South America

land

Brazilian Congress moves to limit Indigenous land claims 

​​​​​​​A bill making its way through the Legislature in Brazil could limit Indigenous land claims in the country, and potentially call into question large swaths of land already demarcated for Indian reservations.

Brazilian Congress moves to limit Indigenous land claims 
Leonardo de Carvalho Leal and Mayara Stelle administer the Twitter account Sleeping Giants Brazil, a platform for activism whose stated mission is to attack the financing of hate speech and dissemination of fake news, Dec. 11, 2020.

Will Brazil’s ‘Fake News Bill’ regulate disinformation or stifle free speech?

Will Brazil’s ‘Fake News Bill’ regulate disinformation or stifle free speech?
man with trash

‘We were treated as disposable beings’: Waste pickers in Colombia fought for their rights after 11 murders

‘We were treated as disposable beings’: Waste pickers in Colombia fought for their rights after 11 murders
After migrants arrive in Capurgana's harbor, they are loaded on tuk-tuks and taken to the shelter on the edge of town.

Migration across Darién Gap changes Colombian village’s economy

Migration across Darién Gap changes Colombian village’s economy
A group of Venezuelan migrants begins the grueling three day trek across the Darien Gap, as they leave the Colombian village of Capurgana.

As Title 42 ends, more migrants from South America are crossing the Darién jungle en route to US

As Title 42 ends, more migrants from South America are crossing the Darién jungle en route to US
A person standing on a pyramid of dried salt, while the rest of the salt flat looks like the surface of a lake

Raw materials, or sacred beings? Lithium extraction puts two worldviews into tension.

Lithium extraction in Bolivia poses more than environmental questions: It illustrates how notions about raw materials can be at odds with Indigenous relations with the land.

Raw materials, or sacred beings? Lithium extraction puts two worldviews into tension.
Sad looking children at a cafeteria table

Finding Ukraine’s stolen children and bringing perpetrators to justice: lessons from Argentina

Hundreds of children were stolen from their parents during the dictatorship in Argentina, but over the years, some have been reunited with their families.

Finding Ukraine’s stolen children and bringing perpetrators to justice: lessons from Argentina
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends a military promotion ceremony, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. 

Where does Brazil stand with the war in Ukraine?

Over the last week, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva courted controversy with his remarks on the conflict in Ukraine, causing tensions between Brazil and the US. 

Where does Brazil stand with the war in Ukraine?
Bogota has trained more than 500 police officers to respond to cases of gender-based violence, known as the purple patrol.

In Colombia’s capital, the ‘purple patrol’ fights sexual harassment on crowded buses

Bogotá is trying to curb sexual harassment against women on public transportation systems. It’s trained more than 500 police officers as part of the purple patrol to respond to cases of gender-based violence. Female police officers also hand out leaflets with information about hotlines that women can call for assistance.

In Colombia’s capital, the ‘purple patrol’ fights sexual harassment on crowded buses
people outside building

Impeachment trial begins against Ecuador's President Lasso

​​​​​​​Ecuador’s National Assembly is debating the future of President Guillermo Lasso. If it votes to remove Lasso, it would be the first impeachment of an Ecuadorian president since the country’s return to democracy in 1979.

Impeachment trial begins against Ecuador's President Lasso
Wind generators near the Indigenous town of Juchitán de Zaragoza in Mexico.

Mexico’s Interoceanic Corridor aims to rival the Panama Canal

​​​​​​​Mexico is hard at work on a huge development project that the country’s president hopes will rival the Panama Canal. It won’t be another waterway, but when it’s finished, the Interoceanic Corridor will connect ports on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Mexico in numerous ways. President Andres Manuel López Obrador is looking to the US for support on the project. But Indigenous communities are fighting the decision. 

Mexico’s Interoceanic Corridor aims to rival the Panama Canal
Haitian Musician and Voudo priest Erol Josué has a new album titled Pèlerinaj, which includes songs like “Rén Sobo,” “Ati Sole” and “Palave Maria" that invoke Voudo goddesses and saints.

Erol Josué’s new album Pèlerinaj highlights Haiti’s Vodou tradition and the artist’s own pilgrimage

The 18 tracks on "Pèlerinaj," or “pilgrimage” in Haitian Creole, are a mix of sacred Vodou chants and traditional Haitian rhythms with funk, jazz, rock and electronic music.

Erol Josué’s new album Pèlerinaj highlights Haiti’s Vodou tradition and the artist’s own pilgrimage
Guyana faces risks from climate change that include rising sea levels that could eventually submerge the capital Georgetown.

Guyana’s discovery of oil reserves has the nation split between boosting the economy and preserving the environment

Guyana is hoping that newly discovered offshore crude reserves can help transform the country's economy and offset its ongoing poverty crisis. But some people are concerned about what this may mean for the environment.

Guyana’s discovery of oil reserves has the nation split between boosting the economy and preserving the environment
people in line

Thousands of passengers are stranded after Colombia’s Viva Air grounds flights 

​​​​​​​Thousands of passengers were stranded in airports in Colombia and several other Latin American countries this week following the collapse of the budget airline, Viva Air. It's the latest airline company to fold amid decreasing passenger demand and higher oil prices. 

Thousands of passengers are stranded after Colombia’s Viva Air grounds flights 
The salt-makers in Mexico are preserving an ancestral tradition of artisanal salt that goes back 2,000 years.

The last of Mexico’s artisanal salt-makers preserve a 2,000-year-old tradition

A handful of salt-makers in Mexico are preserving an ancestral tradition of artisanal salt that goes back 2,000 years. It's a dying art form and many fear for its future amid climate change and migration.

The last of Mexico’s artisanal salt-makers preserve a 2,000-year-old tradition