Within indigenous Mayan communities, the Consulta is a traditional way in which to make decisions. The consensus process and the principles of unity are utilized to make decisions about projects which, as a result, will directly affect or benefit their communities.

 

Courtesy of IndyMedia Guatemala, here is a video (in two short parts) made by the Diocese of San Marcos, Guatemala, about community ‘consultas’ that took place in western Guatemala, in which the population voiced their opposition to mineral exploration and exploitation and the construction of mega-projects. From community to community, the answer is the same - no, no, no.

 

 

This is a clip from CBC's On The Map with Avi Lewis where he interviews Andrew Grant of Skye Resources Limited for the corporate point of view. You can see the full programme here with a documentary report from CBC correspondent, Jean-Michel LePrince. The programme was aired 20 June this year.

Always great to hear Luis Argueta discussing Guatemalan cinema. As he says in the interview here it is so important for a country to see itself on the big screen; "Film is the fundamental importance in the construction of national identity".

Luis Argueta, Professor/Filmmaker, City College/CUNY, is interviewed by Patricio Lerzundi, Chair of the Journalism, Communication, and Theatre Department (JCT) at Lehman College.

The City University of New York, CUNY TV operates as a non-commercial station. Its mission is to extend the academic and intellectual richness of the University beyond the campuses and to offer New York City residents a haven for life long learning experiences through television.

As we get closer to the elections that are going to be taking place in Guatemala in September, we'll be taking a look at the information out there about the range of different candidates standing.


Here Nineth Montenegro (Encuentro Por Guatemala) explains her beliefs and formative experiences in an interview on Guatevision. She talks about her political partnership with Rigoberta Menchu (Winaq) and challenge for women in Guatemala as they stand together for elected office with Encuentro Por Guatemala.

The second part is here.

Menchu has around 10% of the votes according to the most recent opinion polls- representing a significant growth in support since she formally confirmed her candidatura.

The best question you can ask a Guatemalan is: "have you ever seen a quetzal?".

I've personally heard the most incredible and fascinating stories of 'the day I saw a quetzal...'. This is truely a bird of mystery- something outsiders don't really get. Unfortunately I'm still waiting to set eyes on this incredible and rare bird myself- otherwise that would be a great intro to my own story.