On July 10 Asociacion Sobriviviencia Cultural brought to a close several fruitful days of radio-to-radio exchange in Alta Verapaz. This project was carried out with the generous support of the Swift Foundation and with volunteers from Radio Planeta in San Marcos, Guatemala. An experienced team of the radio program staff and volunteers collaborated to visit Radio Kamalb’e located in the rural community of Chantaca, Radio Nimlajacoc from the community of Nimlajacoc and Radio Tzuu Talq’a in the community of Chisec.

By Cass Madden

By James Phillips

An incident on Maya land in southern Belize has sparked a passionate national debate in Belize over the role of race, ethnicity, and democracy in Belizean society. 

By Cory Champer

Photos: 1. Oil palm trees extend into the distance in Bajo Aguan, Hondruas, credit ICIJ.  2. The clubhouse where peasants gather in La Confianza. The peasants have operated La Confianza since forcibly seizing it from the Dinant Corporation during the ongoing land conflict in Bajo Aguan, credit ICIJ  3. Honduran police agents detain peasant leaders from Bajo Aguán at a protest in the capital, Tegucigalpa, credit Coolloud.

By Zoe Rand

By Cass Madden
 

Canada’s “Cultural Genocide”

By Cass Madden

On June 30, 2015 the Municipality of Palin, Escuintla, Guatemala inaugurated a new street in the city named after respected Maya Poqomam political leader and indigenous rights activitist, Marcelino Moscut. Moscut was a well-known community leader who fought for various issues effecting Indigenous communities and was a passionate advocate for the Community Radio Movement. He passed away exactly a year ago on June 30, 2014 and his hometown of Palin honored this day by naming one of their main streets after him.

On June 9th and 10th, 2015, Asociación Sobrevivencia Cultural (ASC), Cultural Survival’s sister organization in Guatemala, conducted a two-day exchange among seven community radios from El Salvador and Guatemala. As part of a generous grant from the Swift Foundation, ASC selected four community radios in Guatemala to travel to El Salvador and visit, as well as learn about the work of, three community stations in El Salvador.