I’ve been in Xela, Guatemala for about two weeks now, and just wanted to share some initial thoughts and observations. For one, the country is pretty materially poor. By that, I mean that a lot of the buildings are pretty old/damaged, the roads are pretty fucked up, the plumbing system can’t support toilet paper, the tap water isn’t suitable for drinking, etc. Basically, a lot of funds are not being put into infrastructure. I’ve learned that a lot of the challenges have to do with their being a pretty crazy oligarchy in place, in which the twenty richest families in the country run everything and the wealth isn’t really trickling down to the people. It’s also important to point out that nearly 75% of Guatemala’s population is descended from the indigenous people here, but those twenty families in power most definitely ain’t indigenous.
When I look at Guatemala, I can’t help but be reminded of a trip to Cuba I was blessed to be able to go on a couple of years ago, at least in terms of the material conditions. However, while Cuba is still a socialist country, Guatemala is a “democracy.” So, while Cuba is pretty cut off and isolated from the rest of the world (ie, US corporate interests), Guatemala has McDonalds and Wal-Mart. But what has this gotten them? Even though Cuba is just as materially poor as Guatemala seems to be, at least the government there is providing the people with their basic necessities and then some (ie, food rations, education, healthcare, etc.). Here in Guatemala, a lot of the families that I’ve talked to are struggling to pay for groceries, medication perscriptions, education costs, etc. just like families are struggling to do so in the US.
All of this is just another reminder to question what the government or the media means when they say things like “Cuba needs to open itself up to democracy.” Is it really true democracy they’re talking about, or just the desire to put in Wal-Marts and Egg McMuffins?
(A local comadrona,”midwife,” shows us an herb garden they use here at a midwife clinic they have set up for pregnant women who can’t afford the high costs of going to a private hospital.)
At the same time, I’m very inspired by the people here in Guatemala. The school I’m studying at is engaged in some real dope social justice work, and I see many women who still dress in the traditional indigenous style of clothing. I think those small acts of resistance mean a lot in terms of trying to retain culture and also hold the government and people in power here accountable.
Sorry for the lack of posts recently, but The Box has moved out of the ATL and has temporarily relocated to Central America. I’m studying Spanish for the next several weeks at an amazing school in Guatemala called the Proyecto Linguistico Quetzalteco de Espanol (PLQE). It’s definitely a blessing to be able to travel in the midst of a global economic recession, and I’m only able to do this with some savings that I´ve put away over the last year and a half. My Chinese side says: ”Save your money, kids, even if it´s only $50-$100 a month.” Who knows, that could be the deciding factor when you decide to leave your job and do something spontaneously ridiculous.
More to come soon, but in the mean time, check out PLQE’s website. I’ve only been here two days but am really impressed with the school and the folks who run it.
Saw this film last night and was blown away. From first time writer/director Cary Fukunaga (who is also from Oakland, half-Japanese and attended UC Santa Cruz, my alma mater!! Sluggers doing it big!!), it’s an intense, harrowing look at the journey made by Central American immigrants as they travel on top of trains through Mexico, in hopes of crossing over to the US ; as well as their interactions with the real-life Mara Salvatrucha gang. The cast, visuals and Fukunaga’s direction is amazing. Highly recommended.
Just copped the new Fatgums X Bambu EP, “…A Peaceful Riot…,”off the Beatrock website and treated myself to a shirt as well. The EP is dope, with the always talented Fatgums (hip hop producer and med school student as well?? Go ‘head brotherman.) providing lush, slappin beats for the ever solid Bambu to rip with righteous, stereotype-killin’ lyrics.
Support a locally-owned, community-oriented business by getting your copy off the Beatrock website, but for those who don’t fool with physical CDs anymore, it’s also available for download on iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Napster, etc.
Stephon Marbury coming through in the clutch in the Celtics come back win over the Magic last night! I will always have love for this brother because of his Starbury line of cheap kicks and clothing. It’s his way of trying to fight Nike’s continual marketing of $200 shoes to inner-city kids, shoes that probably cost $2 to manufacture, and I respect that. Big ups to athletes trying to do something political, and offereing some form of resistance against huge corporations is a dope ass effort (it would be even more sick if he took it one step further and created a factory in the Brooklyn neighborhood he grew up in and hired folks from there to make the shoes. Right now, his stuff is still manufactured in China, meaning with sweat shop labor).
His best playing days are well behind him, but after basically being benched by the Knicks for a whole year, I’m glad he’s now with the defending champs and still able to beast out when called upon.
Five people (including a few doctors and a lawyer) in a Senate Finance Committee meeting last week were arrested for speaking out in support of a single payer universal health care system. That’s how much of a threat single payer is to the corporate health insurance industry and their lobbyists in Washington who get rich by making us pay for health insurance while 22 million people who can’t afford it in the US die each year. A single payer system (which basically just expands the system for the elderly that we already have, Medicare, to people of all ages) is that much of a threat to their profits, and they’ve bought off most of the politicians in DC.
Fuck corporations getting rich off of people dying. The Senate is having one more meeting on Tuesday to discuss health care reform and says that “all options are on the table except single payer.” Call Sen. Max Baucus at 202-224-2651 or email him here and tell him that we need single payer universal health care now.
This anime, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, got a bunch of of buzz when it came out a few years back, so I finally decided to check it out the other day. Definitely a pleasant surprise, probably one of my favorite time travel flicks next to Back to the Future Part II, Terminator 2 and 12 Monkeys. It’s a modest coming-of-age story infused with some sci-fi/time-travel elements, as well as some beautiful animation. Fans of Hayao Miyazaki should dig it.
