A student group called Germen, hosted a talk with lawyer and journalist Mario Wainfeld at Universidad de Buenos Aires. Mr. Wainfeld talked about his experiences in his career and journalism in Argentina. Interesting topics were discussed with old and current events.
Mr. Wainfeld talked about how politics and journalism come hand in hand in Argentina, just like in the rest of the world. Depending on the newspaper, the content becomes one sided most of the times. This is because of the “gatekeepers” or editors accomplishing what the higher-ups are demanding.
This shows how some of the media control content to benefit their political views, companies, and politicians. In the past, some of the nation's companies were accomplices with military regimes and not reporting what was going on, keeping the masses in the dark. Many of these newspapers are owned by big companies, so the content can be spread in more ways of communications. He states in the past ten years, people have been more avid in the media, questioning the content these newspapers are producing. He also mentions about his colleagues, some work for opposing political views or other newspapers. What is interesting here is that they all get along. In Argentina, the media creates negative views of events, denouncing it's the government's fault and at the same time creating fear. The task of the area of communications is to communicate rather than to denounce. For example, communicating about a sickness rather than telling people how to prevent it and what bad things can happened to the individual.
Another topic Mr. Wainfeld mentioned was: if a "white knight" appears, it will be hard for the masses to trust them. Since society has been exposed to all this negatively, it will take time for this new organization or company to gain followers. The company will be transparent, honest, open and independent from these big corporations. A company of the people for the people... but how long will it be independent until some corporation buys it? That is the question.
The March of Indigenous Women took place, on a bright sunny day, in front of the Julio A. Roca monument. Around 1:00 PM, a large crowd of people were there and it continued to grow with the rhythm of drums. The Indigenous Women are part of 36 nations, with the support of their followers by standing with pamphlets with different messages, but with the same idea: the right to a good living.
This was one of the many things they were demanding, as well as human rights and respect of their culture. They established messages like how they want to recover their indigenous names that society has taken/stolen away, that their culture continue for generations just like many big cultures on this planet, the respect and right for their future generations to have an opportunity for great-quality education as any other Argentine citizen, and to take care of the environment. Moira Millan, one of the many in charge of the march, established the right of good living in front the Roca Monument, how many look at him as a villain against the indigenous people.
The respected historian, journalist, and cinematographer, Osvaldo Bayer, declared that the monument is a symbol of genocide against all indigenous nations, and it should be changed to indigenous women. Also, Nora Contiñas de Plaza de Mayo and Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel, showed their support in the march. The march took over the Avenida de Mayo street, as people kept joining, until reaching the Argentine congress with their message loud and clear.
Today is Workers Day —Día del Trabajador— in Argentina and many other countries in the world. An official holiday that is also known as Labor Day in other parts of the world. It is a celebration of laborers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labor movement, anarchists, socialists, and communists on May Day - an ancient European spring holiday which occurs every year on the 1st of May.
International Workers' Day is actually the commemoration of the 1886 Haymarket Massacre in Chicago, when Chicago police fired on workers during a general strike in order to achieve an eight hour workday.
It is important to reflect on what has been achieved by with regards to workers rights since this time - the hours we work, the safety of the conditions we're working in, the right to a contract, paid sick leave and not to be harassed are all legal requirements for employers.
Celebrations and demonstrations related to labor movements take place all over the country and it is customary to get together with friends and family for an asado! (Argentine barbecue).
On a warm Friday evening in April, after a twelve hour journey back across the Andes from San Pedro De Atacama in Chile, the bustling frantic streets of Buenos Aires didn't initially feel too far away as we pulled into the bus terminal at Salta. Car horns were honking and locals all marching alongside a parade of vans playing drums and shouting about equal rights... Ahh, back to the city, I thought, but I soon learnt there was a very different 'onda' in this city.
Waking up the next morning it was apparent that the incessant tango of Buenos Aires had faded away here in the north of Argentina. Instead a more laid back 'charango' folk music filled the air, deeply rooted in Spain and the Andean cultures of the bordering countries of Peru and Bolivia. I have read in guidebooks that the peña is to Northern Argentina what the milonga is to Buenos Aires, and this I feel is a good way to begin summing up the cultural differences between the two cities. The lyrics of the peña discuss the importance of territory and rural life rather than the stories of heartache and romance that so often fill the tango. One of the popular dances I got to witness was the 'chacarera' in which couples group in the shape of a star, stomping their feet as they circle around each other.
Ask anyone in Buenos Aires who makes the best empanadas and nine times out of ten they will tell you to head north to Salta or Jujuy. Empanadas salteñas contain a more hearty, meal-like filling of knife cut meat, chunks of potato, boiled eggs and the delicate seasoning of spring onion.
It's not just the cuisine and music that sets the cities apart – you feel a lot closer to nature as the Andes gently hug Salta and it's surrounding barrios – in some directions lush green mountains, others with a splattering of cacti and the odd llama, vicuña or donkey. It's a very different way of life out in Northern Argentina, to Buenos Aires but the two cities appear to balance each other perfectly in their distinct outlooks.
Sidsel and Howard have been volunteering at the Community Centre in La Boca – an after school club that focuses on teaching English to children (and also adults on varying afternoons). The volunteers are working with children as young as 5 years old, up to around 14 years old which means addressing their varying levels of English proficiency whilst sharing time between the youngsters equally can be very difficult – especially when there are up to 15 children in the room and sometimes only one volunteer to assist the coordinator.
The Community Centre has recently acquired some text books to help them with the lessons which have proven to be a great help in focusing the children when sometimes the word games and group discussions around the white board can become rather boisterous! It was a very concentrated start as the children all carefully coloured in an outline of a crocodile before starting some of the writing and spelling practice of writing “my name is”. For some of the children these exercises were very easy, and having two volunteers working together on this particular day allowed a little more time to search for a wider variety of exercises for the following day, work that was both entertaining for the children whilst also being educational and taxing.
Activities with simple verbs have proven to be a great way to start off with the children at varying levels – they particularly enjoy the 'I like to...' game where they get a chance to practice talking about hobbies and things they like to do. This then sometimes progresses into a simplified game of 'charades', where the children pick a verb in English and have to act it out. (although it is wise to place these activities towards the end of the lessons as the children quickly become excited and will not be keen to return to quiet study!) A little competition has also proved to be a good way of working with the children in an interactive way – sometimes boys against girls to see who can list the most words, in topics such as food, days of the week and family.
Catering for children with such varying ages, concentrations and education is a real challenge for the volunteers on this project. But for the few, short moments when the class is focused and enjoying learning another language, it makes the time trying to control the shouting, running and arguing all worthwhile!
About 28km north of Buenos Aires city lies Tigre – a picturesque town sat on the Paraná Delta. Don't be fooled by the name. You won't be seeing any tigers stalking the undergrowth here, the name derives from the jaguars which were hunted in the area in the 1800s and if you look closely at the flag and seal which adorns every road sign and tourist attraction you'll see there are no stripes, it is in fact a jaguar!
Rather than facing the weekend crowds we favoured a quiet Wednesday jaunt on the bright blue, shiny new air conditioned 'Trenes Argentinos' to Tigre. It is one of the capital's favoured day trips and the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. Arriving at Tigre we were expecting to be inundated with tour guides trying to entice us on to their boats but coming during the week, and off season, meant that there were few people about so we were left to our own devices to follow the river path and nose around the streets, rowing clubs and marinas, barely meeting another person on this quiet sunny afternoon.
Passing a small museum dedicated to Argentina's favourite drink, Mate and the Naval Museum we then ended at the impressive architecture of the Art Museum. Interestingly, this building was not initially built to be a cultural space or a museum but instead a slightly lower brow entertainment hub for gambling and dancing! The permanent collection of art housed there features Argentine works from the 19th and 20th centuries.
With so few people about it was difficult to get an idea of which restaurants were popular with the locals but the bright yellow building of the 'Club De Regatas Hispano Argentino' drew us in with the promise of fresh fish and we were not disappointed – it was a great find and a place we would happily return to.
By now we were desperate to get out on the water so we walked back to the other side of the water to book onto a short 1 hour boat ride up the delta. There were of course plenty of options for longer trips, and many including lunch and luxury spa visits along the way but for a quick and easy glimpse of the waterways this suited us fine. Leaving at 5pm in the afternoon we got to enjoy the sun low in the sky, silhouetting many of the stilted waterside houses – it was very beautiful. Being one of the later rides of the day it was clear that the locals who live in these houses also managed to catch a ride, and used our boat like a water taxi and a delivery service for fresh water (and dog food!) stopping at the little jetties along the way as required. There are no roads that lead to the houses along the waterside, so all supplies are delivered via the water – we passed a gentleman rowing swiftly with his shopping bag from the local supermarket, let's hope he hadn't forgotten anything!
[Find English version below] Cuando hablamos de historia, hablamos de hechos y personas que la construyeron. Desde las organizaciones sociales recordamos, mencionamos y reivindicamos a quienes reflexionaron y forjaron alternativas pensando en un mundo con justicia social e igualdad para los pueblos.
Eduardo Galeano contribuyó no solo a visibilizar a los pueblos oprimidos, sino que lo hizo de forma brillante y creativa: los reclamos, las injusticias y denuncias a los oportunistas, opresores e imperialistas. Admirado por muchos, se movió por "el abajo y a la izquierda", como sostienen sus hermanos zapatistas a los que tanto defendió. Otros hitos en el recorrido de su vida resaltan su persistente defensa de la tierra y del ecosistema.
Sostenía que sentir y pensar no debían ser acciones separadas en el hombre ya que con ambas en armonía el hombre construye un mundo de solidaridad donde el amor es tan necesario como el pensamiento.
Galeano, como Rodolfo Walsh o Mariátegui, serán recordados por su aporte, tanto cultural como político, a la creación de una conciencia que intenta descolonizarse del capitalismo y soñar con la emancipación de los pueblos.
Su legado seguirá facilitando el tránsito hacia un mundo menos “Patas arriba” que el actual.
Algunos de sus libros más inspiradoras: “Patas arriba: La escuela del mundo al revés”, “Las venas abiertas de América Latina”, El Libro de los abrazos”.
El más inspirador de sus mensajes televisivos “El derecho al delirio”.
When we talk about history, we also talk about events and people who built them. Social organizations like us remember and claim those who thought alternatively and fought for a world with social justice and equality for all people.
Eduardo Galeano contributed not only to visualize the oppressed peoples, but did so in a bright and creative way: the claims, injustices and complaints to the opportunists and imperialist oppressors. Admired by many, he moved "low and left" as the Zapatistas, his brothers, who he defended.
Other milestones in the journey of his life, highlight its persistent defense of land and ecosystem. He argued that feeling and thinking should not be separated in man and, in harmony with both, man builds a world of solidarity where love is as necessary as thought and actions.
Galeano, like Rodolfo Walsh or Mariátegui, will be remembered for their contribution, both culturally and politically, to create a consciousness that tries to decolonize from capitalism and dreams of the emancipation of the peoples. His legacy will continue to facilitate the transition to a world less "Upside Down".
Some of his most inspiring books: "Upside Down: A Primer for the Looking-Glass World 2000", "Open Veins of Latin America", The Book of Embraces ".
The most inspiring of their television messages "The right to delirium".
Una vez más, Latinoamérica se muestra unida a través de sus presidentes, pero por sobre todo a través de sus pueblos que son quienes luchan y garantizarán la independencia y la paz para todo el pueblo americano.
Nos podemos preguntar por qué se denomina a este encuentro la Cumbre de las Américas y no "de América". La respuesta está en la propia historia que no debe ser tapada o soslayada. América es una y muchas. La América imperialista y la que lucha por su segunda independencia, la latina y la anglosajona. Si esta América será una sola, ciertamente no será bajo el imperio de ninguno de sus países, sino una América de países libres, soberanos y solidarios entre ellos.
Los mandatarios, presidentes constitucionales de los 34 países de América, se reunieron por primera vez en la historia. Si bien es la 7º cumbre que se realiza, es la primera a la que asiste el presidente cubano Raúl Castro quien además no dudo en estrechar la mano de su par estadounidense diciendo ante las cámaras de todo el mundo que Cuba no aparta las profundas diferencias políticas entre estos dos países pero que sin embargo considera que los pasos a seguir deben ser de paz y dialogo.
Cuba sigue reclamando que se termine con el bloqueo a la isla, así como la devolución de los territorios cubanos de Guantánamo (actualmente en poder de Estados Unidos). Asimismo, reclama más ayuda para países como Haití, que reciben tratos injustos y colonialistas, y ayuda escasa para un desarrollo real que no sea solo asistencialista.
Por su parte, el presidente venezolano, Nicolás Maduro, al igual que su par de Ecuador, Rafael Correa, remarcaron el cambio de rumbo de Latinoamérica: “Nuestros pueblos nunca más aceptarán la tutela, la injerencia, ni la intervención”, dijo el mandatario ecuatoriano en referencia a EE.UU. Asimismo, Correa destacó la respuesta contundente que ha dado la región a favor de la derogación del decreto del presidente de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, en contra de Venezuela — al cual declaró una “amenaza para su [EE.UU.] seguridad nacional”—.
La Cumbre de los Pueblos, que se celebró en paralelo, consensuó una declaración final en la cual destacó la solidaridad ante los intentos imperialistas, rechazó la orden ejecutiva del presidente de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama contra Venezuela y exigió el levantamiento del bloqueo económico, comercial y financiero de EE.UU. a Cuba. Asimismo, abogaron por la independencia de Puerto Rico y defendieron el legítimo derecho de Bolivia a tener una salida al mar.
The People's Summit, organized by social movements and grassroots organizations, will be held in parallel with the Summit of the Americas. This effort by grassroots organizations was born as a response to the historic role of the SOA in advocating for free trade, neoliberal policies and the so-called Washington Consensus. During the event, representatives from Latin American labor unions, indigenous confederations and feminist groups, among other grassroots movements, will have an opportunity to articulate various issues affecting the region.
The People's Summit will host workshops and presentations on 15 different topics, ranging from the threat to peace in the region posed by the United States to the fight to end the economic blockade against Cuba. As part of the People’s Summit activities, Bolivian President Evo Morales will deliver a speech Friday, where he is expected to discuss the current aggression from the U.S. government toward Venezuela.
Thus far, President Morales and his Ecuadorean counterpart Rafael Correa are the only two heads-of-state who have confirmed their attendance. The summit’s organizer, union leader Olmedo Beluche, says the participants will submit a joint declaration of proposals to regional leaders, which aim to facilitate stronger lines of communication between governments and social movements.
Meanwhile, leading up to the seventh SOA, various forums for social sectors are taking place, including the second Business Summit of the Americas and the Hemispheric Forum of Civil Society. Hundreds of civil society leaders from across the region will gather in Panama City April 8-10 for the Civil Society and Social Actors Forum, to address themes such as democratic governance, security and citizen participation.
However, the meeting, which takes place just before the start of the Summit of the Americas, has come under sharp criticism following the recent decision by its organizers to exclude the Cuban Workers Federation (CTC) from participating in the event, despite it having submitted its request on time. “We would have liked to have been part of the Civil Society Forum, but they were not interested in a showing of an authentic gesture of democracy, which our union represents … Nonetheless, we will participate, together with the rest of the trade unions and social movements in the region, in the People's Summit,” CTC representative Duarte Vazquez stated in an interview with Trabajadores published Monday.
Coincidentally, the event's organizers approved the participation of at least 10 right-wing opposition organizations that have received financial support from the the U.S.-backed National Endowment for Democracy (NED) including: the Venezuelan Institute for Social and Political Studies (INVESP); Consortium for Development and Justice; Alternative Justice; Ecuadorean Center of Environmental Rights (CEDA); Justice and Participation Network; the National Press Association (ANP); and the Foundation for Parliamentary and Citizen Participation Support; among others.
The Social Actors Forum also coincides with the second CEO Summit of the Americas, at which hundreds of leading business figures and heads of state from throughout the Western hemisphere will gather to discuss regional economic issues. The invited guests include keynote speakers such as Thomas J. Donohue, Co-President of Barrick gold, the world's largest gold mining company, which was listed as the 12th least ethical company in the world by Swiss Research firm Covalace.
The CEO Summit will also include an appearance by Chief Financial Officer of Cargill Marcel Smits. Cargill is the world's largest agricultural commodities trader and one of 10 transnational corporations that controls more than 80 percent of the world’s seed supply, monopolizing world trade in grains and seeds and criminalizing the ancestral practice of exchanging seeds.
Another notable invitee is Andrés Gluski CEO of the controversial AES Corporation, a Virginia-based global energy developer, which in 2011 launched the Panamanian Changuinola dam, resulting in widespread protests over the complete relocation of more than 1,000 Ngöbe subsistence farmers whom were affected by the dam. The invited guests and the corporations they represent pose a grave threat to Latin American sovereignty by undermining the interests of popular social movements.
Over the years, various Latin American social movements have launched massive resistance movements against the unethical practices of transnational corporations. As an alternative to the SOA-sponsored summits, the parallel People’s Summit represents radically different political objectives and ideological visions. The basis of these differences must be understood in terms of the region’s base-level support for progressive Latin American governments and respect for national sovereignty.
This content was originally published by teleSUR at the following address: link
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