Stories about Latin America from September, 2017
Netizen Report: From Puerto Rico to Bangladesh, Mobile Blackouts Exacerbate Humanitarian Crisis
This week, two populations on opposite sides of the globe are facing communication shutdowns amid rapidly worsening humanitarian crises.
If You Want To Understand Brazil, You Should Check out Its Memes
"Brazilians don't care if you don't understand their language and their jokes, they will talk to you — or Katy Perry, or Nicki Minaj — as if you were Brazilian”
Peru's Clever Social Media Campaign Raises Awareness About Human Trafficking
Peruvian Ministry of Interior Affairs launched the campaign "Que no te encuentren" (Don't let them find you) to counter human trafficking in Peru.
Brazil’s Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant License Is Suspended Again
The works are frozen until the hydroelectric plant improves the resettlement housing for the hundreds of displaced families in Altamira, Pará, Brazil.
After Years of Cultural Appropriation, Mayan Weavers Want Legal Protection for Their Heritage
“...our work is not being valued [...] Rather, there has been an appropriation and a commodification of the culture and the designs.”
Ayotzinapa: It's Been Three Years Since 43 Students Disappeared in Mexico
Three years and three prosecutors later, calls for justice for the Ayotzinapa case have been drowned out in a sea of scandals surrounding the Mexican government.
Report Reveals a Company Linked to Paraguayan Minister Drives Deforestation in the Chaco Region
Investigators of the organization Earthsight revealed that the largest exporter of Paraguayan charcoal, a company associated with Paraguay's public works minister, deforests about 10 football fields of land per day.
Puerto Rico, Trapped Between Colonialism and Hurricanes
Irma and Maria's passing and aftermath have once again brought to light Puerto Rico’s primordial conundrum: colonialism.
The Earthquake that Revealed Mexico's Strength and Solidarity
"A people's greatness is out there, in the streets. Face to face. Hands holding hands. Heartbeats that don't give up, and ask that others don't fade."
Mexico Earthquake: ‘I Thought I Was Going to Die When Pieces of the Ceiling Began to Fall’
People who lived through the September 2017 earthquakes in Oaxaca and Mexico City tell us their experience.
Evidence of Government Surveillance in Mexico Continues to Mount
Intrusive technologies used to intimidate and silence dissent continue to be used in Mexico.
Indigenous Rappers from Brazil Are Using the Internet to Bring Their Message to the Masses
“I speak the truth, I don't want to be like you/I sing about various issues and with that I am showing/That indigenous voices are the voices of today.”
A Conversation with Paraguayan Artist Enrique Collar and His Search for Identity
"Art is uncomfortable, you can never feel comfortable," says Paraguayan artist Enrique Collar who is now living in The Netherlands.
Mexico's Appeal for an Impartial Federal Prosecutor General
Mexico's ruling party wants one of its members to become the Federal Prosecutor General. Many believe this represents a conflict of interest.
The 17th-Century Peruvian Saint With a 21st-Century Social Media Presence
"We have more than 100,000 likes and 100,000 followers on Facebook! Let's keep sharing!"
Automatic Speech Recognition Project Seeks to Revitalize the Quechua Languages
Can you imagine computers, smartphones and robots that speak Quechua? A Peruvian engineer’s work aims to do just that.
#TheOccupation of Wikipolitics: A Collective Commitment to Democratic Reinvention in Mexico
"We're convinced that this new way of doing politics, fair, in solidarity, respectful, generous and joyful, has to get to every corner of this country".
An Anonymous Psych Patient Is Now Acclaimed as a Master Artist of the Immigrant Experience
For years, Mexican artist Martín Ramírez was only known as a psychiatric patient who made drawings. That narrative is changing.
Outside Venezuela: Into the Deep Podcast
Two Venezuelan women who left their country at different times for different reasons. This is their story.
Yes, Racism Among the US Latino Community Against African-Americans Does Exist
"Conversations have been going on for more than 50 years...This topic involves political, spiritual and cultural aspects."
Mayan Muslims of Mexico Are Redefining Indigenous Identity
"Indigenous people are not merely empty shells for foreign ideologies to be planted on, but masters and directors of their own story."