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Argentina's Bi-Centenary: Something to Celebrate?

As several South American countries celebrate 200 years of independence, Nick Caistor gives a view from Argentina.

Richard Gott on Argentina's Bi-Centenary Celebrations

Renowned for his critical-thinking 'people's histories' of Latin America, the UK's most authoritative Latin Americanist - author of 'Land Without Evil' and 'Cuba: A New History' - explores…

Patrick Rice

The Irish Priest who became one of Latin America's most committed and loved Human Rights activists. He dedicated his life to the defence of human dignity and to the hope of a better world

Travel

MEDELLIN No.3...The Flower Fair

My girls expect me to spend my last day before leaving for Bogotá with them. It is a question of duty. They have embraced me, showered me with affection, and in return, they expect a certain loyalty. I have had to give back more…

... Bogotá

Like strangling puppies or bankers’ bonuses, bullfighting does not enjoy a good press in the UK. Yet here and now in Colombia, it’s fashionable. As a resident of Bogotá’s La Macarena barrio, I could hardly be nearer to the…

Lost and Found in Mexico

An English boy follows the family myth of his great-grandfather's notorious adventures in Mexico in search of an ending, and finds more than he could ever have imagined.

Sports

Relishing the Magic of FC Barcelona

'Justify the meaningfulness of the football suffering fan if you like, while I bask in the glory of FC Barcelona magic'. Kings of the football world today, the great Barca has also had its share of suffering, on and off…

The Roma Gypsies of Colombia

Hazel Marsh celebrates the community that is conspicuously ignored by Latin American history books and modern day media.

2012 and The End of the World as we know it… Mayan Prophecy or Hollywood Hoax?

Based on the ancient Mayan prophecy, the recent Hollywood blockbuster 2012 depicts the imminent end of the world. How much of it relays truth as the Mayans saw it and, more importantly, what did the Mayans know that we don’t?

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…

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…

Making their Mark - the rise and rise of The Latino-Brits

First generation Latino-Brits are bubbling under the surface and seeping through into mainstream British cultural life.

Carlos Saura – A Flamenco Retrospective

The great film director's passion for Flamenco marked his career and helped force the arts establishments in Spain and abroad to give this great art form the respect it was due. Here we pay tribute...

'Casa de mi padre'

“If it sounds Spanish, man, that's what it is; it's a Spanish movie.”

In Praise of Chavela Vargas 1919-2012

A tribute to one of Latin America's most iconic female role models.

The Change in the Latino Vote

Once thought of as natural Republicans, Barack Obama captured the hearts of Latinos in the last US election. But the words 'American Dream' are no longer enough, they want help to achieve it. In the run up to the 2012…

Life After Kirchner

The death of former president leaves power vacuum in Argentina.

The Uribe Legacy: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

In his eight years as president Álvaro Uribe changed Colombia. But was it all for the best?

The President and the Miners

Chilean president enjoys his moment in the spotlight after rescuing ‘the 33’. But beneath the media coverage he is in danger of burying some more complex issues.

Venezuela Rising

As international artists hail Venezuela as ‘the future of music’ Candela explores why recognition has taken so long to come.

¿Viva la Revolución? What happened to Mexico’s Zapatista Movement...

“Excuse the inconvenience, but this is a revolution,” proclaimed Subcomandante Marcos on the 1st January 1994. But in 2010, is it just a mild inconvenience that the government and media readily ignore, or is the Zapatista…

Abimael Guzman

Yes Peru’s most notorious inmate! I hear he wants another ball and chain...

Bodyguard Grandmother

Human shield in Colombia at 65? A daughter leaves London to find her mother who has decided to be an ‘unarmed bodyguard’ in the Colombian jungle.

Los Niños Vascos and The English Lord

In 1937, as Bilbao was being bombarded, 4,000 Basque children arrived in Southamption, thanks to some extraordinary individuals who defied the British government's official policy of appeasement (which ultimately contributed…

Modern Spain: Stylizing the Stereotypes?

Spain is a country that attracts strong stereotypes. Images of wife-beating machos, blood thirsty sports and crazy drivers may have dissolved since the years of Franco isolation, but siestas, fiestas and Flamenco is still what…

Sarmiento: Argentine National Hero or Ideologue of White Settler Racism?

2011's Latin American bi-centenaries saw governments celebrating their national heroes again. In Argentina, a broader process of revising its recent 'Dirty War' history has made many eager to revisit their more…

Sarmiento: The Forging of a Racist Ideologue (part 2)

In this second part of our article on the Argentine national hero, we travel with Sarmiento to Africa where he took notes on how the French waged war on the natives to promote white immigration and settlement. The lessons he…

Venezuela’s Rich Musical Tapestry

Professor T.M. Scruggs, an ethnomusicologist at the University of Iowa, has spent six years specializing in Venezuelan music and culture. In this interview he paints a fascinating portrait of a musical heritage that is one of…

From Reggaetón to Urban Latin: What Happened after the Boom?

Five years ago Reggaetón exploded onto the US music scene with NORE’s Oye Mi Canto. Fresh out of the streets of Puerto Rico and Panama, Latino kids, the US’s fastest rising demographic, were going crazy for it in every major city…

Hustle and Grind in the Mexican Music Scene

Struggle is the name of the game in Mexican music, but the creativity and innovation keep flowing with eclectic genres and fusions blossoming from the land of the Aztecs

From The Docks To The Decks: The Cumbia explosion

Cumbia, a Colombian musical genre whose humble beginnings lie in the port of Cartagena, is finding its way into the hands of enthralled DJs and producers across the world. Why is it, asks Olly West, that a genre celebrated…

Dance

To Flip or not to Flip? The Capoeira Debate

Tradition versus progress. Authenticity versus evolution. In tackling the great Capoeira debate – whether acrobatics orientated Capoeira means abandoning its roots - Helen Lima de Sousa goes to the core of what Capoeira, and…

Mexican Milk

Indigenous culture is used to market the country at home and abroad, so why is it that only white faces appear on Mexican adverts?