The feisty stamping of feet and swishing of skirts resound through Mendoza at the annual Mendoza Flamenca Festival. International flamenco dancers wow the audience in the Independencia Theatre and specific flamenco music and dance classes take place in venues citywide.
Look out for free street flamenco in Plaza Independencia, in the city centre.
Travellers in Argentina may be interested in attending a film festival set to start later this month.
The International Human Rights Film Festival will begin on 23 May and continue until 30 May in Buenos Aires.
Featuring a mixture of short films, full-length features and documentaries, all the festival’s displays will focus on themes relating to human rights.
This may particularly appeal to travellers volunteering in the country, who will be able to see works by local artists, as well as international talent.
Covered in the event’s featured productions are issues such as tolerance and respect for minority groups, in addition to cultural identity and development.
Other topics include social rights, such as the importance of good living conditions and employment.
The festival will take place at Recoleta Cultural Centre, which is used to display various artworks and exhibitions, in addition to live shows such as theatrical performances.
When the heads of both Americas met for their Sixth Summit in Colombia, a key issue was finally put squarely on the table: either Cuba is invited to the next Summit or… there will be no next Summit.
Officially sponsored by the Washington-based OAS – Organization of American States – these “Summits” are held every three years or so since 1994.
For the most part, they have been instruments promoting US hegemony over its “backyard” South of the Rio Bravo.
As with most multilateral political, economic and financial institutions – the UN, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, NAFTA, or the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) – the OAS is one of many instruments used by the Global Power Masters deeply embedded inside the public and private power structures of the United States, to wield political, financial, even legal control over all of the Americas.
During this Summit in Colombia, however, at least some key issues were addressed which is why no final official declaration could be agreed upon by all participants, mainly because the United States and its few regional allies fully oppose even addressing these issues.
Cuba
Cuba had been barred from attending because it was thrown out of the OAS back in 1963 at the height of the Cold War – right after the Kennedy-Khrushchev Cuban Missile Crisis that brought the Bi-Polar World of yore as close to nuclear confrontation as it ever got.
During the cold war years, the US imposed regional security strategies on Latin America centered on “the fight against communism;” today this has shifted to the region’s role in the “global war on terror.”
The fact that there is a British nuclear military base on the Falklands since 1982, or that George W. Bush reactivated the US Fourth Fleet in the South Atlantic in 2008 or that for decades, there are official and un-official US, British and Israeli military operatives in Colombia, Paraguay, Mexico and Argentina, is completely ignored.
As the heads of state of the Americas met for the sixth time, things are not looking so well for the US in the region: to begin with, hosting President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia – a traditional US ally – opened the Summit saying that “it would be unacceptable to have any future Summit in which Cuba is not present.” A long throw from Colombia’s staunchly pro-US President Alvaro Uribe who opened up his country to US military operations.
Sadly, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez who has been the rallying voice in the region when it comes to openly speaking out against illegitimate US bullying was absent while he continues medical treatment for cancer in Cuba. Presidents Daniel Ortega and Rafael Correa of Nicaragua and Ecuador respectively, both boycotted the Summit over the Cuba issue.
Democracy
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said that before Cuba can rejoin the OAS, “there should be an opportunity for a transition to a full democracy in Cuba.”
“Full democracy?” No one denies that Cuba does not have an ideal democracy (whatever that is), but then again neither does the US. Does the US (or the UK, or Europe, or Argentina, Brazil or Mexico) have a “full democracy,” when election of all their presidents, vice presidents, governors, senators, representatives and mayors is systematically, directly, and proportionally linked to how many hundreds of millions – even billions – of dollars go into their electioneering and campaigning? What kind of “democracy” is that?
Even President Barack Obama is feeling the heat of ‘Money Power’ this election year when he will measure himself against Mitt Romney whose greatest virtue is to have amassed a formidable personal fortune of over 250 million dollars. Clearly, political clout is not about ideas, but about huge amounts of money sloshed around Washington and New York halls of power and boardrooms – whether your personal money, as with Romney or the Bushes, or corporate money from the coffers of Halliburton, Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil, Enron, AIG, JPMorganChase coffers; or both. Is that what US “full democracy” is all about?
As the case of Argentina clearly shows, US-style “democracy” more often than not results in grossly corrupt governments peopled by crooks and thieves. Is the best thing that Clintonite “full democracy” can offer just “government by the rich, for the rich and of the rich?” Clearly, US “full democracy” is nothing but “the best democracy that money can buy.”
In the case of Cuba, if you consider almost half a century of US aggression against Cuba – which includes military invasion and repeated assassination attempts against Fidel Castro – then one can understand the highly defensive national security strategy of that island-country, limiting all hope for Democracy.
Can we really say that Cuban “democracy” is less “full” than US “full democracy.” Actually, many would add strong adjectives as to what US “democracy” is really “full” of…
When it comes to sins against True Democracy, who out there can throw the first stone?
War on Drugs
And it’s not just about the unjust and irrational exclusion of Cuba. It’s also about key topics like the regional security threat posed by British (and US) militarization of the South Atlantic in the Falkland/Malvinas, or worsening social problems arising from poverty, hunger, unfair and lob-sided trade relationships, or perverse cultural domination and the so-called “war on drugs.”
Narco-violence has gripped drug-producer countries like Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia and most others throughout the region. The US approach is to tackle these as military, policing and security problems inside producer countries, thus justifying US “military and security assistance” to client regimes in Colombia or Mexico. They play down, however, the fact that the key problem lies with gigantic US, UK and European demand for drugs. All coupled with huge mega-banker profits as they recycle and regurgitate trillions of dollars through their global financial system.
This not only reflects how very sick US, UK and European societies really are, but also how their so-called “soft power” – Hollywood flicks, TV series, rap music, MTV and other instruments of global Psychological Warfare – promote and install a global pro-drug culture, particularly amongst the young.
Latin America’s Sovereign Debt
Take hunger, poverty and related social problems, for example. In Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Mexico – even Brazil – they are intimately linked to the many decades of gross exploitation by the global mega-banking financial structure that engineered, consolidated and macro-managed enormous unnecessary and illegitimate Sovereign Debt frauds. They have thus skimmed hundreds of billions of dollars from the region, thanks to local puppet and caretaker governments, financed into power through US-style money-controlled “democracy” that ensures that nothing ever changes; nothing is ever resolved.
Ever wondered what it would be like to dive off a 14-storey building? Ok, that sounds a little suicidal, but that’s the kind of sensation you get when you’re sliding down Insano, the highest water slide in the world.
Part of a water park near the Brazilian city of Fortaleza, Insano is known as one of the most thrilling water park attractions in the world. Constructed in 1989, it still holds the record for the highest water slide on Earth, at 41 meters high. That’s as tall as a 14-storey building, in case you were wondering. What makes Insano “the most extreme equipment of this type on the planet” (according to the beach park’s official site) is the very steep slide that really lets gravity do its number on anyone crazy enough to try it. Apparently, the whole decent takes just 4 to 5 seconds but during that time you can reach speeds of up to 105 km/h. That’s as fast as a Ferrari.
South America’s lengthy shoreline draws some of the world’s most dedicated surfers. In Uruguay, isolated surfing inlets are dotted along the coast – disconnected, simple, seaside hamlets flanked inland by expanses of green acres populated by the occasional grass-munching cow. Throughout the summer months, surfers slip onto the remote, empty beaches for some of the continent’s best uninterrupted surf, where just about all there is to do is focus on the waves.
The most famed Uruguayan surf town is Punta del Diablo, whose name – “Devil’s Tip” – belies the area’s relaxed, laid-back vibe. The town is peppered with basic houses painted in a kaleidoscope of colours, and the sandy dirt roads that criss-cross Punta del Diablo can still be traversed in about an hour on foot. But today, the former fishing village known mostly to backpackers is seeing an influx in visitors, thanks to the welcoming social scene that accompanies the unbroken surf.
Punta del Diablo is located about 300km from Uruguay’s capital, Montevideo, and the only way to get there is by car or bus. Buses run at staggered times throughout the day on a five-hour ride that loops in and out of Uruguay’s Rocha beach havens, stopping occasionally on the near-empty route to pick up locals at seemingly arbitrary stops, devoid of any markers. About 25,000 vacationers make the trek every year, ballooning the year-round population of fewer than 500 people.
Punta del Diablo also is situated about 175km from flashy Punta del Este, where the stylish set from bordering countries like Argentina descend to party during the summer. But the two towns are opposites in size and personality.
Punta del Diablo has no high-rises and no ATMs, and the waves are audible at any time, from any point in town. Time spent in Punta del Diablo is time spent on the beach, rather than party-hopping, as it is in Punta del Este.
Punta del Diablo attracts a bohemian crowd from across Latin America, as well as backpackers who stop along their route through South America. The ages of people vary, as does the level of surfing skill. Many come toting their own surfboards and rise early to hang 10 on the open, near-deserted beaches. During high season, which runs December to February, a greater number of novice surfers arrive, looking to rent a board and take a few lessons. The weather is almost invariably cooperative and cloudy skies are rare, so all are advised to frequently slather on sunscreen under the notoriously brutal Uruguayan sun.
Many visitors, surfers included, opt to pitch a tent on the campgrounds located on the edge of town. Those looking for a roof above their heads can choose to rent one of the few holiday residences available – also a popular option for longer stays. The hostels in town stay full during peak season, making them an easy epicentre for the nightly social scene.
El Diablo Tranquilo, one of the pioneer hostels in town, opened in 2007. A University of Wisconsin alumnus is at the helm, and he often hires recent graduates from his alma mater to staff the place. Some of the rooms are cramped, and the hostel somewhat resembles a bohemian fraternity house, so surfers looking for solitude should look elsewhere.
A more upscale beachside posada (hotel) that also opened in 2007 is La Viuda del Diablo, built from wood and large glass windows. Each suite contains a Jacuzzi and a king-sized bed. It also has a beach bar and restaurant on-site.
After the sun sets, visitors stay occupied at the strip of bars in town. Most restaurants – where the options for fresh seafood dishes are plentiful – double as nightlife destinations. At places like Bitácora, which has Rastafarian colours for its logo, people dance outdoors and the crowd spills onto the beach. Like most late night beach parties, there is always someone with a guitar, starting a song circle huddled around a campfire.
While other South American beaches might top Punta del Diablo in wave height or blueness of the water, few compare in terms of tranquillity. And that is just how the regulars want to keep it.
The Summer might be over in Argentina but British acts keep descending on Buenos Aires. Enjoy the music as the concert season once again gets into gear. The Ting Tings are in town for the Sound Fest and will perform tomorrow night at Groove on Avenida Santa Fe 4389 in Palermo.
The Ting Tings – a scrappy, dance-oriented indie pop duo consisting of singer and guitarist Katie White and drummer Jules De Martino – formed in the Salford district of Manchester, England, in 2006. Quickly signed to the local indie label Switchflicker Records, the Ting Tings released their debut single, “That’s Not My Name,” in the spring of 2007. Following the limited-edition, tour-only single “Fruit Machine,” the Ting Tings signed to major label Columbia Records later that year. The flipside of the Switchflicker single, “Great DJ,” was released as the duo’s debut major-label single in March 2008, followed by the reissue of “That’s Not My Name” with a new exclusive B-side remix. “That’s Not My Name” rose to the top of the U.K. charts in May 2008, the same month that the duo’s debut album, We Started Nothing, appeared.
¡VAMOS! Festival is returning for its seventh edition this summer and it’s a bigger and longer festival than ever before. Once a festival based in just Newcastle and Gateshead, it’s now truly representing England’s North East with additional events in Middlesbrough, North Tyneside and Durham. The festival will last for 45 days, celebrating all aspects of Latin culture from 1st June until 15th July 2012.
There is no doubt that !VAMOS! has taken the idea of a Latin Cultural Festival to a whole new level. Tyneside has a booming Latin American community and for five years the !VAMOS! Festival has worked tirelessly in their bid to celebrate Spanish and Portuguese cultures across Newcastle and Gateshead.
Please visit the ¡VAMOS! website to view the full festival programme: www.vamosfestival.com
After the release of her eponymous album, a mix of bossa, RnB, samba and electronica, smokey-voiced Brazilian singer-songwriter Céu has become a household name in and out of her homeland. This is thanks, in no small part, to the exposure given to her via Six Degrees Records and via Starbucks (she was the first international artist featured by the chain). Céu returns this week with her third album, Caravana Sereia Bloom, an LP inspired by voyages and travelling troupes.
Musically, Caravana Sereia Bloom shows the singer’s evolution, crafting a more complex and mature sound. Though it sometimes slips into coffee table territory, the album holds together with some stand-out moments, mixing Brazil’s musical heritage (tropicalia, samba, bossa) with her own song writing talents, for example on ‘Retrovisor,’ ‘Teju na Estrada,’ ‘Asfalto e Sal,’ and ‘Contravento.’
It is a dusty, road-trip affair, influenced by the singer’s travels between São Paulo and the arid North East, and paying tribute to Carlos Diegues 1979 film Bye Bye Brasil about a troop of travelling artists. This is the perfect album for a sunshine filled road trip or to close your eyes to and wish you were there.
This annual free festival returns, celebrating its 20th birthday, on the 9th-10th June in Regent’s Park. The event features two live music stages with cutting edge contemporary festival music, a high profile debating arena, plus an 80-piece symphonic orchestra from Holland, a great children’s area, theatre and dance, The Electric BikeFest, the permaculture zone, and hundreds of boutique market stalls, campaigning groups and organic food and drink. Powered entirely by renewable energy, with education and entertainment at its core, it’s a stunning day out in a beautiful central London park, and recently won Best Event at the National Climate Week Awards. Best of all it’s free.
For more details please visit the London Green Fair website: www.londongreenfair.org
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead