Author: Eduardo Avila

Ecuadorian blogger Angel Gualán recently unveiled his new blog called Mashi Angel [es] where he will continue to write about the Saraguro culture.

With the upcoming legislative elections in Colombia set for March 14, 2010, campaign signs and other ads are showing up across Colombia. Juan David Escobar of the blog Reticente [es] took out his camera to capture some of the slogans that are being used in the ads.

De la Selva su Web On [es] admires the protest of Peruvian police officer Edward Casas, who protested in front of the Ministry of Economy, demanding higher wages for all police officers.

In the city of Trinidad, Bolivia, Carnaval celebrations were postponed due to heavy rains [es] in the regions reports the blog from Radio Patujú.

HablaGuate [en/es] live-blogged a lecture by Dr. Ricardo Stein titled “”Peace Accords, 14 years Later” that took place February 15 in Antigua, Guatemala.

The Costa Rican photography collective “Nomada Colectivo” (Nomad Collective) recently devoted a photo-essay [es] to the recent presidential election that took place on February 7, 2010 in which Laura Chinchilla was elected as the first woman president. Members of the collective took to the streets to capture the scene from election day.

Photo by Nomad Collective and used with permission.

Jenny Cascante, a member of the Collective, writes about the day in the essay portion of the work [es]:

Cada cuatro años, a los ciudadanos comunes se nos concede la oportunidad de decidir lo que mejor nos conviene. La fiesta cívica funciona bien como placebo: no existe tal cosa como una buena decisión tomada colectivamente. Los comicios están diseñados para hacer cumplir la voluntad de una mayoría que no nos representa a todos, pero sí a los mismos de siempre. Atravesamos voluntariamente el vía crucis del interés mal logrado, los debates circenses, abstencionismo vrs tradicionalismo… es como un juego de niños coaccionado.

(…)

La democracia es una crayola anaranjada con la que todos queremos pintarnos, pero que a la vez regalamos a cambio de lo que sea. Al final sí hay marionetas: nosotros mismos.

Photo by Nomad Collective and used with permission.

The Spanish citizen journalism site Bottup announces its 2nd Citizen Journalist Award. The winner, open to anyone in the world, will receive up to 1,800 euros towards a trip to anywhere in the world where he or she will be a “Special Correspondent” for Bottup.

The Coop Marena is a typical resort hotel in the Dominican Republic. However, blogger José Rafael Sosa notes that what sets this hotel apart is that it is a cooperative [es], and does not belong to a corporation or single individual.

The blog Voces Lojanas [es] writes about the creation of the Colambo Yacuri National Park located in the region of Loja, Ecuador.

Plan Colombia and Beyond recommends the new Human Rights Watch report on Colombia about the ‘rise of emerging paramilitary groups.'

In the early morning hours of January 25, Paraguayan footballer Salvador Cabañas was shot in the head during an altercation in a Mexico City bar bathroom. The exact motive for the shooting is still unclear, but Mexican police is currently looking for a suspect.

Cabañas, who plays for the Club América in the Mexican First Division, was out with his wife when the incident occurred. After being rushed to the hospital, he underwent surgery, but doctors were unable to remove the bullet. Cabañas remains in critical conditions, but his condition is improving as he is already moving, eating, and speaking with relatives.

Much of the media coverage has mentioned Cabañas' desire to return to the playing field for his club team and the Paraguayan national team, which has qualified for the 2010 World Cup to be played starting in June.

Paraguayan blogger Carlos Rodríguez of Rescatar [es] writes, “let's support the man before putting business first.” He adds that there are too many people passing along sensationalist and irresponsible information:

Es una bendición la fortaleza del jugador que con una bala en el cerebro sorprende por su reacción al tratamiento pero, es preciso que los medios manejen el tema con sensatez. Es cierto, Cabañas vende. Vende camisetas, vente banderas, calendarios, DVDs, vende portadas, noticieros. Es un producto exitoso. Sin embargo cabe reclamar que no se exacerbe el costado mercantil y hagamos fuerzas porque la recuperación de Salvador avance cada día más.

There are much speculation on the motive whether it was a robbery or a fight, the dialogue between the two men, and the testimony provided by witnesses. Blogger José Angel Lopez Barrios writes [es]:

Muchos cabos sueltos….. evidentemente hasta ahora no hay nada claro en la agresión contra Salvador Cabañas…. Y a medida que pasan las horas pareciera que las indagaciones tienden a orientarse en terrenos poco creibles.

However, with news of his improving status, Rodríguez also has questions about the situation in which Cabañas placed himself.

¿Qué hace un futbolista de alta competición en una fiesta a las 5:30 de la mañana? Sobre todo exponiéndose a agresiones como las que hoy tienen a Salvador Cabañas entre la vida y la muerte. Y lamentablemente lo que hacía era precisamente correr un riesgo innecesario, a una hora en que el cansancio y el consumo han menguado la prudencia y la calma.

There have been signs of support for the footballer at the recent Club América's match, back in his native Paraguay [es], and on the internet.

Throughout the month of February, Black History Month is celebrated in the United States and Canada, as special events and other commemorative activities often fill the calendar during this time. Several bloggers have started an online project to honor another group of people of Black African ancestry and complement the festivities with additional information.

Anthony Otero, a Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian blogger, who works at Syracuse University, wrote on his blog Inside My Head:

In taking time to really look at this month, we normally focus on African Americans as they should. However, I would like to see that we expand the realm of this exploration to encompass Afro Latinos.

The term Afro-Latinos or Afro-Latin Americans refer to Latin Americans with Black African ancestry, which is estimated to be between 100-150 million across the region. See here for Afro-Latino populations in the Americas. Another term that many self-identifying Afro-Latinos have been using is Latinegro/a. The word “negro” means black in Spanish.

Together with bloggers Bianca Laureano and Prof. Susurro, Otero started the Latinegr@ Tumblr blog. Its mission:

Expanding the inclusively of Black History Month is a goal for several of us, self-identified LatiNeg@s, Afro-Latinos and Afro-Caribeños. As people who recognize and claim the African heritage and history, we have often been excluded from US History, whether it be Black history or Latino history (Septermber 15-October 15). Join us in honoring and recognizing LatiNegr@s this year during Black and Latino History Month. We are Black, Latino and from the Caribbean. We REPRESENT!

Laureano also describes how the project came to life on the blog Vivir Latino:

It all started when I posted a list of LatiNegr@s To Look Out For In 2010. I began to talk with writer and poet Anthony about how so many of us don’t know our history, how we are omitted, and the need for recognition and representation. We decided to create a virtual project on our own online homes as well as create a communal space for discussion, engagement, and knowledge production.

Photo of Schomburg and used under Wikimedia Commons

She has already helped made a list of Afro-Latinos to watch for in 2010, and others like blogger Efrain Ortiz, Jr. have been sharing information on important Afro-Latinos from their home countries. For example, Ortiz writes about Arturo Alfonso Schomburg , a Puerto Rican historian, writer, and activist, who helped the research regarding important contributions made by other Afro-Latinos in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Buenos Aires Lado B [es] announces the photography contest called “Buenos Aires Today, The Street.“

The poet Mateo Morrison was recently awarded the 2010 National Literature Prize [es] in the Dominican Republic writes blogger Pedro Genaro.

The blogs Sophimanía [es] and Habla Sonia Luz [es] are extremely proud that for the first time in history, a Peruvian film has been nominated for an Oscar for the Best Foreign Film, when La Teta Asustada received the honor.

Roberto Suárez of the blog Cuba en Fotos [es] posts some of his photographs of what happens outside of Cuban boxing rings.

Global Voices Online was recently nominated as a Community Choice Finalist for the 2010 We Media Game Changer Award. GVO joins a list of individuals, projects, and organizations that were nominated by the We Media global community.

According to We Media:

Game Changers lead society to knowledge. They inspire involvement and action through media, and we celebrate their achievement at We Media Miami, the annual innovation conference where their stories become the content of the program. They provide example, insight and inspiration for leaders and visionaries from all fields by demonstrating how to navigate and lead the connected society.

The individual or organization that receives the most votes when voting ends will give a keynote talk at the annual We Media Conference to be held at the University of Miami on March 9-11, 2010. All nominees will also be honored at the event.

To support Global Voices Online as the 2010 We Media Game Changer, please cast your vote here. Voting ends at 11:59 pm EST on February 3, 2010.