Modern Latin America 2020

History 216

Chile’s annual Teletón goes virtual this year

While very important, I thought I would take a break from the COVID-19 pandemic and cover something different.

On April 4th and 5th, Chile still held its annual Teletón albeit virtually. Teletón is a televised charity event to raise money for children with developmental disabilities who receive treatment at Fundación Teletón’s rehabilitation institute. The event is televised for 27 hours straight and has been held since 1978. Each year the goal is to raise more than the previous year. However, due to the current pandemic, Teletón did not set a goal. The program is hosted by Don Francisco, Mario Kreutzberger, and features testimonies and performances by famous singers. This year, Teletón raised $34,703,593,204 in Chilean pesos which actually surpassed the last Teletón amount. This year, the Teletón was held with no audience and people spoke from their homes using virtual platforms.

Since there were no longer articles with substance, I opted to briefly write about smaller articles about Teletón. The first article is about the poster child or ambassador as each year there is a child for the charity who is featured on Teletón. This year Bastián Pinto was selected as the “virtual ambassador”. Pinto is 6 years old and has spastic diplegia. The second article is a testimony about Raúl Sandoval who has spastic diplegia. He entered the Universidad de Chile but suffered discrimination by the university who kicked him out 5 times. Finally, he attended la Pontifica Universidad Católica where they were accommodating to him. However, even after graduating he continued to suffer discrimination when finding a job. Finally, he found one and shares his story of resilience amidst discrimination.

Chile is portrayed positively in the media in these articles. The articles are from Chile, but also since it is a charity event for a good cause. I was a little surprised by the strong patriotic tone Teletón carries. Many of the messages were about uniting Chile, to join together to raise money, and “si se puede”.  In previous years, the event is held in the Estadio Nacional and ends with the singing of the national anthem. The overall tone is unifying and patriotic.

Tying to our class themes, I suppose one could see the patriotic tone of Teletón to that of nationalism. We first saw nationalism, or the creation of a Latin American identity, during the wars for independence. Nationalism strongly reemerges in the first half of the 1900s as Chasteen talks about in chapter 8 of Born in Blood and Fire. Nationalism is also visible in the revolution period amid internal conflicts and a rejection of U.S. foreign influence by revolutionaries. Nationalistic tones can be used in a variety of ways, not just for political reasons or revolutions but also for charity causes.

I hope you enjoy something heartwarming from this LA in the news and perhaps watch some of the testimonies and performances. I was able to watch a bit of the Teletón and for me, it definitely helps to put things into perspective, especially during this difficult time.

For further readings:

A complete list of Teletón articles from biobiochile.cl https://www.biobiochile.cl/lista/tags/teleton?pag=1

A play-by-play of the Teletón 2020 which includes videos of the testimonies and performances by singers. https://www.cooperativa.cl/noticias/entretencion/television/teleton/teleton-realiza-su-version-de-emergencia-bajo-medidas-sanitarias/2020-04-03/190516.html

Bibliography:

https://www.biobiochile.cl/noticias/vida-actual/inspiracion/2020/04/05/teleton-2020-muestra-las-discriminaciones-que-sufrio-un-paciente-como-alumno-en-u-de-chile.shtml

https://www.biobiochile.cl/noticias/espectaculos-y-tv/tv/2020/04/03/el-es-bastian-pinto-el-embajador-virtual-de-la-teleton-de-este-ano.shtml

https://www.teleton.cl/

Coronavirus ‘Could Wipe out Brazil’s Indigenous People’

Photo of indigenous women sitting in a waiting room, Brazil.
Image Source: João Fellet, BBC Brazil.

This news story explains the impact of COVID-19 on the indigenous communities in Brazil. Doctors predict that COVID-19 has the potential to decimate these communities that already have high mortality rates from respiratory illnesses such as the flu. On April 5, Brazil, “Brazil had reported more than 11,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 486 deaths” (Fellet). In addition, there are fears across Brazil for the indigenous communities and the changes they will face as COVID-19 spreads. As Dr Mendonça says, “everyone gets sick, and you lose all the old people, their wisdom and social organization” (Fellet). This virus will have detrimental and long-lasting effects on these communities in Brazil, with the likelihood of fundamentally changing their societies and traditions. With limited access to healthcare and a society based on close interactions, such as sharing utensils and water, COVID-19 has moved quickly through these groups. They are being encouraged to practice isolation by professionals. Bolsonaro on the other hand has likened COVID-19 to a “little flu” and encouraged society to resume as normal. Indigenous communities are asking people to, “to suspend trips to cities and prevent visitors from entering their territory” (Fellet). These communities that are looking into ways to isolate themselves are worried about their access to food and resources, as they will not be able to enter a city to buy them. Marivelton Baré, president of the Federation of Indigenous Organizations of Rio Negro says, “”if the choice is either being infected or going hungry, most will choose the first,” he warns. “Then the consequences will be dire” (Fellet). This article addresses many concerns and issues the indigenous communities face today in the era of COVID-19.

As Chasteen presents in Blood and Fire, there is a huge discrepancy in the treatments of various groups in Latin America. With the wealthy having access to the means of production, healthcare, and generally access to what first-world countries have access to, the poorer communities do not have this. In fact, as seen with the indigenous communities, they will struggle with the basics needed to combat COVID-19, such ways to self-isolate, access to food, healthcare, medicine, etc. This pandemic, like in many countries worldwide, is demonstrating the ways in which capitalism has created mass inequality that will determine who will live and die in a situation like today.

Fellet, Joao. “Coronavirus ‘Could Wipe out Brazil’s Indigenous People’.” BBC News. BBC, April 6, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-52139875?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world/latin_america&link_location=live-reporting-story.

Virtual class notes 3/30 + 4/1

This week focused on the global Cold War context. On Moodle, Professor Holt posted two video lectures. Assignments this week included readings on Perusall, a BBF Reading Quiz, and Draft Research presentation.

On Monday, we learned about Latin American social revolutions, starting off with Professor Holt’s short video lecture. See time mark 4:28 for a complete set of Holt’s discussion questions that look beyond armed revolutions and towards social revolutions while keeping in mind the Cold War context, especially the reaction by U.S. leaders and L.A. elites. Other highlights include:

  • Reform vs Revolution by James DeFronzo
  • The Cuban Revolution and Che Guevara’s Guerrilla Warfare (1960)
  • 3 different ways to understand social revolutions: culture, faith (religious practices and beliefs), and education.
    • Chile: Nueva Canción and Violeta Parra
    • Liberation Theology and Ernesto Cardenal
    • Literacy Campaign in the aftermath of many armed revolutions such as in Cuba and Nicaragua.

The two readings on Perusuall were “International Style architecture in Mexico and Brazil” and chapter IX “Social Revolutions” from Problems in MLA. For “International Style architecture in Mexico and Brazil,” many classmates commented on how the architecture was uniquely Latin American with a progressive and modern style. The article features Frida Kahlo’s La Casa Azul (The Blue House) and Professor Holt included her own photo from 2010 of the cathedral in Brasilia. Chapter IX “Social Revolutions” from Problems in MLA included readings about social revolutions in settings like Nicaragua, Colombia Cuba, and Chile. Many classmates commented on the readings on Cuba and Chile, comparing and contrasting the two revolutions. The readings by Che Guevara and Salvador Allende note distinct methods for a revolution that classmates analyzed and questioned.  Additionally, there was a song by Violeta Para titled “The Center of Injustice” which is an example of protest music to further understand social revolutions.

Wednesday’s work focused on the Dirty Wars with case studies on Brazil, Argentina, and Chile in Professor Holt’s lecture video. Please see Tong Tong’s class notes blog post for more details!

On Friday, there was an optional check-in Teams meeting which was mostly social, discussing Bad Bunny. See the link and question below to share your thoughts. Professor Holt sent out a brief summary of the meetings which included reminders about using Perusall and FlipGrid, offering help to find sources, and online office hours. https://tiny.cc/HoltOfficeHours/

  • Reminders: Turn in your draft research presentation if you have not already and complete the peer review for the draft research presentation.
  • Looking ahead: Timeline Primary Set III due next Friday, April 10.  

Sources for further readings on this week’s materials:

Some questions to consider:

  • What are some factors that make social revolutions in some Latin American countries more “successful” than in others?
  • Using DeFronzo’s definitions of reform and revolution, apply these terms to describe what was happening in some Latin American countries during this time.
  • How do you interpret Bad Bunny’s new music video, “Yo Perreo Sola”? Controversy surrounds the video. The video has faced both praise, as an empowering girl power song about respecting girls who want to dance alone, and criticism, especially from the LGBTQIA+ community as Bad Bunny, a straight male, goes full drag in the video.

Latin America in the News – Cuban Doctors in the fight against the COVID-19 Crisis

Amidst the pandemic the world has been facing, Cuba has been a beacon of hope. Over the past few weeks, Cuba has sent 593 medical workers to 14 countries to aid their battles against coronavirus. The first team was sent to Italy during its hardest times, followed by Andorra, Nicaragua, Surinam, Jamaica, Haiti, Belize, Dominica, as well as a plethora of small Caribbean island nations. Alongside the doctors Cuba has already sent abroad, they have received requests from countries across the world. Cuba is no stranger to lending a helping hand during times of international crisis. Ever since Fidel Castro came to power in 1959, Cuba has sent doctors to Chile, Venezuela, South Africa, Brazil, Ecuador, Qatar, and many more, some for free, others for hard currency. The article speaks very highly of Cuba’s public healthcare system and their help during times of crisis. They also note that it is internationally recognized for its capabilities both at home in Latin America and across the globe.

Two main points stuck out that are relevant to our class. The first was Cuba’s relationship with the United States. The article discusses the turmoil in the US and Cuba’s relationship over the past 50-60 years and how it still affects Cuba today. Many times, the United States has tried to persuade countries in need of help not to accept the Cuban medical teams, possibly to stop the Cuban government from receiving payments in return. The US themselves rejected Cuba’s help during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It amazes me that the US is still so sour towards Cuba, whether they’re trying to help the US or other countries in need.

On a more positive note, the other point this article highlights is the history of Latin American cooperation. Though other countries such as Brazil and Ecuador do not use Cuban medical workers anymore due to their own developments, their past shows a strong bond between Latin American countries, especially during a time of need. Hopefully Cuba sees continued success with their medical teams worldwide and can help the world fight off the pandemic.

Source

Petkova, Mariya. “Cuba has a history of sending medical teams to nations in crisis,” Al Jazeera, April 1, 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/cuba-history-sending-medical-teams-nations-crisis-200331112744040.html

Jair Bolsonaro’s Reaction to COVID-19

Citizens of Brazil have expressed anger at Jair Bolsonaro, their far-right president, for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, Brazil has 1,891 cases and 34 deaths. Over the past several nights, citizens have expressed their anger by banging pots and pans from their windows and balconies. It is the biggest protest against Bolsonaro to date.

The anger for Bolsonaro arose after he downplayed the importance of the crisis in the country, criticizing the governors of Rio de Janeiro and Sáo Paulo. By their efforts to contain the virus through quarantines, Bolsonaro claimed that the governors created a “climate of terror.” 3 Additionally, he claimed to have wanted to calm the Brazilian people and even stated, “We can’t let ourselves go into hysteria.” 2  This shows how Bolsonaro downplayed the dangers of the pandemic, fueling the anger of his citizens.

Furthermore, Bolsonaro met with supporters last Sunday, despite receiving medical advice to self-quarantine after traveling to the United States to meet Donald Trump. Bolsonaro was asked to self-quarantine since fourteen people who had traveled with him had tested positive for the virus. That night in response, while the crowds were protesting across the country, they shouted, “Bolsonaro out!” 2 Without understanding the dangers of COVID-19, many believe he is incapable to lead Brazil through a crisis that could kill many if there is no intervention. His presidency may be forever damaged by the way he is reacting to the pandemic.

I read three articles on this coverage, one from each The Guardian, BBC, and teleSUR. All three articles had similar coverage, but it is clear that the teleSUR and The Guardian articles have a stronger view against Bolsonaro. This can be seen in the titles, in which teleSUR includes Bolsonaro’s “incompetence” and The Guardian includes Bolsonaro’s “muddled coronavirus response.” On the contrary, BBC’s title mentions the COVID-19 protest with no mention of Bolsonaro. In addition, teleSUR and The Guardian highlight Bolsonaro’s reactions to the pandemic in more depth than BBC, representing stronger opinions against Bolsonaro.

In all three articles, it is clear that the media believes that Brazil is not equipped for the pandemic. The media highlights Bolsonaro’s lack of concern for the pandemic as the reason that Brazil could not withstand the effects of the rapidly evolving cases and rising death toll. By highlighting his “incompetence,” this shows the influence that the media has on how people view Bolsonaro, as well as Brazil as a whole with an incapable leader.

Bolsonaro has far-right political views, in which he joined the conservative Social Political Party when he was running for president. Strikingly, he made comments admiring the Brazilian Military Dictatorship before his presidency. This relates to the Reaction period, in which this dictatorship ruled from 1964-1980. According to an article from npr, Bolsonaro described this as a “very good period that stopped Brazil from falling under the sway of the Soviet Union.” 4 These comments concern Brazilians, in which they fear that he wants to take away the current democracy and turn it into a dictatorship. The way that Bolsonaro has handled the pandemic, along with these dangerous comments, could damage his presidency as more Brazilians gain distrust of him.

Sources:

  1. Brazil: Protests Against Bolsonaro’s Incompetence over COVID-19. Accessed March 23,            2020. https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/brazil-protests-against-bolsonaros-     incompetence-at-covid19-20200323-0003.html       
  2. Coronavirus protest in Brazil see millions bang pots from balconies. Accessed March       23, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-51955679
  3. Phillips, T. Brazilians protest over Bolsonaro’s muddled coronavirus response. Accessed 
                March 23, 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/22/brazilians-       protest-bolsonaro-coronavirus-panelaco
  4. Reeves, P. Dictatorship Was A ‘Very Good’ Period, Says Brazil’s Aspiring President.        Accessed March 23, 2020.             https://www.npr.org/2018/07/30/631952886/dictatorship-was-a-very-good-           period-says-brazil-s-aspiring-president

Class Notes 03/04

Dr. Holt opened today’s class by asking students if they had questions about Friday’s Unit Quiz #2. Students were primarily concerned about the layout of the quiz, as well as clarification on the content. Going forward, today’s class focused on Revolution, as the students were to read and analyze Born in Blood and Fire Chapter 8 (Revolution) before the lecture. Dr. Holt presented the question: What economic, political, and social changes occur in Latin America during and after WWII?, in which the class analyzed for the remainder of the lecture. The main points related to this question were global politics, economics, and societies. We talked about Mexican, Argentine, and Brazilian contributions to WWII. Additionally, we talked about the reactions to the war and the US Marshall Plan. Then, Dr. Holt handed out a map that represented the rise of cities and growth of urban populations after the war. The class then analyzed The Economist: Regional Data on Latin America’s GDP, bringing up discussion on Post War Latin American Economics. The lecture ended with discussion based on Guevara’s memoir and how his experiences connected to these changes. Students brought up the fact that inequality is shown all throughout the memoir, and since Guevara comes from an elite community, his perspective changes by observing different social classes throughout Latin America.

An interesting aspect of today’s lecture was analyzing the two economic competing schools of thought in Latin America after WWII, which include the Liberal Economist view and the Raul Prebisch Dependency Theory. Liberal economists believed that there should be a focus on comparative advantage, which is the idea that a country produces a good or service for a lower opportunity cost than other countries. On the contrary, the Raul Prebisch Dependency Theory focused on the idea that Latin America needed to escape neocolonial relationships and join the industrial center (the United States and Western Europe). In the dependency theory, there was a focus on import-substitution industrialization, which was the opposite of the export-import development that the Liberal Economist view focused more on. The following list of sources goes more in-depth on this topic.

  1. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/shared/minitext/ess_dependencia.html
  2. https://www.economicsonline.co.uk/Global_economics/Dependency_theory.html
  3. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/depend.htm

Three Questions for Thought:

  1. How did Latin America react to the US Marshall Plan?
  2. What was the relationship between Latin America and the US after WWII?
  3. How did urbanization affect Latin American communities?

Gender in The Underdogs

How does Azuela approach concepts of masculinity and femininity in The Underdogs?

Azuela’s The Underdogs places most of its focus on having the male characters exhibit hyper-masculine traits throughout the book. Over the course of The Underdogs, we see examples of men having to make sacrifices without really struggling with them. For example, men are forced to leave their families in order to participate in the war. While this is certainly tough for the men, the book portrays them as being too focused on the revolution to lament about leaving their families. These were the men who were expected to fight in the revolution with extremely limited resources. This portrayal of the men frames them as extremely hyper-masculine due to the violent and aggressive tendencies they display in their enthusiasm for the revolution. In contrast, Azuela portrays women simply as feminine background and supporting characters. Azuela does not provide historical accuracy as far as the role of women in the revolution is concerned. Throughout the book, women were expected to cook and provide care to the men that were fighting in the revolution. Aside from War Paint, almost all of the women in this book were portrayed as weak. We can see this weakness in Camila’s personality. She was a very quiet girl who died before she was able to be fully developed as a character. Her only contribution was to bolster the character development of male characters such as Demetrio. Additionally, they were the subject of sexual violence by the Federals while the men were portrayed to be out fighting the war. This portrayal of female helplessness and insignificance is detrimental to the way we remember the large role they played in the Mexican Revolution.

Updated Research Topic

My project focuses on the impact of Diego Rivera paintings on Mexican identity following the Mexican Revolution. A few years ago, I had the opportunity of visiting an art exhibit in Philadelphia that was showing paintings and works of art from the time of the Mexican Revolution. I distinctly remember Diego Rivera’s paintings standing out the most due to their distinct style. Particularly, this project focuses in on the sociopolitical subject matter of his paintings. I am examining the ways communism, religion, and capitalism appear in Rivera’s art and how these concepts resonate with the working class of Mexico following the Revolution. I also want to look at how his use of murals through fresco painting impacted the lives of the working class in Mexico.

Folgarait, Leonard. 1998. Mural Painting and Social Revolution in Mexico, 1920-1940: Art of the New Order, Cambridge University Press.

            This article focuses on the mural paintings of Diego Rivera during a time of social revolution in Mexico. It looks at the relationship between Rivera and state-funded art programs. The authors ask to what degree these works of art should be considered political propaganda. This article derives political messages while also discussing state reactions to these paintings.

Folgarait, Leonard. 1991. “Revolution as Ritual: Diego Rivera’s National Palace Mural.” Oxford Art Journal, 14(1), pp. 18–33. 

            Rather than focusing on all of Rivera’s paintings, this article looks at the impact of murals in Mexico as a whole. This article first provides an in-depth analysis the subject matter of Rivera’s murals before introducing the context in which they were painted. The author discusses the context of the mural as the physical location of the mural as well as the time it was painted. Similar murals may have drastically different responses and interpretations based on where and when they were painted.

Ades, Dawn and McClean, Alison. 2009. Revolution on Paper: Mexican Prints 1910-1960. British Museum Press.

            While this article acknowledges the deep impact that the physical nature of murals had on Mexican society and identity during the 1920s, much of the article discusses how these murals are remembered today through prints. Before the popularization of the internet, the only way for people of the public to view these paintings was through the accessibility of reprints. This article is also helpful in that it provides more artistic context than the others. By discussing the works of Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros, I can gain a better understanding of what makes Rivera’s paintings so unique and impactful.

Goldman, Shifra M. Dimensions of the Americas: Art and Social Change in Latin America and the United States. University of Chicago Press, 1994.

            I want to use this book to take a more holistic approach to art during the post-revolution era in Mexico and Latin America. By looking at other forms of art in Latin America during this time, I can gain more knowledge into what makes Rivera’s paintings so popular, unique, and influential. This book also addresses issues that may not be as apparent to other authors. The book spends entire chapters addressing concepts such as gender or national identity. This is an important book that can provide context into what makes Rivera such an influential muralist.

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