Indigenous and Human Rights in Latin America

Indigenous and Human Rights in Latin America.

James Cockcroft, Internet Professor, State University of New York and Fellow at the International Institute for Research and Education.

Professor Cockcroft examines todays processes of revolt among indigenous peoples in Latin America, in particular in Bolivia and Ecuador, involving attempts at new practices of plurinational and intercultural forms of democracy, ecologically sustainable development, community-based autonomies, and solidarity with other sectors of society locally, regionally, and internationally. He will focus especially on the re-founding of national states and US-European interventionism in the context of UN declarations on indigenous rights, human rights, and national sovereignty.

Indigenous Suriname

Rights-, Land-, Development- and Health situation of the indigenous people in Suriname. Video produced by the Organization of Indigenous People in Suriname (OIS). With first results of the researches in the wayana village Apetina concerning the mercury contamination of its inhabitants.

Ecuador: The Tribes vs. Chevron-Texaco

(Latin Pulse: October 27, 2009) Thousands of people representing Ecuador's indigenous tribes are suing Chevron-Texaco over the pools of toxic wastewater the company left behind. Following Chevron-Texaco's 30 years of profit from indigenous lands and resources, the tribes are seeking 27.3 billion dollars from the California-based corporation for the clean-up. We talk with Joe Berlinger about his new film on the case, Crude, and with Amazon Watch about the worst environmental disaster since Chernobyl. But Chevron-Texaco is not the only problem for the indigenous communities of Ecuador; the native population is taking to the streets, demanding a seat at the negotiating table with the government in order to contest other proposed developments on their territories.

Colombia: Stories That Kill

(Latin Pulse: July 2, 2009) Plagued by violence, drug trafficking, and corruption, Colombia is one of the world's most dangerous places to be a journalist. We look at what kind of speech is being silenced, by whom, and how. Today, independent journalists working up against the boundaries of free speech share with us their struggle to tell the stories of the country's bloody reality, a task they feel is key to creating more peaceful Colombia. Join us as our team, supported by Mark Shapiro of the Center for Investigative Reporting, speaks with award-winning journalist Hollman Morris, who explains why the secret police monitor his activities and the president calls him a terrorist. He and others like him work to expose the reasons and effects of Colombias conflicts. They speak out despite the risk to their lives to give voice to the victims of war, the indigenous, and the opposition, working to achieve peace.

Latin Pulse - Water Crisis

(Latin Pulse: May 19, 2008) Encompassing both glaciers and the Amazon basin, Latin America remains one of the biggest sources of fresh water in the world. Yet drinking water is scarce and for some it's a luxury. Will there be a battle for fresh water in the future? And if it runs out, what other alternatives are there?
En Español
La vida sobre la tierra no puede existir sin ella, sin embargo el agua se toma por dada.
Se ha dicho que en el futuro el agua es como el petróleo, es un recurso natural sin el cual no podemos vivir, a diferencia del petróleo no hay conocidas alternativas para reemplazar el agua potable.
Latino América con sus glaciares y el río Amazonas posee uno de los recursos más grandes de agua dulce en el mundo. A pesar de todo el agua es escasa y para algunos en un lujo.
¿Habrá una guerra por el agua potable en el futuro, y sí se acabara que otras alternativas hay?
GUESTS:
Alan Snitow, Documentary Filmmaker & Writer "Thirst"
Alan's films include the award-winning "Thirst," "Secrets of Silicon Valley", and "Blacks and Jews." Snitow was a producer at the top-rated KTVU-TV News, the Bay Area Fox affiliate, for 12 years. Before that, he was the News Director for eight years at the Bay Area's Pacifica Radio station, KPFA-FM, winning the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Gold Award for Best Local Newscast. Snitow was a Board member of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters and President of the Board of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. He is currently a Board member of the Film Arts Foundation and a member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. He is a graduate of Cornell University.
"Thirst" investigates eight recent high-profile controversies over the corporate takeover of water in the United States and illuminates how and why ordinary people are fighting back both here and abroad.
Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch
Wenonah is the executive director of Food & Water Watch. She has worked extensively on energy, food, water and environmental issues at the national, state and local level. Experienced in developing policy positions and legislative strategies, she is also a skilled and accomplished organizer, having lobbied and developed grassroots field strategy and action plans. From 1997 to 2005 she served as Director of Public Citizen's Energy and Environment Program, which focused on water, food, and energy policy. From 1996 to 1997, she was environmental policy director for Citizen Action, where she worked with the organization's 30 state-based groups. From 1989 to 1995 she was at the Union of Concerned Scientists where as a senior organizer, she coordinated broad-based, grassroots sustainable energy campaigns in several states. She has an M.S. in Applied Anthropology from the University of Maryland.
Abel Mejía, Gerente Corporativo de Agua, World Bank
Gonzalo E. Mejia, Director & Producer, Bananas Films

Latin Pulse: U.S. - Latin America Relations

Free trade continues to be a controversial issue for Latin Americans. Some say the region is becoming increasingly dependent on the U.S. for trade and security. But despite stiff opposition both here and abroad these agreements continue to be ratified, and not always with the United States.

En Español:

Tratados de Libre Comercio

Los tratados de libre comercio siguen siendo un tema controversial en Latino América. Algunos dicen que la región ha acrecentado su dependencia en los Estados Unidos en el comercio y la seguridad.

A pesar de la persistente oposición tanto aquí como allá, estos tratados continúan de ser ratificados y estos no lo son siempre con los Estados Unidos.

SOURCES: Canal 13, Costa Rica; RCN, Colombia; Globovision, Venezuela; Canal 13, Chile; Latinoamerica TV.

Latin Pulse: Status of Poverty in Latin America

(Latin Pulse: June 30, 2008) (Latin Pulse: June 30, 2008) Features former president of Peru, Alejandro Toledo. How is Latin America coping with the issue of poverty? From violence to hungry children on the streets, it is an ailment that has afflicted the region for decades. As Latin America tries to increase trade and strengthen its economies, it is still troubled by the lack of financial resources to fight poverty.
But as the pendulum swings back away from free market economies, some are starting to blame multinationals for promoting poverty for their own advantage.
Historically the financial health of Latin America has been directly tied to the strength of the U.S. dollar. As the dollar weakens so do Latin America economies, sending the poverty index soaring.

¿Cómo esta Latino América haciéndole frente al problema de la pobreza?
Desde la violencia hasta niños hambrientos en las calles, dos caras de las varias caras de la pobreza, una dolencia que ha afectado la región por décadas.
Así como América Latina trata de incrementar el comercio para fortalecer sus economías, aún sigue plagada por la falta de recursos financieros para combatir la pobreza.

Justicia Now!

Justicia Now! is a documentary about ChevronTexaco's toxic legacy in the Northern Ecuadorian region of the Amazon rainforest - and a courageous group of people called Los Afectados (The Affected Ones) who are seeking justice for the ensuing cancer, sickness and death in the largest environmental class action lawsuit in history. Over the course of three decades, Texaco dumped more than 18 billion gallons of toxic wastewater into the Amazon rainforest, having failed to follow basic environmental standards that were required by law at the time in the United States. This allowed Texaco to save a few bucks on the cost of extracting a barrel of oil and thus increase their profits in order to keep the shareholders happy. One indigenous tribe from the region has been completely decimated and another is on the verge of extinction. Rates of cancer, leukemia, stillbirths and skin disease have skyrocketed amongst the local population and still very little has been done! The damage assessment currently stands at $16 billion. Film includes celebrity activists: PABLO FAJARDO (CNN Hero Award 2008 & Goldman Award Winner 2008), DARYL HANNAH, STUART TOWNSEND, JOHN QUIGLEY & ATOSSA SOLTANI (Founder & Executive Director, Amazon Watch)

Outlaw feminist Angela Davis

Watch it on Academic Earth

Muhammad Yunus: Doing Well by Doing Good

Muhammad Yunus, the founder of the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh and winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, presents a new, U.S.-based micro-credit program aimed at helping the poor and immigrants launch their own businesses. Series: "Helen Edison Lecture Series" [11/2007] [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 13543]

The Long Walk of Nelson Mandela

Life and Death of Steven Biko

This documentary s you a look at who Steven Biko was and what he meant to the revolution against apartheid in South Africa.

Labor Beat - "Brewing Solidarity: A Profile of the Starbucks Workers Union"

When workers at Starbucks Coffee in New York decided to unionize with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), baristas in other cities took notice. In this episode of Labor Beat, food service workers at Chicago's Logan Square location of Starbucks are interviewed about the high-volume conditions at their store... and what they decided to do about it. Labor Beat is a public access TV show in Chicago. To order DVDs of this or any past Labor Beat title, visit www.laborbeat.org

Forced Labor in the Global Economy - MIT Center for International Studies

Before buying your next chocolate bar or sweatshirt, bear in mind its potential hidden cost: the forced labor of an impoverished worker. According to a recent International Labor Organization report, 12.3 million people from developing countries toil miserably to produce goods and services for industrialized nations. One after another, speakers on this panel reveal the astonishing pervasiveness of modern-day slavery, on which, it seems, the entire global economy now depends. Roger Plant makes clear that this is not a matter of low wages. “It’s when you enter a job or service against your freedom of will or choice and can’t get out without some penalty. Deception is a key aspect of forced labor.” Says Terry Collingsworth, “The brand names of the global economy are benefiting from forced labor. …You see children and young adults forced to work for them. I observed Walmart suppliers in China, where workers were told they’d get a job at a certain rate, who then found out they were in debt and couldn’t leave.” But it’s not just that developed countries and their corporations exploit these workers. Thomas Kochan says, “We’ve focused on globalization as products going across borders, and now we have people going across, and countries depending on those people to provide remittances back to families as a source of currency and income.” In recent times, Nike and Gap have begun to make their suppliers in developing nations adhere to codes of conduct, and activism in the West is making an impact. Regina Abrami says “Boardrooms are feeling the heat….But there’s fear that if someone does well, he will become less competitive. …If you don’t introduce government regulation that solves the problem of fair competition, you won’t solve the issue of corporations acting in less than virtuous ways.”

Henry Rollins Interviews Arianna Huffington

On the Friday, August 31 2007 episode of the Henry Rollins Show, Henry's guest was political activist and web mogul Arianna Huffington who is upfront in revealing the real motivation behind her political shift and what she truly thinks of the 2008 Democratic candidates.

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In Depth with Noam Chomsky

Martin Luther King, "Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam"

Speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. against the Vietnam War. Audio.

This speech was released by Black Forum records, a subsidiary of Motown, and went on to win a Grammy in 1970 for the Best Spoken Word Recording.

Excerpts of a Sermon at the Ebenezer Baptist Church on April 30, 1967.

Lecture on The Frankfurt School of Critical Theory by Professor Paul Fry (Yale University)

Introduction to Theory of Literature (ENGL 300)

This first lecture on social theories of art and artistic production examines the Frankfurt School. The theoretical writings of Theodor Adorno and Walter Benjamin are explored in historical and political contexts, including Marxism, socialist realism, and late capitalism. The concept of mechanical reproduction, specifically the relationship between labor and art, is explained at some length. Adorno's opposition to this argument, and his own position, are explained. The lecture concludes with a discussion of Benjamin's perspective on the use of distraction and shock in the process of aesthetic revelation.

Lecture on post-colonial theory, Professor Paul Fry (Yale University)

Introduction to Theory of Literature (ENGL 300)

In this lecture on post-colonial theory, Professor Paul Fry explores the work of Edward Said and Homi K. Bhabha. The complicated origins, definitions, and limitations of the term "post-colonial" are outlined. Elaine Showalter's theory of the phasic development of female literary identity is applied to the expression of post-colonial identities. Crucial terms such as ambivalence, hybridity, and double consciousness are explained. The relationship between Bhabha's concept of sly civility and Gates's "signifyin'" is discussed, along with the reliance of both on semiotics.

Historia de Chile: La Reforma Agraria

En este microdocumental se aborda la historia de la Reforma Agraria chilena; momento crucial de nuestra historia contemporánea, en el cual se desmoronó el plurisecular orden latifundista.

A Conversation with Peter McLaren - On Critical Pedagogies.

Peter Mclaren and Joe Kincheloe discuss a variety of topics regarding Critical Pedagogy.

Figures in Critical Pedagogy - Henry Giroux

A dialogue between Joe L. Kincheloe, Canada Research Chair in Critical Pedagogy and Henry A. Giroux, Global Television Network Chair in Communication Studies. Production Team Giuliana Cucinelli Photi Sotiropoulos Dr. Shirley R. Steinberg Special Thanks To Susan Searls Giroux Produced for The Paulo and Nita Freire International Project for Critical Pedagogy.

Bolivar and San Martin - Narrated by Carlos Fuentes

Latin American Independence - Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin

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FASINPAT - Fábrica sin patrón

Documentário sobre a fábrica autogerida polos operários de Zanón, na Argentina.

Argentina's Economic Collapse

Documentary on the events that led to the economic collapse of Argentina in 2001 which wiped out the middle class and raised the level of poverty to 57.5%. Central to the collapse was the implementation of neo-liberal policies which enabled the swindle of billions of dollars by foreign banks and corporations. Many of Argentina's assets and resources were shamefully plundered. Its financial system was even used for money laundering by Citibank, Credit Suisse, and JP Morgan. The net result was massive wealth transfers and the impoverishment of society which culminated in many deaths due to oppression and malnutrition. If you want to stop the same thing from happening here, and it is happening here, right now, please join the revolution at the Kick Them All Out Projet http://www.KickThemAllOut.com and the Fire Congress Campaign.

CLARK FOX - AMERICAN NATIVES RIGTHS

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Ward Churchill - at UW Whitewater

produced by On the Earth Productions.

La escuela según Pierre Bourdieu (Francia)

Entrevista al sociólogo Pierre Bourdieu en la cual plantea su teoría de la reproducción en la escuela.

Origen: Programa Grandes Pensadores del Siglo XX, Canal Encuentro.

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