31 Oct Introducing News Digests from Skylight

We’re trying something new at Skylight: Weekly news digests, posted on our blog, which will gather the articles published in the past week that tell stories that were not sufficiently covered in the mainstream media. Skylight works to change the narrative around human rights and media, and supports other blogs, independent journalists, citizen journalists, community media groups, and independent media organizations that work to do so as well. Check here every week for our recap of the week in human rights and media articles.

ELECTIONS IN GUATEMALA: On October 25th, Guatemalans voted in a new president elect amid mass popular unrest. Read more from a range of sources below.

• Hear from Guatemalan activists on the ground about the elections! Read the opinion piece (Spanish) on the Facción Latina Blog from the indigenous citizen journalist group Prensa Comunitaria  and Andrea Ixchíu, “Guatemala, segunda vuelta electoral, nuestras preocupaciones.”
• New President or Old Guard? Read independent journalist Jeff Abbott’s piece in NACLA (North American Congress on Latin America) about Guatemala’s President-elect Jimmy Morales in “Jimmy Morales, the New Face of Guatemala’s Military Old Guard.”
• “This is what democracy looks like? No. Not even close.” Latino Rebel’s take on Democracy in Guatemala in the recent article “Democracy is Dead in Guatemala.”
• Want to read up on the watchdog group CICIG that contributed valuable investigative  research for the movement against anti-corruption in Guatemala? Check out WOLA’s report from July 2015 titled: “The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG): An Innovative Instrument for Fighting Criminal Organizations and Strengthening the Rule of Law,” based on an in-depth analysis of key documents and interviews across the past eight years in Guatemala.

STATE VIOLENCE AROUND THE GLOBE: State-sanctioned violence permeates our global community, all the way from Mexico human rights crisis to coca farmers in Colombia to the #BlackLivesMatter movement in the USA.

• Far beyond the 43 disappeared students from #Ayotzinapa, extrajudicial killings in México continue in a widespread and serious manner. On October 2, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) released a preliminary report of its on-site visit to Mexico that concluded that the country is experiencing a “grave human rights crisis,” in which extrajudicial executions are committed with “endemic impunity.” Read more from Human Rights Watch on Police Killings in Michoacán.
• The #BlackLivesMatter Movement in the United States: Last Saturday thousands rallied in New York City against police brutality as part of three days of protest called “Rise Up October.” Amy Goodman and Democracy Now! interviewed various attendees of the protests in New York including KADIATOU DIALLO, mother of Amadou Diallo, QUENTIN TARANTINO, filmmaker, CEPHUS JOHNSON, known as “Uncle Bobby,” uncle of Oscar Grant, and CORNEL WEST. Quentin Tarantino Backlash Continues Among Police Groups.
• In the recent week, six predominately Black churches were set aflame near Ferguson, Missouri. Check out Democracy Now’s report and transcript as Amy Goodman describes the recent string of hate crimes and speaks to community members, entitled: “Domestic Terrorism”: Spate of Black Church Burnings Near Ferguson Raise New Hate Crime Fears.
• WOLA (Washington Office on Latin America) reports on the injustices coca farmers in Colombia are facing as a result of the fumigation of their crops: “Twilight Hour of Coca Fumigation in Colombia Shows its Injustice, Ineffectiveness” This practice is a danger not only to health but also ruins local economies and the environment.

INDIGENOUS LAND STRUGGLES IN LATIN AMERICA: Indigenous peoples across Latin America are fighting to reclaim control of their ancestral lands. Read about current struggles and victories in Guatemala, Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil.

Guatemala:

• A victory comes to the Indigenous community! Read Guatemala Solidarity Network’s snipet concerning reparations to be paid for those adversely affected by the building of the Chixoy Dam: “Chixoy Dam Reparations Begin” http://guatemalasolidarity.org.uk/2015/10/25/chixoy-dam-reparations-payment-begins/
• Interested in learning more about the the struggles in relation to the Chixoy Dam? Check out photojournalist James Rodriguez’s documentation of key events for MiMundo: http://www.mimundo.org/2729198-chixoy-dam-reparations-begin#1

Paraguay:

• Learn about violence threatening the Ayoreo Atetadiegosode Indigenous community of Paraguay! Amnesty International provides us with more details concerning this particular struggle for land rights, “Paraguay: Security Guards threatening Indigenous Groups.”

Argentina:

• Argentinian Indigenous leader Relmu Ñamku is facing charges of attempted homicide after her community was evicted from their homelands. Amnesty International reports on the case: “Argentina: Ensure fair trial for indigenous leader”.

Brazil:

• Indigenous communities take the opportunity to protest a new government proposition to take their lands at the Indigenous World Games! Check out Desinformemonos as it captures the moment (Spanish): “Indígenas se manifiestan durante los juegos mundiales indígenas”
• Check this out too! Remezcla writer Jessica López’s article sheds more light on the Indigenous Games and protests.

SPOTLIGHT ON MEDIA: Find out more about interesting and unique ways certain media pieces address issues of human rights, gender equality, and Marxism.

• WITNESS just published their  Ethical Guidelines for using Eyewitness Videos in Human Rights Reporting and Advocacy, drawing upon the organization’s resources on filming human rights safely and ethically.
• Women Make Movies published their new catalogue for films coming out in 2016.  each of them highlight the work of powerful women both as subjects and filmmakers.Check out this new Argentine webseries based on Marx’s “Communist Manifesto” — “a new take on modern day class struggle.”  Remezcla, “You Should Stream: This Weird Argentine Webseries Based on ‘The Communist Manifesto.’”
• Filmmakers in Myanmar are trying to use media to promote a pro-democracy movement. Read more in the Bangkok Post “New wave filmmakers turn uncensored lens on Myanmar”

Skylight’s FlashBack Friday:

• A recent op-ed in the New York Times “The Myth of Welfare’s Corrupting Influence on the Poor” touches on many themes in Skylight’s films on poverty — Living Broke in Boom Times and Disruption — including the perception of dependence, and the reality of the benefits and drawbacks of cash transfer programs.