

(Hat tip: Pocho).

Online Sources - Pocho

Video Source - YouTube via mun2

Daily Headlines: July 27, 2011

* Colombia: Rest in peace Joe Arroyo; the salsa legend died yesterday at the age of 55 while he was hospitalized in the Colombian city of Barranquilla.

* Peru: Acclaimed Afro-Peruvian musician Susana Baca was picked by president-elect Ollanta Humala as the next culture minister.

* Nicaragua: President Daniel Ortega’s bid for reelection may be controversial but a recent poll shows that he holds a massive lead over rival candidates.

* Mexico: U.S. immigration officials processed and returned over thirty Mexican troops who inadvertently crossed the border into Texas.

Video Source – Unoticias via YouTube
Online Sources- MSNBC, Reuters, The Guardian, InsideCostaRica.com

Daily Headlines: February 9, 2011

* Nicaragua: A study of deaf Nicaraguans concluded that math skills are acquired culturally and are not an inherent characteristic.

* Panama: Business groups and Republican legislators are turning up the pressure on the Obama administration to pass free trade deals with Panama and Colombia.

* Brazil: Soccer star Daniel Alves claimed that he receives racist verbal abuse every time he plays for his club side, Barcelona, in Spain’s top league.

* South America: The E.U. is keen on signing a “wide-ranging economic collaboration pact” with the Mercusur bloc earlier than anticipated.

Image – USA TODAY (“A study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that counting beyond three may not be innate in humans, but a product of culture.”)
Online Sources- UPI, Wired.com, Reuters, Canadian Press

Daily Headlines: November 17, 2010

* Dominican Republic: The death toll from Haiti’s cholera outbreak has grown to over 1000 fatalities while the first case of the disease was detected across the border in the Dominican Republic.

* Latin America: Traditional Mexican cuisine, Colombia’s marimba instrument, and the Peruvian huaconada dance were added to UNESCO’s global “intangible heritage list.”

* Paraguay: A planned British scientific expedition into Paraguay was suspended due to concerns over the heath and safety of indigenous tribes.

* Cuba: Yoani Sanchez, Cuba’s most famous blogger, was honored with a human rights award from a Danish think tank.

Image – LAHT
Online Sources- RTE.ie, The Guardian, LAHT, BBC News

Daily Headlines: October 22, 2010

* Cuba: Dissident Guillermo Farinas won the Sakharov human rights prize by the European Parliament, while the archbishop of Havana said that the government would release five more political prisoners.

* Bolivia: A deal was signed this week that would grant landlocked Bolivia access to the sea via a Peruvian port.

* Argentina: One of the country's main unions called a general strike in order to protest the recent death of an activist.

* Latin America: Haiti's Palace of Sans Souci and the pre-Columbian Guatemalan city of Mirador are among 200 international cultural sites that could soon disappear according to a Global Heritage Fund report.

Image: Canada.com (Journalist Guillermo Farinas had gone on a four month hunger strike this year as a way of protesting Cuban human rights violations).
Online Sources: BBC News, The Guardian, LAHT, Reuters

Weekly Debate: CNN’s “Latino in America”

Tonight and tomorrow CNN will be airing a special on the impact of Latinos in the U.S. “Latino in America” will examine the main issues facing Latinos, the community’s future, and includes interviews with Latinos from different walks of life. Here’s a quick sneak peek:

The special has not been without some controversy, however. Some activists have noted that while the network praises Latino culture one of its most prominent commentators is staunch anti-immigrant commentator Lou Dobbs. “The hypocrisy of a network that poses itself as a fair and balanced news leader, airing a series on Latinidad while paying the salary of a the hateful Dobbs…grows” mentioned former The Latin Americanist contributor Maegan la Mala recently.

So what do you think? Is CNN being open-minded regarding Dobbs or hypocritical? Will you watch the “Latino in America” special? What does being Latino in the U.S. mean to you?

Please give us your opinion via commenting to this post. (A corresponding poll will soon be placed on the sidebar).

Let your voice be heard!

Online Sources- Clipser, AP, Vivirlatino

Daily Headlines: October 8, 2009

* Latin America: The latest Times Higher Education and QS Top Universities study of the world’s top 100 universities revealed that none of the schools on the list are from Latin America.

* Costa Rica: Ex-president Rafael Calderon was convicted and sentenced to five years in jail for an embezzlement scheme.

* Latin America: The World Monuments Fund named Peru’s Machu Picchu, Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colon, and the historic center of Colon, Panama as three of the world’s most endangered cultural sites.

* Colombia: Police arrested three suspects in the massacre of twelve indigenous Colombians last August.

Image- BBC Mundo (Mexico’s UNAM may be one of the best universities in Latin America but it was excluded from a list of the world’s 100 leading colleges.)
Online Sources- Guardian UK, Bloomberg, MSNBC, CNN

Daily Headlines: July 3, 2009

* U.S.: A study by the University of North Carolina concluded that “the more bicultural a young immigrant is, the greater his chances of avoiding…risk factors” like dropping out of school or drug use.

* Latin America: Stocks throughout the region tumbled on Thursday after news that unemployment in the U.S. hit its highest point since 1983.

* Uruguay: Local Bishop Francisco Domingo Barbosa Da Silveira resigned from his ministry after admitting to having sex with gay men.

* Brazil: Brazil’s Confederations Cup title helped the team leapfrog Spain to the top of FIFA's rankings.

Image- St. Petersburg Times (2005 image of two children learning traditional Hispanic dances at a Florida bicultural school).
Online Sources- LAHT, Catholic Culture, Boston.com, The Latin Americanist, CNN

Saint Death Killed by Drugs

It surprises me that for whatever reasons, Latin America likes their idols no matter what. Seriously, think for a moment about how many Latin American Catholics exist, then narrow down into Mexico and consider how many saints are worshiped by Mexican Catholics. It begins to boggle the mind how Latin America is so lost, or at least headed towards being lost, while their neighbors to the north finish off Easter celebrations this past week. I'm sure I was making a good point here, until I realized that Jose Luis De Jesus over in Florida has convinced much of Florida into believing that he is the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

With such a terrible introduction, you're bound to get a few gold gems in here right? Yes. Saint Death is in the cross hairs of the Drug War participants. At least that's what Saint Death's followers are saying, as they try to protest the destruction of a shrine dedicated to the relatively unorthodox saint. Over 5 million followers are claiming that Saint Death is not some fringe believe branch of Catholicism, they truly are citing that this destruction of their shrine is nothing more than disrespect for their religion.

Maybe it's not the religion so much as it is what has happened around the shrines that is getting targeted for destruction. For instance in 2007 gunmen shot and killed three men at a Santa Muerte altar in Nuevo Laredo. At another shrine, in Tepito, a growing black market is booming selling contraband, drugs, and so much more, creating a police nightmare.

"They link her with criminals because many of the people they arrest bear her image. But there are a lot of hard-working people behind her," said protester Ernesto Hernandez, 40, who said he owns a furniture shop on the edge of the capital.

Sounds like a mixed bag of cultural animosity. Whether people are being socially targeted for discrimination, or being persecuted for their beliefs is a topic of debate. However, it seems that wherever the Saint of Death has a shrine, trouble, violence and yes, death seems to follow.

Src - The Guardian, Reuters

Image source - The Guardian

Happy “Vespucci Day”!

Columbus Day is being observed in the U.S. today and is generally seen through his “discovery” of the New World. Yet there has been a dark side to Columbus’ legacy since he was a harbinger of disease and death to millions of natives.

Columbus Day is commemorated as a day of Italian-American pride with celebrations being held nationwide. Those of Italian heritage deserve a day to honor their background but would “Vespucci Day” be more appropriate? As I wrote two years ago today:

The reality is that it is very difficult to extricate the positive myths surrounding Christopher Columbus from the American psyche...

Nonetheless, I propose renaming Columbus Day in favor of Italian explorers whose contributions were not as tainted as Christopher Columbus (who may not have been Italian by birthright). A case could be made for cartographer and explorer Amerigo Vespucci, whose name gave birth to calling the western hemisphere “America.” Why not Antonio Pigafetta who was one of a handful of survivors from Ferdinand Magellan’s famed voyage around the world between 1519 and 1522 or Giovanni da Verrazano- the first European to explore the Atlantic coast of North America. Surely a strong case could be made for Giovanni Caboto (more commonly known as John Cabot) who was Genoa-born and lays claim to being the first European explorer to set foot on the North American mainland since the Vikings.

These gentlemen are not only sources of Italian pride but also beacons of discovery and exploration whose legacies carry far less of a stigma than Christopher Columbus.

What do you think?

Image- MSNBC
Sources- The Latin Americanist, CNN, Wikipedia, America.gov, Thinkquest, BBA Communications

Coming soon: Google for Latinos?

Will identity based search engines catch on with the part of the general public? A man named Johnny C. Taylor thinks so and he justifies the creation of RushmoreDrive- a search engine tailored for African-Americans:

"Someone said to me, 'We don't have a white Google, why do you need a black Google?'" he said during a visit to the Times today. "And I said, 'Of course you do -- It's called Google.'"

Though the idea of race-based search engine may seem racist and half-baked, ZDNet senior editor Sam Diaz observed that search engines like RushmoreDrive could provide worthy competition for Google:

When it comes to search, going head-to-head with Google - as Microsoft, Yahoo, AOL, Ask and others have tried - may not be the best approach. Maybe the better way is to nibble away at Google’s share of the pie via one targeted group at a time. This thing with RushmoreDrive.com isn’t about race. It’s about meeting the search needs of a subset of the population. It just so happens that this subset is African-Americans. Could the next nibbler go after women or bicyclists or senior citizens?

Could a search engine aimed at Latinos be useful or unnecessary? One the one hand there has been a steady growth in the online use by Latinos so a specialized search engine may do well in that market. Such a tool could serve as a logical a next step beyond web portals like terra.com.

Conversely, the notion may backfire in that users could be pigeonholed into specific sites based on the search engine’s findings. Furthermore, a specialized search engine may be unable to cater to the needs of the diverse Latino populace.

What do you think?

(Hat tip: Metafilter).

Image- SBI

Sources- Los Angeles Times, Post Chronicle, ZDNet, Metafilter, Latin-Know

Gilberto Gil says “adeus” to ministerial post

Seminal Brazilian singer/songwriter Gilberto Gil quit from his post as culture minister after working for nearly five years. “I felt a big pressure on my artistic work that was accumulating,” Gil said as his third stab at resigning in less than a year was accepted by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva earlier today.

Despite being such a well-known performer, Gil’s musical career has always had a political slant since he helped found the Tropicalismo movement in the 1960's.

During Gil’s time as cultural minister, he promoted treasures such as capoeira and samba while bringing to light “neglected forms of cultural expression” like indigenous painting. At times he faced controversy such as when he backed the free online downloading of music. (Coincidentally, he publicly announced his resignation during “a conference on authorial rights in Rio de Janeiro.”)

Gil will continue to keep performing concerts worldwide and will surely promote unity via music as he did in one recent performance:

(…)"bringing people together"—and all the happy incongruities that old-fashioned ideal implies—has been Gil's tack for over 35 years…

(His) set fixated on themes of communication and interrelation. To start, his band built a spidery funk song from a ringtone (rather than the other way around), a gesture that encapsulated both his ruminative bent and his cheeky sensibility… His occasional corniness, though, makes him a more believably humanistic David Byrne: someone thrilled enough by the way people come together to join in, rather than organize a grant-funded multimedia installation about it.

Image- wired.com

Sources- AFP, BBC News, Bloomberg, Village Voice, Xinhua, PBS, cnet.com

Daily Headlines: July 10, 2008

* Latin America: A historic colonial Cuban town and a Mexican butterfly reserve were two of the 27 sites added to the list of World Heritage Sites by the U.N.

* Brazil: The G-5 group of developing countries- which includes Brazil and Mexico- did not see eye-to-eye with their wealthier counterparts during this week’s Group of Eight (G8) summit.

* Chile: Authorities continue to seek the world’s most wanted Nazi fugitive – Aribert “Dr. Death” Heim- who may be hiding in Chile or Argentina.

* Bolivia: A “special edition” of Che Guevara’s journals with forewords written by Fidel Castro and Evo Morales will soon be issued by the Bolivian government.

Image- Sydney Morning Herald (“A migrating monarch butterfly”)

Sources- Monsters & Critics, MSNBC, World Heritage Center, BBC News,

Bloggers of the world unite!

The last time we focused on blogs we linked to an innocent-looking “readability” exam which turned out to be a spam Trojan horse. Instead of linking to what could be malicious software, we’ll take a look at posts recently published by some of the blogs in our Blogroll.

• Are Cubans who flee their island migrants or refugees?
  
• Hispanic. Latino. Latino. Hispanic. Let’s call the whole thing off.
• Do Latinos/Hispanics really dislike Barack Obama due to his race?
• Two Weeks Notice examines one of the newest catch phrases used to describe certain leaders in the Americas – “democrator”.
• Bloggings by Boz has linked to several media stories focusing on “Maletagate.”
• Speaking of which, Justin at Latin America News Review takes issue with an Associated Press headline on “Maletagate.”
• Plan Colombia and Beyond and kottke.org each dedicated posts to a must-read Rolling Stone piece on the war on drugs.
• Is Bolivia really on the edge of civil war?
• Detailed information on Brazil’s implementation of the “One Laptop per Child” project, according to Ricardo’s Blog.
• What do you get when two of Chile’s most popular soccer teams play each other? Plenty of fans, flags and enthusiasm.

Do you know of a blog that should be added to the Blogroll? E-mail us at ourlatinamerica@yahoo.com and let us know!

Sources- Babalu Blog, Guanabee, Bloggings by Boz, Chileno, Latin America News Review, Foreign Policy Passport, Plan Colombia and Beyond, kottke.org, Rolling Stone, Ricardo’s Blog, Two Weeks Notice, The Latin Americanist

De Musica Ligera: The return

It has been months since the last time we wrote our post exclusively on music. Let’s take a quick a look at some recent music news that has caught our attention:

* Dominican singer/songwriter Juan Luis Guerra was the big winner in last week’s Latin Grammy Awards after winning an award for each of his five nominations. Other award winners included Calle 13 and Pepe Aguilar, along with personal favorites Aterciopelados and Manu Chao.

Fellow contributor Maegan la Mala was at the event last Thursday in Las Vegas and she gave her two cents from the press room in this blog post.

YouTube: Juan Luis Guerra – “La Llave de Mi Corazon”

* Mexican rockeros Café Tacuba are set to begin a U.S. tour starting this Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina. In this brief interview, vocalist Emmanuel Del Real admits that their latest album is “more rock-oriented” than previous efforts and expressed pride at the group’s fans.

YouSendIt: Café Tacuba – Arboles Frutales

* An article from Billboard notes the change in music tastes in Spain as a result of the boom in immigration from Latin America to that country. For instance, music sales for Latin music have soared since Spain's foreign-born population uses cellular phones and roughly four out of five digital sales are done via cell phones.

YouTube: Alejandro Fernandez and Beyonce - “Amor Gitano”

* Another piece from Billboard notes that crossover Spanish-language hits in the U.S. have been far and few between. Moreover, the only songs that do crossover and become hits in the mainstream music scene are those that are “tied to an uptempo, easy-to-dance-to track” according to Leila Cobo.

YouTube: N.O.R.E. featuring Daddy Yankee - “Oye Mi Canto”

* Famed Brazilian musician Gilberto Gil is going to quit from his post as culture minister next year. Local media reports said that his resignation will be due to a polyp on his vocal cords which may sadly put a halt to his illustrious music career.

YouSendIt: Gilberto Gil – "Bat Macumba"

* Lastly, just for the hell of it, an ode to Mexican-American singer Hope Sandoval - Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You”:

Sources- YouSendIt, YouTube, Wikipedia, Associated Press, Wikipedia, Reuters, Scientific American, VivirLatino, Boston Herald

Trick or treat? Not for some in Mexico and Ecuador

Halloween is not typically celebrated in Latin America with several countries preferring to commemorate All Souls’ Day starting today. Yet lately Halloween has become increasingly popular in the region much to the chagrin of certain groups.

In Mexico, the Catholic Church criticized the celebration of Halloween as "damaging and against the faith." In a statement released on Monday, the Archdiocese of Mexico had called on drastic measures to shun Halloween and embrace the Dia de los Muertos:

The archdiocese urged parents not to let their children wear Halloween costumes or go trick-or-treating — instead suggesting Sunday school classes to "teach them the negative things about Halloween," costume parties where children can dress up as Biblical characters, and candy bags complete with instructions to give friends a piece while telling them "God loves you."

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa banned government offices from celebrating Halloween. Correa justified the edict by claiming that Halloween ran against the Ecuador’s national values and people should observe the country’s own “charming festivals”.

Sources- history.com, Mexidata.info, International Herald Tribune, The Times

Image- Fly Away Café