Image
Chevron, Ecuador and the extractor’s curse – part 3: When in doubt, sue the lawyer
“We’re going to fight this until hell freezes over … And then we’ll fight it out on the ice”, said a Chevron spokesman in 2009. The company has done just that. Meanwhile, the Lago Agrio region of Ecuador remains severely polluted…
Chevron, Ecuador and the extractor’s curse – part 2
In Part 2 in her story of how the oil company targets the victims' lawyers to avoid paying compensation, Linda Etchart looks at the actions and omissions of successive Ecuadorian governments
Chevron, Ecuador and the extractor’s curse – part 1
To avoid paying compensation, the oil company targets the victims' lawyers
Here Come the Reggaetoneras
The crude origins of Reggaeton, from videos verging on soft porn and misogynistic lyrics, have been toned down in recent years in the industry's quest to make the genre moe commercial. At the same time, female Reggaeton…
San Juan Noir
Award-winning Puerto Rican poet and novelist Mayra Santos-Febres has been a pivotal literary figure in her island home for many years, championing the work of upcoming writers through her creative writing classes at the…
Costa Rica: Religious Extremism Becomes Election Favourite
The April 4 runoff vote for president is likely to be won by an evangelical singer
The Latin Momentum: the Story of The LUKAS
The Latin UK Awards, known affectionately as the LUKAS, was launched 7 years ago to recognize the impact of Latin culture in the UK. Today it is Europe’s only Latin Entertainment Awards ceremony and its widest-reaching Latin…
Guatemala: Indigenous Women take on Canada’s Mining Industry
Elena Choc Quib, a unilingual Q’eqchi’ speaker from a remote village in rural Guatemala, never imagined travelling outside her country, let alone boarding a plane to Toronto. But everything changed when she and 10 other women…
Brazil: Court Upholds Lula's Conviction in The Trial of the Century
A Brazilian court has upheld the conviction of the former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for corruption and money laundering, in a ruling that complicates his plans to run for a third term and marks an extraordinary change…
Belo Horizonte gets a Land Reform Farmers Market
Brazil's Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) opens a rural market in Belo Horizonte city
Colombia/Venezuela: How Petrol is Fuelling Instability on the Border
The smuggling of petrol and other products from Venezuela is part of daily life in Cúcuta
Brazil: Bolsonaro – The Lone Wolf Dreams of Glory
Brazilian nationalist demagogue Jair Bolsonaro is bidding to run for President. His views are truly frightening, reveals Lucas Farrez
COLOMBIA: Bogotá’s Recyclers Fight for Inclusion
As the city rises up the development index, Bogotá’s waste services are undergoing structural transformation. Rachel Simon learns how Colombia’s informal waste-picking recicladores are organizing and fighting to play their part…
Just Another Lonely Latin Hit?
We’ve seen it before, the querky pop tune with a tropical feel that gets under the UK’s skin for a while. Every so often they hit this cold little island, create a Latin craze and then disappear. In the nineties we had ‘Mambo no.…
Oriximiná: Quilombolas vs The Mines
In Oriximiná, a municipality in the northern state of Pará, traditional people see their lands being invaded by mining, under the conniving gaze of the authorities
Guatemala: a Rotten State
President Morales' anti-corruption pose is dropped as soon as his own family is in the frame
Haiti: Hope as it Braces itself for another Hurricane
As Hurricane Irma head for the Island, Prospéry Raymond, Christian Aid’s country manager for Haiti and the Dominican Republic, reflects on how Haiti has been moving on from one disaster and preparing for another
Brazil: Why is Michel Temer still in Power?
It is always hard to explain Brazilian politics to foreigners. There is a lot of history and many characters and there are 25 political parties represented in Congress alone. It is even harder to explain how illegitimate…
Mexico: Trump Weakens Fragile Economy
A sober assessment of the economic impact on Mexico of the promises and policies of the new US President.
Argentina: Forty years of the ‘Mad Mothers’
April 30 marked the 40th anniversary of the foundation in Argentina of the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo. Some of them are still searching for their disappeared loved ones.
Sembrando Cultura: This is How We do It!
Maria Luna, a Dominican American residing in London, speaks to four Latinas in the United States, Scotland and England to find out what it means to be a Latina and how a Latina maintains or compromises her culture when she starts…
Brazil: the flesh is weak but the meat is rotten
Police investigations reveal another massive web of corruption involving Brazil's strategic meat industry, inspectors and politicians
Cupuaçu: Brazil's Alternative to Chocolate
Forget cocoa, meet cupuaçu, a brand new contender in the arena of chocolate substitutes.
Colombia: What does Peace Mean in Comuna 13?
Gwen Burnyeat visits Comuna 13, the Medellín community blighted by guerrilla, militia and state violence during Colombia's civil war and finds that graffiti and urban escalators have achieved a sense of pride and…
Brazil: Munduruku People Fear Annihilation
The Tapajós River Basin lies at the heart of the Amazon, and at the heart of an exploding controversy: whether to build 40+ large dams, a railway, and highways, turning the Basin into a vast industrialized commodities export…
The Reggeatón Evolution – Three Decades of Flow
When quintessentially English band Clean Bandit was recently rocking X Factor with their latest hit ‘Rockabye,’ few watching would have known that the country that invented its catchy beat was banned from playing it for years.…
United Migrations?
Walk around London and it’s hard to avoid the Spanish vowels swirling around the air. The recent influx of Spaniards and Latin Americans arriving through Spain adds yet another layer to the original Spanish speaking communities.…
Brazil's prison massacres - a bloody start to the year
A flurry of brutal deaths in Brazil's overcrowded prisons has shocked the country.
The Angora Cat, the Saint and the End of the World
The Supreme Court and the Senate found a 'jeitinho' to get around part of their present impasse. But time and their credibility are running out.
Colombia's Plebiscite: Catharsis in Writing
Colombians in the UK blog to express their hope, sadness and determination to keep peace alive
All Hail the Vinyl Collectors!
Salsotecas are the mythical vinyl-sharing encounters that began in Cali, Colombia. We explore the legendary phenomenon that helped give the city its reputation as home to the world’s most passionate Salsa lovers.
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
Belize: Punta Gorda, a forgotten district
Maya and Garifuna communities are resisting over-zealous national park regulation and encroaching oil exploration. Rachel Simon explores indigenous land rights and social issues in southern Belize over three blog posts. Rachel…
Cunha: The Man Who Knew Too Much
The arrest of the former speaker of Congress has sent shock-waves through Brasilia.
Brazil - Election Post-Mortem
The PT (Workers' Party) fared very badly in the recent municipal elections and is unlikely to recover before 2018. The political system is entering a new era, but no one knows where it will lead.
Latest Content
Arts and Culture
Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art
Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art showcases the works of 50 international artists…
Most Viewed
Top 10 Argentine Footballers
As one of the biggest football teams in South America and the world, the Argentine Football…
Ballads and Boleros
Top Ten Mexican Male Singers of all Time
Since the days when Mexico was a serious rival to Hollywood in terms of film production and quality…
Top 10 Mexican Boxers
Globally, Mexico is known as a boxing powerhouse, boasting some of the greatest champions in the…