Michael Fox is a Latin America-based audio producer and media maker.
US officials have suspended visa interviews for all international students looking to study in the United States. They say they’re revamping policies to include the vetting of applicants’ social media accounts. The US has long been the top destination for students from Latin America. Many Latin American leaders have been educated in the country. But as Michael Fox reports from Quito, Ecuador, that trajectory could suddenly shift.
Chile’s biggest carnival is kicking off at full speed today. As many as 150,000 people have traveled to the northern Chilean town of Arica to participate. But this is not your typical carnival. Most of the dances and music come from Bolivia. It is a celebration of Indigenous Aymara, Quechua and Afro-Chilean identities.
Chile’s Indigenous Mapuche people have long fought the government over land claims. They’ve faced discrimination and assimilation in Chilean society. But some Mapuche communities are now turning the page. And they’re using an ancestral sport to help protect and revive their culture, customs and language.
In October 2019, huge protests exploded across Chile. They began against increased public transportation fees, but they soon grew into the largest protest movement the country had seen since the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Those in the streets dreamed of transforming the country, but five years later, reforms have yet to be made.
In Paraguay, the Indigenous Guaraní language is spoken as an official language alongside Spanish. Most Paraguayans speak Guaraní or a mixture of Spanish and Guaraní as their first language, whether they are of Indigenous descent or not.