Covid-19 in Latin America – Update 13, 25 August
The incidence of coronavirus and the responses of governments and local communities. Update No.13.
Sara Chandler - Human Rights Worker
There is much to say about Prof. Sara Chandler, Chair of the Colombia Caravan UK Lawyers Group and the winner of LUKAS Award for Charity or Human Rights Worker of the Year. Read what she told us about her fascinating life and…
Postcard from...Havana: Family at a Crossroads
It’s been a busy and sad week in our Cuban household. Danay and Osvaldo, two married younger members of this small Cuban family are leaving the country tomorrow to make a new life for themselves in Argentina, where Danay’s Cuban…
The New Voice of Reason
Women are increasingly at the forefront of South America’s fight to defend its indigenous lands and the environment and Patricia Gualinga, an indigenous Kichwa of Sarayaku in the Ecuadorian Amazon region, is one of them. As…
Joe Biden: Something Different for Latin America?
US Democratic Presidential candidate promises more of the same for Latin America, argues John Washington.
London's Latin Culture Under Threat
Stefanie Alvarez, who grew up amidst the bustling 'Pueblito Paisa' market, where her mother works, in Seven Sisters, is set on defending the much-loved north London Latin hub from the designs of property developers who…
Río Turbio: women marginalised by the mine
Filmmaker and archivist Tatiana Mazú González sheds light on the role of women in the Río Turbio miner’s struggle
Retracing Galeano’s Open Veins
‘Gold, Oil and Avocados, A Recent History of Latin America in Sixteen Commodities’ by Andy Robinson is an account of export extractivism in Latin America. Robinson argues that to understand the major political upheavals in Latin…
“Che had the voice of a brother”
Ciro Bustos was Che Guevara’s right-hand man in Argentina and survivor of Che’s Bolivia campaign. Once accused of betraying Che, in his new book ‘Che Wants to See You’ Ciro relates what really happened and his life beside the…
Taking Selfies with Shotguns: Transcending Violence in Bolsonaro’s Brazil
Luis Octavio dos Santos Gouveia Junior reflects on the bittersweet experience of returning to his native Brazil after seven years. He argues that, in Bolsonaro’s Brazil, guns have expanded from being an instrument of self-…
Bolsonaro Turns Queen’s Funeral into Election Rally
The Brazilian President's attendance at The Queens funeral had everything to do with politics and little to do with grief, argues Clorrie Yoemans
Leonor: The Story of a Lost Childhood
What the FARC? Women are the silent victims of Colombia’s conflict, exploited and abused by guerrillas as much as their enemiesGavin O’Toole reviews the book Leonor: The Story of a Lost Childhood by Paula Delgado-Kling. The…
Colombian elections 2022: Petro or Fico?
Colombia’s presidential elections are just around the corner (with a second round in June if no candidate obtains more than 50 per cent of the vote). With two main candidates on opposing sides of the political spectrum, what do…
LATIN LONDONER #14 Carlos Cruz - Union Leader
Carlos Cruz is Union Learning Organiser in United Migrant Workers Education Project (UMWEP), which is a non-profit organisation that provides support and informal education to migrant workers in Great Britain. His inspiring…
The Amazon: Biden and Bolsonaro's no- deal
The United States and Brazil have been conducting closed door negotiations to broker an Amazon rainforest protection agreement — with the U.S. and other nations tentatively to provide significant funding, and Brazil possibly…
Love Is (Not) All You Need?
Some say that people of all cultures use the word ‘love’ to describe a feeling they get when someone meets their needs. In the view, we invest emotions in what is in fact a transactional affair. So what is love between Cubans and…
Ana Victoria's Story - Part 1: In Exile
Ana Victoria is an Afro-Colombian biologist who was ordained as the first female Colombian priest of the Anglican church in July 2017 in St Paul Cathedral. After being kidnapped by armed traffickers while she was working with…
Why Bad Bunny’s London Takeover Matters Far Beyond One Concert
Bad Bunny’s show at Tottenham Hotspurs will make the reggaetón superstar the first Latin artist to sell out a UK stadium. This not only signifies a turning point in the UK’s relationship with Latin music, it coincides with a new…
Gay Marriage Legalized in Argentina Despite Huge Opposition From Church
On Thursday the 15th of July, Argentina became the first country in Latin America to legalize gay marriage, granting to gay and lesbian couples the same legal rights and benefits that heterosexual couples have traditionally…
In Colombia, Who Needs to Invent a False Victim, President Santos?
While Santos enjoys an official visit to the UK, his inflamatory remarks about a group of human rights lawyers who have worked for years to end impunity in Colombia, has left them fearing for their lives in Bogotá. What does this…
Guatemala: a Rotten State
President Morales' anti-corruption pose is dropped as soon as his own family is in the frame
Is the coronavirus epidemic worse in Brazil or in the UK?
Jan Rocha proposes the question ahead of an online discussion hosted by Latin America Bureau: Brazil is certainly suffering terribly, but is the UK's mortality rate higher?
Time to Come Together for Colombia
On April 28th May in Colombia the people of Cali city took to the streets to peacefully protest and march against the new tax reform put in place by president Ivan Duque. What started off as a peaceful demonstration soon turned…
Colombia Brings Hope
Kristian Herbolzheimer, a key analyst in the soon-to-be-signed Colombia peace agreement, explains how this historic achievement came about and its significance for Colombia and the world.
Bolivia: will new elections heal the rift?
With Morales moving to Argentina and still no date for new elections, the outlook remains obscure.
Correa's Quest for Longevity in Ecuador
On the eve of his inauguration in 2013, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa explicitly stated he would not seek re-election in four years’ time. Now, Ecuador’s Congress has proposed legislation to abolish the limit on the…
Buenos Aires: the virus reaches the ‘villas miseria’
Ramona Medina, one of the community leaders of Villa 31, a Buenos Aires villa miseria, died from coronavirus after publically denouncing the lack of water and the conditions for maintaining social distancing measures in her…
Human Rights Defenders in Honduras
Each day, human rights defenders speak out for the rights of others. And each day they risk their livelihoods, their liberty and in many cases their lives. As attacks, abductions, and assassinations increase in Latin America, we…
TEN YEARS A GRAVE
More than a decade after the Pasta de Conchos mining disaster killed 65 miners in Mexico, families are asking the UK to help with their struggle for justice, reports Elizabeth Mistry
What Will Biden Mean for Latin America?
After four years of global ridicule and eroding influence overseas, the new president will be under immediate pressure to show where his priorities lie. From détente with Iran to an assertive Russia and a combative China, Latin…
Allende’s Children
40 years after the coup that changed Chile, Pinochet’s exiles around the world have inspired a new generation in the fight for justice and equality. There is no better example than the Navarrete family who came to the UK…
The Two Faces of Norway’s Rainforest Policies
Norway's government gives millions to Brazil for rainforest conservation, while Norsk Hydro's mines and smelters clear, pillage and pollute.
LatinoLife's Outreach Programme Celebrates 10 Years
From its humble beginnings 25 years ago, LatinoLife has been driven by its passion for diffusing authentic Latin culture in all its diversity. When we started the festival - LatinoLife in the Park - it literally meant taking what…
COVID Toll on Indigenous Elders is Destroying History
"Every time an elder dies, a library is burnt"
Human Rights Defenders in Colombia
Each day, human rights defenders speak out for the rights of others. And each day they risk their livelihoods, their liberty and in many cases their lives. As attacks, abductions, and assassinations increase in Latin America, we…