Originally published on Global Voices

Collage with the cover of the novel “Cometierra,” by Dolores Reyes. Image created with Canva by Global Voices.

At the beginning of November, Argentine feminist literature became embroiled in a controversy. On her X (formerly Twitter) account, the Argentine vice president, Victoria Villarruel, denounced the actions of the Governor of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof, for allegedly distributing copies of the novel “Cometierra” (Earth-eater) in classrooms in the province, branding the content as “degrading and immoral,” and citing excerpts containing sexual scenes.  

“Cometierra,” by Dolores Reyes, is one of the feminist works that the current Argentine government is seeking to censor, alleging “sexually explicit content” that is unsuitable for adolescents. The campaign aims to remove these books from school and public libraries, but up to now has not been successful.  

A cry against gender-based violence and an ode to healthy relationships 

Since its publication in 2019, “Cometierra” has sold more than 70,000 copies and has been translated into fifteen languages.

The novel focuses on femicides and tells the story of a young psychic from the outskirts of Buenos Aires (known as Greater Buenos Aires) named Cometierra. A special gift enables her to find missing people — usually women, girls, and boys — by eating a handful of dirt those people stepped on.

Unfortunately, most of the time these people have been violently killed. Cometierra, in turn, is also an orphan because of a femicide: her father beat her mother to death when she was a child. 

Although the story is centred around extremely tragic situations, it also highlights the importance of emotional bonds, the protection of an older brother, close friendships that support and strengthen us, care and love.

In 2023, Dolores Reyes published her second novel, “Miseria,” a sequel that continues to follow the life of Cometierra, her brother and her sister-in-law, Miseria, in the city of Buenos Aires.

Why so scandalous?

In September of 2023, the government of  Buenos Aires Province launched the program Identidades Bonaerenses (Buenos Aires Identities), that includes a catalog of more than 100 literary works of fiction and non-fiction that relate to the territory, the customs and cultural identity of the province. Thousands of copies were purchased to be distributed in secondary and adult schools, technical schools, teacher training institutes, public and popular libraries, and prison libraries. Among these works is “Cometierra.”

The catalog was wrongly associated with the Educación Sexual Integral (ESI) (Comprehensive Sexual Education) program, the content of which is compulsory at all levels. This is not the case, as the catalogue corresponds to a non-compulsory program to promote reading, and details the minimum age recommendations and teacher support for this and other works.

Taking advantage of the controversy, an association for the defence of the “well-being of children and adolescents” has filed a criminal complaint against the General Director of Culture and Education of the Province of Buenos Aires, Alberto Sileoni, for the “corruption of minors, dissemination of pornographic material to minors and abuse of authority.”

At the center of this scandal, Dolores Reyes says that she has received an infinite number of threats and attacks on social media. In response to the vice president's allegations about her novel, the author told media outlet Infobae:

Cometierra es una forma de narrar un pedido de justicia: una chica que falta, una historia que fue silenciada, y por lo tanto no escuchada. El silenciamiento es una de las armas más efectivas de la violencia de género.

“Cometierra” is a form by which to narrate a demand for justice: a missing girl, a story that was silenced, and therefore not heard. Silencing is one of the most effective weapons of gender-based violence.

A gloomy #25N for Argentina 

November 25 was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, a date that has been commemorated since 1999, by a United Nations resolution in honor of the Mirabal sisters who were brutally executed by the dictator, Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic on November 25 1960. 

However, this is the first time that Argentina has experienced this day in the midst of a clear institutional retreat and denial regarding gender-based violence. This in a country where 168 femicides were recorded in the first half of 2024 alone, of which 31 involved prior complaints (17 with precautionary measures in force) and where at least 155 minors lost their mothers to femicide. Policies related to gender equality and support seem to be more of a hindrance than a priority.

Having just assumed office, Javier Milei's government, from the La Libertad Avanza (LLA) (Freedom Advances) party, began the dissolution of the Ministry of Women, Genders and Diversity, and reduced it to an undersecretary of Protection against Gender-based Violence, which was shut down permanently in less than three months. This de-funded support programs for women and sexual diversity, and left thousands of victims of gender-based violence unprotected. 

Furthermore, in February of 2024, the government announced the closure of the National Institute against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism, alleging that it was “the ‘Cristinista’ thought police” (referring to Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the former president and then vice president of Argentina). More than 400 people, who worked all over the country for the protection of minority rights, lost their jobs. The permanent closure was finalized in August 2024.

As if that were not enough, and in a context of inflation that worsens the situation, in August 2024, the LLA government introduced changes to the Acompañar program, which provides financial assistance to victims of gender-based violence, and reduced the economic allocation equivalent to the minimum living wage for workers from six to three months, which makes it more difficult to leave violent situations.

In addition to this set of actions that threaten the safety and support of victims of gender-based violence, there are several more that threaten the great achievements in terms of gender and equality. Among them, the elimination of the resolution that required gender parity in companies and civil associations, the modifications to the Micaela Law, which made gender training mandatory for members of the three branches of government and which is now required only for those who work “in bodies competent in the matter.”

The Registradas program, which promoted the formal incorporation of domestic workers into the labor market, was also ended; the use of inclusive language and everything related to the gender perspective in public administration was prohibited; the pension moratorium — of which the main beneficiaries were women, since they could retire without the required 30 years of contributions — was eliminated. It is usually women who have unregulated jobs or who leave the labor market to raise or care for families, so this measure directly targets them.

These are just some of the policies adopted by Argentina's government in its conservative and regressive “cultural battle” that is detrimental to the democratic agreement that has been in force for the last forty years.

What is also notable, is that the government seems to choose particular dates to apply these policies. For example, on  March 8, International Women's Day, it changed the name of the Salón de las Mujeres Argentinas del Bicentenario (Hall of Argentine Women of the Bicentennial) in the Casa Rosada presidential palace to the Salón de los Próceres (Hall of Heroes), arguing that the previous name represented an inverse discrimination. The Hall of Women was a space created by the former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to honour the role and legacy of women in Argentina's history.   

Read more: Women's rights are backsliding left and right in Latin America

On November 15, ten days before November 25, Argentina was the only country that voted against a United Nations resolution to eradicate violence against women. Almost simultaneously, this campaign to discredit feminist literature was unleashed, especially literature that addresses the problem of violence against women.

De vanguardia a verguenza: Argentina en el 25Nhttps://t.co/A84PCP42jj

— Luciana Peker (@lucianapeker) November 25, 2024

From progress to shame: Argentina on 25N

Finally, Milei's most recent announcement, on November 27, is just another element of his persecution against what he calls the “gender agenda”: he will eliminate by decree the non-binary ID card, established in 2021 after many years of struggle by LGBTQ+ organizations, and which made Argentina the first country in the region to recognize gender categories beyond the binary.

In addition to “Cometierra,” three other novels by feminist authors have been questioned: “Las primas” (The Cousins) by Aurora Venturini, “Si no fueras tan niña” (If you weren't such a girl) by Sol Fantin, and “Las aventuras de la China Iron” (The Adventures of China Iron) by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, which were also included in the Identidades Bonaerenses catalogue. 

Collective Resistance

Calls for collective readings of “Cometierra” have gained traction in different cultural and academic spaces as a direct response to the attempts at censorship promoted by sectors of the government. These events have brought together writers, readers and social organizations in libraries, theatres and other public spaces with the aim of making the work of Dolores Reyes visible and defending free access to literature. 

One of the most notable gatherings took place at the Picadero Theatre in Buenos Aires, where more than one hundred writers participated in a public reading of the novel. These activities, in addition to supporting the author, have contributed to generating a debate about the importance of freedom of expression and the role of literature as a reflection of social problems.

 

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Books are the builders of community, of its multiple identities, of its stories, of its values, of its debates and discussions, of its disagreements and of its meeting points. The Argentine literary tradition is a true wonder for men and women alike and has a global projection of enormous importance and prestige. Books, and fiction in particular, are tools of knowledge that link people’s lives and are deeply intertwined with education. Libraries and classrooms have in teachers and librarians the ideal and trained mediators that allow reading to accompany educational development at all levels of public and private education so that it can illuminate and generate debates. It is in these places that citizens are formed. That is why it is imperative that Argentine literature: current literature, that of the country’s early days, that of the native peoples who preceded us, be available to students and readers throughout the country. In line with this, Argentine writers, and writers from various places in Latin America and Spain, call for an unrestricted defence of books, reading schemes and libraries. Writers are not hostages of any regime or any electoral campaign. We cannot allow neither the censorship campaigns nor the violent personal attacks on any writer, male or female, over disputes that have nothing to do with the objectives of our work. Readers, writers, both male and female: books, free from all current disputes and all censorship.

And this avalanche of support and protests is compounded by the almost inevitable result when an attempt is made to censor a work: record sales in recent weeks that have made “Cometierra” the best-selling work, even above South Korean Han Khan, winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize for Literature.

This is not the first time that an unintentional “publicity campaign” by the libertarian Argentine government has boosted the careers of women it attacks or seeks to discredit: at the end of September, the music video by singer-songwriter and actress Lali Espósito, where she mocked Milei’s attacks against her, became the most viewed video worldwide. 

Written by Romina Navarro, Lucía Leszinsky Translated by Molly Furnival-Phillips · View original post [es]

Originally published on Global Voices

Photo of Marlene Pasini in an illustration by Global Voices. Photo used with permission.

To talk about Marlene Pasini is to talk about a Mexican woman and all that that implies: colour, beauty, sensitivity, intensity, and culture.  

In fact, I imagine Marlene Pasini's feet to be like a beautiful map where all stories and all paths are drawn. She has eyes that reveal one of those souls who has seen everything without ever losing the capacity for wonder. 

Renaissance woman par excellence, Pasini has developed diverse interests to which she has dedicated her passion and intelligence. She is a communicologist, a writer, a poet, an editor, a visual artist, and a psychotherapist and coach in Transpersonal Education. If that wasn't enough, she has continued her studies, obtaining a Master's degree in Literature and a diploma in Renaissance History, Egyptology, and hieroglyphics. She is the author of eighteen books: poetry, novels, essays, articles, and books on personal and spiritual development.  

The publication of her most recent book called “Memorias de Aquí” (Memories of Here) is, as the author mentions, part of a series of poetry books that she has produced on the theme of her life and experience as a traveller, poet and artist. This text is a testimony to her commitment to the mystical and spiritual experience, in which she includes clear references to each of the places she has visited — places that have visited her at the same time. This relationship has left indelible marks on her memory, which she shares with us, in the most sublime way: through poetry. 

It is interesting how, at a certain point in life, it becomes necessary to leave a testimony of the path undertaken, and this reminiscence of experiences began with “Memorias Nómadas del Medio Oriente al Norte de África” (Nomadic Memoirs from the Middle East to North Africa). This is the first publication in this series, which was published in 2021 — in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic — and which was the result of the author's travels to the Holy Land, Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt, with poems written over several years that were illustrated by some of the poet's own paintings. Later, in the year 2023, “Memorias de Andalucía” (Memories of Andalusia) was produced, and through brief, Japanese-style texts like haikus and tankas, the author immerses the reader in the experience of visiting Spain.

“Memorias de aquí” was published in August 2024. Its structure contains four autobiographical sections, but with clear reasons for their division. 

The first part is titled: De las memorias del alma (From the memories of the soul), and is made up of poems that allude to Pasini's memories, as well as her personal experiences, which give an account of an inner voice that reflects on life and the passing of time. In them, one can appreciate nostalgia, longing, dreams, the personal connection with nature and its presence in the journey that is life.

The word I would use to define this part of the work is melancholy, and as an example:

LLUVIA

Nada es silencio…

Aquí en esta ciudad

llega el verano

y una música de lluvia

empapa sus calles de asfalto

En el instante y su tiempo fugitivo

en la incertidumbre del más allá

donde la vida aletea

como negra mariposa

en el hueco del insomnio

donde los recuerdos se ovillan

en sombra enmudecida

desciendo despacio

en un largo sueño.

RAIN

Nothing is silent…

Here in this city

summer arrives

and a musical rain

soaks its asphalt streets

In the moment and it's fleeting time

in the uncertainty of the beyond

where life flutters

like a black butterfly

in the hollow of insomnia

where memories coil

in muted shadow

I descend slowly

into a lengthy dream.

It is from the journey through melancholy that we reach Caminos citadinos y Pueblos Mágicos de México (City Roads and Magical Towns of Mexico). In this chapter, the poet shares some of the cities and towns that she has visited throughout her life and that are somehow significant, not for their touristic qualities, but for their historic and ancestral nature, as a part of Pasini's “Mexicanness,” and for the strategic connection with her soul.

FLAMBOYANES

Rojo estallido

el follaje de los flamboyanes

una tarde de mayo

Una brizna suave del viento

corta erizadas alas 

de pájaros en vuelo

Incandescente sol

como una ofrenda

su luz contra pieles color moreno

Cuernavaca

ciudad de la eterna primavera

hondura de suspiros en sus haciendas

tardes de nostalgia

y el eco de los siglos.

FLAME TREES

Red burst

the foliage of the flame trees

an afternoon in May

A soft breeze of wind

cuts the ruffled wings

of birds in flight

Incandescent sun

like an offering

its light against dark skin

Cuernavaca

city of eternal spring

depth of sighs in its haciendas

afternoons of nostalgia

and the echo of the centuries.

Atavismos, is the word that gives its name to the third section, which represents a symbolism that resonates with the idea of Ancestry. It runs between mysticism and a reunion with the ancestral Mexican past.

MUJER INDÍGENA EN TEPOZTLÁN

Borda sueños de magia

con sus manos

en múltiples colores hila

toda una vida sobre su nívea tela

Con una sonrisa apenas perfilada en su boca

finge que no hay sufrimiento

ante este pueblo rodeado

por el gran cerro del Tepozteco

Su rostro moreno — arrugado

y trenzas de color azabache

están cenizos por las polvaredas

que dejan los caminos

tierra suelta

olvido

hambre

Envuelta en rebozo gris y coloridas enaguas

ha quedado en sus manos

olores de hierba y hongos

lo amarillo de la flor

recogidos al alba.

INDIGENOUS WOMAN IN TEPOZTLÁN

She embroiders dreams of magic

with her hands

in multi-colours she weaves

a whole life on her snowy fabric

with the trace of a smile on her mouth

she pretends there is no suffering

before this town surrounded

by the great Tepozteco mountain

Her dark face – wrinkled

and braids jet-black

are ashy from the dust-clouds

left by the roads

loose earth

forgetfulness

hunger

Wrapped in a grey shawl and colourful petticoats

on her hands remains

the smell of grass and mushrooms

the yellow of the flower

collected at dawn.

The last section of this work belongs to Sombras luminosas (Luminous shadows); poetic allusions to people, beings and characters that are not found in the physical world, but whose presence is still a reality through time.

Here is a small fragment of the poem ¿Qué lazos nos unen y desunen? (What ties unite and separate us?):

A mi padre

In memoriam

Materia en sustancia de luz eterna

Memoria

silencio

casa habitada en sueños

con una oración

levantada al cielo de la Gloria

formas diluyéndose en viento.

To my father

In memoriam

Matter in substance of eternal light

Memory

silence

house inhabited in dreams

with a prayer

raised to the heaven of Glory

forms dissolving into wind.

My recommendation is, of course, to enjoy the leap of faith that it takes to go along with the words of a writer who has decided to revel in this poetic work that clearly shows the ability to understand that geography and time are conventions, and that beauty lives in the untouchable space of every human being: the spirit and that intangible essence. 

Written by Paloma Cuevas Translated by Molly Furnival-Phillips · View original post [es]

Originally published on Global Voices

From left to right: Chilean president Gabriel Boric (photo from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 CL), Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele (photo from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0), Colombian president Gustavo Petro (photo from Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0), Brazilian president Luiz Lula da Silva (photo from World Economic Forum, Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0), Argentine president Javier Milei (photo from World Economic Forum, Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). The background shows the General Assembly hall of the United Nations (photo from Patrick Gruban, Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0). Collage made by Global Voices.

On September 24, 2024, at the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, various leaders gathered to give speeches in front of the ambassadors. From Latin America, five countries stood out above the rest.

Argentina: Milei and the ‘Agenda of Freedom’

The Argentine president, Javier Milei arrived at the UN General Assembly with a disruptive speech. It sought to alert ambassadors and nation representatives of the dangers of “collectivist policies” promoted by the 2020–2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

On the one hand, the Argentine president praised the UN's past that allowed commercial integration; on the other, he denounced the organization for mutating into a “multi-tentacled Leviathan” that now sought to control the lives of people around the world. The Leviathan is a biblical monster, and the analogy that 17th century political thinker Thomas Hobbes uses to describe the existence of the state as an entity created to bring order to natural chaos.

While denouncing the 2020–2030 agenda as leftist and “woke,” Milei called for international dissent from the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals, and for support for his “Agenda of Freedom” in defense of freedom of expression, individual liberties, private property, and trade for all, and the limitation of the state. His speech ended with the phrase “Long live freedom, damn it!,” his slogan during his presidential candidacy. 

Eventually it was discovered that his speech was plagiarized from the American TV series “The West Wing.”

Brazil: Lula and his fight against climate change

Luiz Lula da Silva took to the podium, pointing out the increase in nuclear arsenals and arguing that these funds could have been used to combat hunger and climate change rather than for war purposes. Lula recounted the harsh experience of the floods in Rio Grande do Sul this year and urged countries to invest in Brazil and the “bio-economy program,” a Brazilian model that seeks to take advantage of advances in biotechnology and the country’s biodiversity to promote sustainable economic development. According to Lula, 90 percent of the energy produced in Brazil is renewable, from the use of biomass, solar energy, hydroelectric power and biofuels.

Lula also claimed that there were “false patriots” who seek to isolate their countries from the global scene, probably referring to Donald Trump and his isolationist approach to foreign policy. He also said that it was not the time to experiment with ultra-liberalism, making a clear reference to Javier Milei, with whom Lula has had a complicated relationship. The last part of his speech saw him raise the issue of inequality between developed and developing countries with regard to financial lending, which sees poor countries having higher interest rates.

Chile: Boric and the rejection of Hamas and of Israel

Chilean president Gabriel Boric spoke of how much the world has changed since the creation of the United Nations in 1945, and at the same time how little the Security Council has achieved in light of recent wars. Boric proposed a reform that would include Brazil as the spokesperson for Latin America, with India and a member country from Africa as new permanent members of the Security Council.

For Boric, the teenager killed by bombings in Gaza represents the same pain as the Ukrainian child kidnapped and taken to Russia, the Venezuelan migrant leaving Venezuela, and the woman forced to leave school in Afghanistan. He rejected the terrorist group Hamas, but at the same time denounced the Israeli security forces and the genocide they are perpetrating in Palestine.

Boric also seeks to promote a global tax on states and companies to mitigate the effects of climate change and disinformation on social media. He also reaffirmed his strong position regarding Nicolás Maduro, insisting Maduro rigged the election. However, at the same time he reminded Biden that unilateral economic sanctions affect Venezuelans economically more than their government.

Colombia: Petro and the fear of losing humanity

The words of Colombian President Gustavo Petro should have resonated with those attending the meeting. However, they did not. The Colombian president has repeatedly called on the international community to halt Israeli military operations in Gaza.

And, although in September, a resolution was passed by the General Assembly to stop the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the war continues to rage. The Colombian president said that the ending of wars will be the way to transform the economy, to limit the effects of climate change, and thus save humanity. The president compared Gaza to a symbol of humanity; losing Gaza is losing humanity.

In his speech, the president referred to the submission of governments to the “1 per cent minority” allowing censorship of the media. Likewise, President Petro denounced the double standards which see some right-wingers hide behind the defense of freedom while restricting it. Petro then jokingly repeated the catchphrase of the libertarian president of Argentina, “Long live freedom, damn it!,” in a clear reference to his predecessor on the podium.

El Salvador: Bukele jailed thousands to free millions

Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele came to the podium dressed in an outfit resembling that of a 19th-century military leader and sold a single idea: security.

The Salvadoran president's controversial security strategy of militarisation succeeded in bringing peace to El Salvador. Bukele says that, by imprisoning thousands of criminals, he's freed millions of Salvadorans who now walk the streets safely. Bukele defends the idea of freedom: freedom of expression, private property, and security, a nod to those investors and right-wing politicians.

His speech was short and forceful, inviting countries to invest in El Salvador and at the same time antagonizing them with comments about the loss of freedoms in certain countries on the continent. He mentioned the United States, where items have to be kept under lock and key for fear of theft and where the streets are full of homeless people.

He also highlighted countries that restrict freedom of expression by censoring social media accounts, perhaps referring to Lula da Silva, the Brazilian president who had a dispute with the owner of social network X: Elon Musk. Musk met and praised Bukele days before the conference.

In Latin America, two trends stand out in the region: a social progressivism that seeks a resolution to the problems of climate change and the bringing of peace to global conflicts, and a second trend that, in defense of (some) freedoms, must allow the world to take its course, prioritizing nations’ own individual development.

Written by Roberto Díaz Translated by Molly Furnival-Phillips · View original post [es]

Originally published on Global Voices

Collage of screenshots from the music video “Fanático” by Lali Espósito on YouTube, made by Global Voices.

Just days after its release, a music video with scathing lyrics and a catchy rhythm that denounces the harassment that the artist has been subjected to for more than a year by the Argentine president managed to enter the Top 5 most viewed videos in the world, and is number one in Argentina.

This is “Fanático,” the most recent single by Argentine singer, songwriter, actress and activist Lali Espósito, released at the end of September 2024 and with which she seems to ridicule the president and establish a political position of firm opposition to the government of Javier Milei, who has now been in office for ten months.

With a carefully crafted aesthetic — loaded with symbolism, humour and playful references to the artist's career, her activism and her fans — the video features a character with fake sideburns and a leather jacket who screams nonsensically, presumably Milei. It also makes numerous references — some more subtle than others — to the insults, accusations and hate speech that Espósito has received.

The lyrics of “Fanático,” simple and very mischievous, could easily be about any fan who becomes absurdly obsessed with their favorite star, but the images and the context of the confrontation between Milei and Espósito make the reference clear.

On August 13, 2023, when the result of the primary elections in favor of the libertarian candidate Javier Milei became known, Lali Espósito tweeted the words, “How dangerous. How sad.” Milei’s responses and attacks were not long in coming, and thus began an intense media confrontation similar to that of Donald Trump against Taylor Swift. 

Music and humour as political tools

The fact is that you have to know about Argentine culture, its recent political context and Lali Espósito's career trajectory to understand the references made in the video.

The scenes were filmed in a large warehouse, which may be a reference in itself, since Milei called her “Lali Depósito” (Lali Warehouse), as he claimed that the artist lived off public money in exchange for making propaganda for Kirchnerism. In this warehouse, Lali leads a casting session in which a motley crew of characters parades: fans who imitate her as some of the characters she played in kids and teen TV shows, and as a singer.

One of the people who shows up at the casting and who catches Lali’s attention is a rolinga (a Rolling Stones fan) wearing a T-shirt that says “Who the fuck is LALI?”, a reference to the T-shirt that Keith Richards wore when he taunted Mick Jagger. In addition, when they asked Milei about her, he was emphatic that he did not know her saying, “I only listen to the Rolling Stones.” 

Reference to the T-shirt in the video and Keith Richards’ original. Left: screenshot of the video “Fanático.” Fair use. Right: Image from docteurcarter on Flickr. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

A man who clearly resembles Milei also shows up at the fan casting. He screams and seems to lose his temper, whilst Lali seems bored with him. He is quickly pushed out of the scene, but shortly after he returns to continue screaming insistently despite the little attention anyone pays him, as if he were throwing a tantrum.

And who the fuck is Lali?

Mariana “Lali” Espósito, born in Buenos Aires in 1991, is a singer, songwriter, and actress who debuted on Argentine television aged just 10 years old. She took part in children's TV programs and series, continued acting in teen dramas, and has been the face of several ad campaigns. 

She played one of the characters in the 2021 Spanish Netflix series Sky Rojo, which received rave reviews in international media for addressing the problem of sex trafficking.

In terms of her musical career, she has collaborated on the soundtracks of TV series and a soap opera, and was part of Teen Angels, a pop band formed from an Argentine TV show, with whom she recorded six studio albums. In 2013, she began her career as a solo artist, though she has come to share the stage with great international figures of music and entertainment.

Lali Espósito during the Fénix Awards in 2018, with her green handkerchief, a symbol of the feminist fight for safe and legal abortion in Argentina. Image by Milton Martínez for secretaría de Cultura CDMX via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).

As for her political side, from a very young age Lali has participated in numerous social awareness and justice campaigns alongside various foundations, NGOs and artists. She describes herself as a “feminist apprentice,” as she recognizes her own shortcomings and hypocrisies, and has set out to work on them to become an increasingly better feminist.

She is a member of the collective Actrices Argentinas (Argentine Actresses), created in 2018 to support the right to abortion in Argentina, and has been very consistent in her activism for this cause, which resulted in her being the target of many cyber-attacks, threats and harassment, including those of the current Argentine president.

In a context of increasing poverty, declining human rights and dissenting voices feeling increasingly threatened, the spicy humor in Lali's video fills her followers with laughter and optimism. And to the chagrin of her critics, it has enabled her to enter the Top 5 of most viewed videos worldwide for the first time.                                                              

En 3:07 minutos de Canción, Lali Espósito hizo y dijo mucho más que la oposición en 9 meses.

Gracias Reina.

— Nach & Pop (@Eunepetaculo) September 27, 2024

In 3:07 minutes of a song, Lali Espósito has done and said much more than the opposition has in 9 months.

Thank you Queen.

— Nach & Pop (@Eunepetaculo) September 27, 2024

Written by Romina Navarro Translated by Molly Furnival-Phillips · View original post [es]