San Cristobal menos 2

This weekend Allie and I went to drop off our bags in Antigua to Juancho's house, had ridiculously expensive bagels and bought an extensive amount of chocolate in the 2 hours between the two 3.5 hour bus rides to and back from Antigua, and we also got to see Colleen. She gave us a really interesting lengthy article from the New Yorker that I started but haven't finished. It's about lawyer that made a video before being murdered saying that if he died it was because of the guatemalan president. If you're up for reading 15 pages on this really interesting course of events, it's a pretty riveting read, so here's the link: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/04/04/110404fa_fact_grann

I've been pretty stressed out for the past two days for stuff that's been going on in the office and the awkwardness of leaving, doing poorly in salsa class, and the family being real stingy about toilet paper, internet, and the house, but everything is going to be alright because I made banana-peach crumbles for everyone. I was supposed to meet with Valeria but then her son got chicken pox. I think the universe just doesn't want us to meet. But she asked me if I wanted a recommendation letter and she'd gladly write one, she also thanked me profusely for the work I did, complimenting me enthusiastically on it. Hurray!

Also yesterday night Allie and Kate and I went to see a movie here called Amores Perros. It's a really good mexican film about dog fights, the degradation of stagnating lives, and the contrast between ruthlessness and sensibility within human beings. Several stories intertwine and connect through the coincidence of time and people's relationships to dogs.

We're leaving Xela Thursday morning, and I'm very excited about exploring the Chiapas region of Mexico. I started reading articles Adelaide copied for us from the Zapatista reader, all about the history and struggle of the indigenous people living there and the semi-successful revolution that occured, I'm stoked to see where it all happened!

Here is a tentative itinerary, subject to change and variations obviously, of our expedition to Mexico and Belize:

April 21 to 27 - San Cristobal de las Casas: visit to Cañon Sumidero, Acteal (massacre site), Oventic (Zapatista community open to foreigners), San Juan Chamula (indigenous pueblo near San Cristobal), talk with a teacher from CIDECI, the indigenous education center.

April 27 to 28 - overnight 17hour bus ride to Cancun, and boat to Isla Holbox

April 28 to May 1st - Chill in Isla Holbox, snorkel, beach...

May 1 to 3 - Tulum: visit ruins!

May 3 to 6 - Sartaneja: jungle, mangrove, cenotes (caves) trips

May 6 to 8 - Hopkins Village: Garifuna culture, learn some garifuna drumming, taste their cultural dishes, chill in the fishing village, possible take a snorkel trip

May 8 to 9 - travel back to Antigua

May 9 to 11 - Antigua and Earth Lodge: bagels, chocolate, indian store, and more antigua gringo goodies, and wishing we had more time

May 12 - Plane to Miami at 7 am, regreso a Nueva York a las 5 de la noche.

Ay ay ay, que rapido pasa el tiempo...

SOA, another US negative effect over Latin America

I don't mention the School Of the Americas (SOA) in my article for EntreMundos about the effects of US foreign policy over Guatemala extensively, but here's an article about how Latin America hopes Obama will close the SOA, which would benefit both the US and Latin America - for the former by limiting spending on something unnecessary that has a ridiculous history of training future dictators and human rights abusing military officials, and for the latter for obvious reasons.

The article is from the SOA Watch, soaw.org:

http://www.soaw.org/category-table/3622-latin-america-hopes-that-obama-closes-the-school-of-the-americas

Adios!

I will not have my computer anymore starting tomorrow, so blog posts will become a lot shorter and way more sporadic. We are going to San Cristobal de las Casas next Thursday and then have decided to go to the Tulum ruins and Sian Ka'an Biosphere Eco reserve for a bit, spend some time in some unknown lagoon near the belizean border, then go snorkel on a belizean island called Caye Caulker and perhaps spend some time in the mangroves in Sartaneja, and then explore Garifuna culture in one of the last proud and roots-embracing garifuna village called Hopkins in Southern Belize. It's going to be an incredible journey full of beautiful things and crazy adventures, I'm very excited to leave the stationary life and get on the road. I will keep you informed as much as I can, especially in San Cristobal where we're going to meet with very interesting people and organizations and spend some time in Zapatista communities.

Here are some pictures of Xela street art, mainly done by this one real nifty graffiti artist named Javier who just wants to make Xela more beautiful:

The other articles I wrote for EntreMundos

Here's the article about Armando and Chico Mendes that I wrote. He is in desperate need of donations right now, so if any of you feel compelled by his story, just ask me how to donate:

Up in the corn fields of Pachaj, in Cantel (6km outside Xela), Armando Lopez has created an inspiring environmental project to combat the degradation of the environment and stand up against government manipulation and unjust land exploitation.

Armando created The Chico Mendes Reforestation Project in 1998 to contribute to the reforestation of the 75% deforested Guatemalan Western Highland Mountains. He started his project right after Bill 40-39 began to be discussed within the Guatemalan government. This law is a result of the Meso-American Barrier Reef System (MBRS) project, implemented in 1997 upon request by the Central-American Commission for the Environment and Development (CCAD) to the World Bank. It is designed amongst other things to strengthen and reform local and national capacity and institutions to maintain water quality and prevent contamination. “With the law 40-39, a tax on water and public service utilities, the government would be able to finance a ten year reforestation project: this is a seemingly beneficial program, however it will lead to the privatization of our forests and Guatemala’s white gold” says Armando. Through such a program, Armando fears the government will claim not only the forests they plant, but the land and water sources as well. What is more, Armando explains, the government could sell the forest and water sources to Gallo or Coca-Cola to make bottled water, forcing the inhabitants of the mountains to pay for the water they have always used on top of increased taxes. According to Armando, the government could also put these forests up for sale on the carbon market. Indeed, engineers can evaluate how much oxygen trees emit and countries that need to compensate for their excessive carbon dioxide production and maintain the levels of their oxygen production quota can do so by buying other countries’ forests. In addition to masking the damage they are really costing the planet, these countries would be ignoring the land and natural resource rights of the people who have lived there for centuries.

Chico Mendes was an environmental activist in Brazil that has greatly inspired Armando. Mendes worked to keep tropical rainforests intact and for sustainable harvests, creating forest reserves and fighting against the cutting down and transformation of forestland into cattle pastures. Armando hopes to plant 100,000 trees in the next 3 years to compensate for the transformation of forests into agricultural fields, and protect Xela’s mountains’ white gold from the profit-seeking foreign investors and mining companies. He has received threats, and suspects that a recent forest fire that burned 5000 trees was done on purpose against his political activity.

Through his ecological project, Armando seeks to protect the indigenous population from further discrimination and rights abuses and attain justice in land use. “They may cut our branches, they may cut our trunks, but they will never cut our roots” he repeats, alluding to the ancestral right to land indigenous people have. It is with such community initiatives that people can finally have a voice and stand up for themselves against governmental abuse, and it is with people like Armando that change can begin.

He grows cypress, laurel, and pine tree seeds using organic fertilizer within a seedbed while waiting for the planting season to refill the highlands. He is always looking for volunteers to help out and donations to maintain and advance the project.

And here is the one about ecology. Unfortunately, the news is kinda dated by now, I'm not sure how Valeria thought that would work with the magazine being published in May but hey, I did the work and handed it in before the deadline and she's the editor. 

The movie Crude is about the Chevron-Ecuador issue, and the situation in Japan has significantly worsened.

After the Japanese earthquake and tsunami on March 10^th, a whole new batch of conspiracy theories about Project HAARP as the cause of natural disasters is being discussed. In the last year, a dozen environmental disasters have occurred, from the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile to Hurricane Agatha in Central America devastating the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The elevated frequency of these types of phenomena in recent years is proved to be due to climate change. While it is hard to control or be prepared for such damaging natural occurrences, we can decide to change the way we live today and take fast and sweeping action to mitigate global warming and its subsequent destructive consequences. It is in our power to prevent man-made disasters such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico; and it’s up to us to decide when to stop violating the planet and its inhabitants to divert our energy and capacities to building a sustainable world. Environmental activists all around the world have been suffering from tremendous increased targeted violence, as foreign investors and free trade promoting governments clash with communities and organizations vouching for the respect of human rights and environmental protection. Here is a selection of environmental news, laws, and disasters from around the world that demonstrates the importance of fighting for the development of new energies and improving our currently flawed system.

On March 10^th 2011, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan caused the worst nuclear accident since the 1986 explosion of the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine. Electricity and back-up power were knocked out because of the quake and inundation, preventing the cooling system of the reactors to function properly and causing partial meltdowns and explosions in two reactors. Radioactive steam was being released and radiation levels outside the plant have been recorded at 800 times the allowed hourly limit; over 200,000 people have been evacuated from the area near the affected plants. Although the government and Japanese nuclear experts are saying the levels of radiation pose no health risks, released radioactive material such as cesium 137 can be accumulated by moss and mushrooms and remain in the environment for decades before its radioactivity disappears, negatively affecting the ecosystem and food chain. This disaster is causing the world to reevaluate not only the safety and solidity of its nuclear plants, but also the view that nuclear energy might be a solution to climate change. It is interesting to note that significant disasters involving today’s three main sources of energy - coal, oil, and nuclear - have happened in the past year.

Source: lemonde.fr and nytimes.com

On February 15^th 2011, a judge’s decision in Ecuador marked the first time a US Company faced judgment in a foreign court over environmental crimes. In one of the largest judgments ever handed down on an environmental case, the Chevron Corporation was ordered to pay $9 billion to clear-up oil pollution and cover health care costs for the affected communities in Ecuador, with a further $8.6 billion if Chevron did not issue an apology to the plaintiffs in the next 15 days. The lawsuit began in 1993 when Ecuadorian communities affected by oil pollution sued Texaco in New York. Texaco, bought by Chevron in 2001, produced oil in Ecuador from 1964 to 1990 and caused one of the largest oil-related environmental catastrophe in the world, including dumping oil-drilling waste, contaminating forests, and causing illnesses (cancer and birth defects especially) and deaths. Although a decision has been reached, the legal battle is far from over as Chevron has announced its intent to appeal the judgment.

Source: ciel.org

Gold mining is becoming the new financial means for Colombian rebel groups. Because of the increasing eradication of coca plantations, insurgent and paramilitary groups have started using gold as their financial lifeblood. The result is a gold rush, where people leave their homes, coca and other agricultural fields to tear up forests and create a mine. The price of gold is very high so a worker can make $1000 a month, three times the Colombian minimum wage. However, in addition to causing destructive deforestation, the opening of new mines has made the Antioquia department one of Colombia’s most environmentally devastated regions. Miners use liquid mercury to separate gold from river sediments, giving the region one of the highest mercury pollution rates anywhere, where 67 tons of the chemicals are released into the air each year. The workers are subject to the risks of mercury exposure, which damages the brain and central nervous system, and have to pay a protection price to work at the mine.

Source: nytimes.com

An Agip oil spill and fire occurred in the community Emago-Kugbo Nigeria on January 22^nd 2011 , and was only partly successfully extinguished 5 days later. This is not the first spill/fire, but has had particularly devastating effects, namely on the water source of the community. Oil slicks have appeared in the community river, people’s only source of water for drinking, bathing, washing, and making it difficult to navigate and ruining fishermen livelihoods. The air is also polluted due to the use of toxic chemicals to extract oil and burn it. Illnesses and deaths have spread throughout the impacted communities, but neither Agip nor the government have made significant efforts to clean up and remediate the affected areas. Shell and other oil companies have exploited oil since 1957 in a total area the size of Denmark in Nigeria, negatively affecting 1500 communities, and causing the pollution of the Niger Delta.

Source: eraction.org

Violence in Central America

Here's an interesting article I got off of Colleen's blog (if you haven't realized, she puts a lot of interesting stuff on there) from The Economist: http://www.economist.com/node/18558254?story_id=18558254&fsrc=rss

and here is the article I wrote for EntreMundos about the effects of US policy on Guatemala:

A gringa friend of mine volunteering in Pachaj, Cantel, was cursed out the other day by an elderly man shouting in broken English “Yankee! Go home! Gringo! Green go!”. Why such animosity toward a twenty year old American girl? She hadn’t done anything to provoke him. After the shock of the moment, she understood that the man was angered by what her skin color represents. While tourists and travelers propagate an image of the country they’re from, the widespread opinion of Guatemalans about Americans stems largely from the effects the United States has over Guatemala. In today’s world, these are carried out through foreign policy and globalization.

Our planet is interconnected and increasingly globalized due to technologies, multinational firms and many international free trade agreements. As a political, military, economical and socio-cultural superpower, the US is a key player in world politics and diplomacy and has incredible influence over the fluctuations of the world economy. Therefore, its policies and political decisions affect everyone in some way and have significant effects over small developing countries like Guatemala. To be sure, globalization and the US provide a lot of good things and are not solely responsible for Guatemala’s woes. But historically, US involvement in the region has had devastating effects over the people of Central America and current policies have contributed to the widening inequality gap.

             

In the early 1900s, the US controlled Guatemalan land through the United Fruits Company and created Banana Republics throughout most of Central America, exploiting thousands of people and denying their land and labor rights to provide for the growing consumerism culture in the United States; in the mid to late 20^th century the US sponsored military dictatorships in the region, trained and financed counter-insurgency paramilitaries through the School of the Americas, and contributed to the murder of hundreds of thousands of people under the pretext of “maintaining political stability” to contain a “communist threat” so close to the American nation. Today, the US still supports human rights violating governments throughout the world, such as Pakistan, for its geopolitical and economic interests.

In his State of the Union Address in January, Obama promised to put more emphasis on Central and Latin American policy and started the process in March by traveling to El Salvador. While his plans towards the region are still unclear, several critical points need to be addressed in order for the US to improve its relationship with Central American countries and be an actor for positive change in the region: mainly, DR-CAFTA, foreign assistance, and immigration policy.

CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement), signed in 2006, has failed to provide the benefits it promised Guatemala. Poverty rates in rural areas still surpass 70% and imports of US corn, rice, and other commodities have increased, to the detriment of Guatemalan agricultural exports. CAFTA has also facilitated investment in megaprojects such as open-pit mines and dams, which are environmentally devastating and widely opposed by local populations, but doesn’t have adequate monitoring to ensure implementation rules are respected. Consequently, the Guatemalan government and foreign companies disrespect popular consultation that is a United Nations (UN) and International Labor Organization (ILO) guaranteed indigenous right. Moreover intellectual property rights under CAFTA directly impede on people’s right to health care as it extends US medicine patents for 20 years in CAFTA signatories. The controversial free trade agreement also allows investors to sue governments to obtain compensation for measures like environmental and labor protection regulations, which they claim diminish their investments’ value. CAFTA should be reformed to help the developing countries share the benefits with the US by allowing the countries to pass regulations to protect their farmers from subsidized US agricultural imports and ensure livelihood security and rural development; effectively enforce labor and land rights; and safeguard the sovereignty of nations over their natural resources to accomplish a just sustainable development.

Another significant mainstay of US foreign policy toward Guatemala is assistance. As the Obama Administration seeks to reduce the deficit without raising taxes or reducing defense spending, foreign assistance programs are at stake. According to the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), assistance to Central America will drop by 12% from 2009 levels while maintaining economic development aid and increasing aid for health programs. Of the pledged $200 million in new aid for 2012, $100 million will go to the Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), Obama’s framework for law enforcement, security and administration-of-justice aid to mainly combat drug trafficking and organized crime. However, the government and judicial branch are imbued with corruption due to the infiltration of narco and organized crime entities within the governing structure and system. Thus, it is uncertain how much of the financial aid would actually attain its intended destination and how much would contribute to the continuation of the cycle of impunity and injustice. While the CARSI seems like it could help Guatemala reach more security and stability, giving direct aid to the police and military without adequate regulations and human rights conditions could result in abuse and further the already widespread fear of armed authorities.

Reforming its assistance structure and public policy toward Guatemala could help the US build a more human rights focused foreign policy toward the region. Considering its involvement in the 36-year civil war, the US has an obligation to support efforts to bring executors of mass atrocities to justice. By supporting the CICIG (International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala) and human rights defenders, pressuring and influencing the Guatemalan government to combat violence against women and prosecute police and military officials who commit abuses, Obama’s administration could reverse the historical trend of a US policy toward Latin America that neglects human rights.

US-Guatemala relations are established not only through official agreements and policies, but also through the socio-cultural impact of globalization. The consumerism culture and spread of telecommunication media has generated the growth of westernization here: McDonald’s have popped up all over cities, most indigenous men and young people have stopped wearing the traditional costume, breaking up families and accentuating discrimination. The popularization of western culture has also contributed to the immigration wave, and thus affected the two countries’ relationship.

Immigration reform is one the most controversial issues being debated in the US. So far the US has decided to reinforce its borders and harshen consequences for deterrence purposes. People immigrate in search of better prospects up North to have a job and make money. Why is that lacking here? Because most of the land is owned by the few, people are exploited, there is modern slavery, Foreign Direct Investment is more important than people, corruption permeates everything, subsistence farmers can’t survive because of subsidized crops from the US ruling the market, and environmental effects and privatization of water ruin livelihoods. Only a comprehensive policy that tries to fix the causes of the problem will be effective.

The American President’s current discourse favors business and innovation and his 2011 budget maintains high levels of military spending to gain a successful bipartisan leadership. Let’s hope this won’t keep him from seeing the negative consequences of the current system and pursue a not just free but also fair trade, not only a reformed policy but also a moral one. 

Tambien la Lluvia

Everyone should go watch this movie!

About a film within a film that shows that not much has changed since Christopher Columbus came and the Americas were colonized...with Gael Garcia Bernal, which is a reason in itself to go see this film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbdOnGNBMAo

Health, women, and Guate

Here's a really interesting short documentary Colleen sent me about illegal abortions in Guatemala:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZdPaZo2w_E&feature=relmfu