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Tuesday, August 28
Central America Making The News
by
Patrick
on Tue 28 Aug 2007 11:39 PM BST
These discussions are from another age- a time when the mainstream media discussed issues in Central America. These appearances of Noam Chomsky from the film documentary Manufacturing Consent seem even truer today- where all too often, television hosts call time and dismiss any discussion of the real issues of concern to Central Americans today. Speaking for the UK it's probably true for Guatemala that of the national daily newspapers Guatemala has only made it on to the pages via the wire services like Associated Press or Reuters- albeit with a handful of exceptions. How often has Guatemala been mentioned in the UK media without mention of a natural disaster, violence, drugs or archeology? We should be demanding a more rounded coverage and debate of the world we're part of. Saturday, August 25
Making Music and Community
by
Patrick
on Sat 25 Aug 2007 03:55 AM BST
 "Nuestro primer objetivo no es crear músicos profesionales. Nuestro objetivo es salvar a los chicos", dice Xavier Moreno, del sistema de orquestas juveniles de Venezuela, uno de los modelos de desarrollo humano más aclamados internacionalmente. It was great to see (and hear) the Simon Bolivar Orchestra (Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar) at the Proms a few days ago. Much has been written about El Sistema in Venezuela as a long running social project broadening access to classical music training and building one of the best youth orchestras in the world. You can hear more about the Simon Bolivar Orchestra broadcast by the BBC during the interval here. Unfortunately not available on the iPlayer.  Esta es la primera Orquesta Sinfónica Rural de Guatemala. Los músicos son jóvenes pertenecientes a la etnia maya K'aqchiquel que habitan en las comunidades de Zet y Santa Fe de Ocaña al sur de la capital guatemalteca. En esta zona está el Centro de Desarollo Artístico Infantil, que busca brindarle a las niñas y niños entre 6 y 17 años el derecho a tener acceso al arte y la música. PHOTO: BBC Mundo It's great to hear about a new initiative by World Vision in Guatemala to create the orquesta sinfónica rural. "Los músicos son niños y niñas indígenas de la etnia K'aqchiquel que dedican varias horas de su tiempo a desarrollar su talento musical. Tras poco tiempo de su existencia, la orquesta ya interpreta importantes piezas de la música clásica." There are more photos here on the BBC Mundo website along with a short audio report in Spanish.Background Observer article - "Simon Rattle describes him as 'the most astonishingly gifted conductor he has ever met'. And yet 26-year-old Gustavo Dudamel grew up in poverty in Venezuela. Ed Vulliamy tells the story of El Sistema - a remarkable youth project which uses Beethoven and Brahms to save the children of the barrios" Review of the Proms Concert - Independent BBC Mundo feature on the Simon Bolivar Orchestra with video, photos and loads of articles and interviews Wednesday, August 8
Honduras/Guatemala: Attacks on rights activists reaching 'worrying proportions'
by
Patrick
on Wed 08 Aug 2007 11:50 PM BST
Amnesty International UK has just published a 32 page report documenting a recent wave of human rights abuses:
The level of threats, intimidation, attacks and killings of activists in Honduras and Guatemala who campaign to defend the rights of marginalised communities is reaching 'worrying proportions' said Amnesty International today (8 August) as it published its new report. # Read a copy of the report Persecution and Resistance: The Experience of Human Rights Defenders in Honduras and GuatemalaAmnesty International's report - Persecution and Resistance: The experience of human rights defenders in Guatemala and Honduras - exposes a systematic pattern of attacks against those who defend the rights of marginalised communities, including indigenous peoples and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Director of Amnesty International's Americas Programme, Susan Lee, said: 'Those who protect others from suffering human rights violations end up suffering abuses themselves. The insecurity of human rights activists in Honduras and In Guatemala is reaching worrying proportions. 'Threats, intimidation, unfounded criminal charges and killings of activists in Honduras and Guatemala are designed to stop them from protecting people's rights, particularly when their work goes against powerful economic interests,' said Susan Lee. # Take action to protect human rights defenders at risk in Honduras # Listen to an audio report from human right defender Dina Meza |
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