Week Fourteen: Cocalero

The documentary Cocalero follows the current President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, as he is campaigning. This film importantly shows a movement that impacted and helped the indigenous people of Evo’s country. In a time where being or looking indigenous in any way did not put one in a high social standing, Morales worked to give these people back their rights. In Suzana Sawyer’s article, “The 1992 Indian Mobilization in Lowland Ecuador” the impacts of the indigenous movements in other countries are shown. The people that supported these movements were attempting to get away from the Americanized ways of life that had been plaguing Latin America for years. They are still working to bring back their heritage and teach people the significance of preserving these traditions, along with things like the rainforest. This article exemplifies just how big this movement was, with five thousand Indians marching for equality in a land that was originally theirs in the first place. When watching the documentary, we see how Evo Morales supported the ideals and interests of the natives, especially the coca growers, which is a pivotal part of their income.

Les Field’s article “Ecuador’s Pan-Indian Uprising” demonstrates the government’s willingness to do anything to stamp out the native’s march for equality. The state military was sent out in full force to stop the Indians’ march to Quito. This is different from the documentary in the way that the indigenous people of Bolivia fought their hardships through politics and the people of Ecuador fought it through protest. The role of the farmers played a huge part in the protests of both of these countries. The native people, whose entire incomes rest on the year’s harvest, mainly run the agriculture industry. This is why Morales is working against American policies in Bolivia, especially against people who want to stop the production of the coca plant. There are many American policies that have hurt the economy and industry of Latin American countries over the last century, and the indigenous people who are affected the most are finally taking a stand against it.

These protests and political actions are a huge step for the indigenous people of all countries in Latin America, who were actually banned from participating in any political events in the not so distant past, according to Sawyer’s article. Especially in Bolivia, the election of Morales is reversing the damage that was done over years past. The natives are finally getting a voice after having their land encroached on and being forcibly taken away basically since Europeans invaded the Americas. One can hope that these people have continued success in becoming equal citizens of their respective countries. 

Week Thirteen: Our Brand is Crisis

After watching the documentary Our Brand is Crisis, it becomes more and more obvious how Americans constantly interfere with economics and politics in South America. What is even more clear is how this interference is usually beneficial for the United States, but not so advantageous for the Latin Americans that are being “helped.” It is obvious in the film that the candidate Carville is helping is extremely under qualified, but his team still does whatever they can to get him elected. They are elated when he does end up winning, knowing that they have tricked the country into electing a man who does not deserve this job title. This kind of corruption can be seen in the neoliberalist boom that is described in John Chasteen’s book Born in Blood & Fire. The United States is willing to come to the so called aid of Latin America when they know that it will benefit themselves. However, Chasteen outlines many crises happening in these countries that Americans will not lift a finger to help, including extreme poverty and the deforestation of the rain forest.

            America encouraged the ideas of the neoliberalists and their free market economy. This has led to even more widespread poverty, among other serious problems, in Latin America, according to the article, The Slow Death of the Washington Consensus on Latin America” by James Cypher. It seems obvious that these ideas were not revolutionary and would not work just as they had failed in the early twentieth century. As these new implementations are failing in South and Central America, policies like the Washington Consensus, according to Cypher, were telling Americans of the success of all the implementations. This is later seen to be untrue, however it must have convinced many at the time that these were progressive steps that were being taken. One can also see how this benefited the United States with a stock market increase after implementing free trade in Latin America.

            Cypher and Chasteen both point out the influence that these types of economies have on the environment, with heavy emphasis put on mining, agriculture, and fishing, among other things. This is not easily reversed and takes massive amounts of money to correct that these countries cannot afford to spare. The election teams that help get these under qualified people into office are partly to blame for financial crises like the ones in Latin America that take years and years to dig out of. Americans must realize what kind of impact that they are having on so many facets of life, politics, economy, and culture when they intrude into Latin America in any way. At least, as Cypher says, the neoliberalism trend is dying out, hopefully making way for a recovery of the South and Central American economies and ways of life.

Week Twelve: La virgen de los sicarios

The film, La virgen de los sicarios, depicts the aggression and brutality in Medellin, Colombia during the period known as la violencia. Drug smuggling and the gangs that controlled it constantly fought over territory and control of the drug trade. These men and sometimes young boys would find any excuse to engage in open shootouts in the streets. These became so commonplace that those who were frightened by the shootings were ridiculed. As Forrest Hylton points out in his article, “Evil Hour in Colombia,” the wars in the streets of Colombia were not only fueled by the drug trade but also by politics. As this article points out, la violencia did not start with shootings of people because they played their music too loudly, as shown in the film. People had legitimate reasons for panicking after the collapse of the coffee industry and wealthy landowners trying to claim mass amounts of properties.

            Not all of the violence has meaning or motive, however. Ricardo Vargas picks up on the trend of private violence in his essay, “State, Espirit Mafioso, and Armed Conflict in Colombia.” Although privately motivated killings, like those in La virgen de los sicarios, were a problem during this time, mobs were a huge factor during la violencia. Basically, individuals along with mobs infiltrate weak governments and positions of power in order to have control over the drug trade and politics in whatever part of the country they were in. The violence escalated beyond control in Medellin, which seemed to be the center of this war. This violence in metropolitan areas, along with a growing dependence on agriculture and large government tracts of land becoming available, caused a migration for many Columbians to the countryside.

            Much of what Hylton describes in his article highlights the fact that la violencia directly involved the lives of the common people living in Medellin. However, the most of the cold-blooded murders were controlled by “the people upstairs,” basically the wealthy people who have taken over the weak governmental positions. These people almost essentially have turned the people of Medellin into pawns in their game of control. The War of a Thousand Days also seems to have led the way for the brutal behavior, when mass casualties became very commonplace. After this war was over the people were still conditioned and almost indifferent to the murders that happened on a daily basis. This seems to just add fuel to the fire when the police and society were doing almost nothing to combat the shootings that were happening right in front of them. As one can see, la violencia was not sparked or supported by one certain group, cause, or circumstance. It seems to be a perfect storm of political unrest, economic strife, and unwillingness to fix the situation after it had begun that made this time period so brutal for the citizens of Colombia.

Week Eleven: Cocaine Cowboys

Watching the documentary Cocaine Cowboys gives the viewer a somewhat skewed view of the “war on drugs” that America started fighting in the 1970s and 1980 and are still apparently fighting today. The United States government makes it appear more than necessary to get all illegal drugs out of this country and to stop the threat of their importation by taking them down at the source. The film portrays this view as completely reasonable, what with all of the mafia-like wars and shootouts constantly happening in Miami in the late 70s and early 80s. This doesn’t seem to be quite the case, however, for the rest of the country, but the United States has still spent billions of dollars since this cocaine boom on eliminating the drug from this country. This all can be seen as a façade if one reads the “Documentation of Official US Knowledge of Drug Trafficking and the Contras.” The government apparently had specific knowledge of drug runs being made right under their noses, and did nothing about it. Perhaps the US wasn’t interested in stopping Americans from making money, but shutting down the lucrative cocaine crops of other countries.

            The United States must know how its interference and policies have affected the economies of Latin American countries that produce high amounts of cocaine, thus stimulating the economies of these countries. The implementation of countless anti-drug programs in the United States, along with working with the governments of the cocaine-producing countries has cost the United States billions without affecting the drug-production in these countries almost at all, according to Coletta Younger’s article “Collateral Damage: The US ‘War on Drugs’ and its Impact on Democracy in the Andes.” The American government cannot figure out a productive way to stop drug production in Latin America, or how to keep these drugs out of American hands. Also, as Younger points out, the people in Latin America need jobs growing the plant that cocaine is made from. These are poor people who have a ready made job that suits them and the land around them, who is America to go in and tell these countries to shut down this production that is obviously stimulating their economy.

            Younger’s article also points out the threat to human rights that the drug war produces. The United States trains Latin American military people on how to combat drugs, stating that they have a special course that focuses on human rights. The soldiers however, do not always follow this course correctly. It seems that the military feel the need to go after anyone involved in drugs, no matter what the cost at the time, making court hearings and persecutions very hard because of the lack of discipline shown by the people in charge of these drug busts. All in all it seems that the American government is very hypocritical concerning its “War on Drugs” and its methods behind eliminating drugs in America. Its concern at home is affecting the lives of so many people in Latin America.

Week Ten: Bus 174

After seeing the documentary Bus 174 it is obvious how countries in Latin America are influenced by the change in culture that is happening all over the world in a negative way. People living in America would most likely find it hard to imagine that taking some public form of transportation would be a daily risk to their lives. Although the killing depicted in the movie was not the day to day norm, those riding the bus knew that robberies were not infrequent for that area. Alberto Salcedo Ramos’s article “The Drive-by Victim” gives a personal testimony to the immediate danger to one’s life that taking a taxi in a Latin American country can impose. Ramos admits to knowing the risk that he was taking when he hailed the cab, which is almost an unthinkable opinion in the United States, even in larger cities like New York City. Modern transportation like the subway or busses, that are usually viewed as new, productive, and environmentally friendly choices, are dangerous and vulnerable in Latin America.

            Alma Guillermoprieto’s article “The Heart that Bleeds: Mexico City” focuses on the adverse affect that modernization has had on Mexico City and other cities in Latin America. Much of what is popular in America has been imported to Mexico and other countries, like fast food and mass transit. It seems however, that these are the only forms of modernization that these countries receive; almost all of these can be seen to adversely affect the communities or not be as successful as they are in America or Europe. Why is it that bus robberies are somewhat common in Latin America, but big news in America or Europe. One of the women interviewed in the documentary was not impressed in the beginning when Sandro hijacked the bus that she was taking to work, actually calling into work saying that her bus was being robbed, and that she may be a little bit late.

            This desensitization to violence is shocking to those who cannot fathom being in a holdup in the first place. Guillermoprieto points out that this is causing a breakdown of the morals and culture of Mexican, as they are influenced more and more by the unsuccessful facets of the modernization in their country and less and less by the beneficial changes that Americans experience daily. Ramos obviously came out of his ordeal much luckier than the woman that was killed in the Bus 174 incident. Ramos’s attitude however, is much like those on the bus, thankful that the robbers left them alive and unharmed, thinking how nice they must be to treat them so well, rather than thinking that a situation like this should never be common in the first place. It is hard to see where one can start to fix this problem, however it is obviously up to the government to more adequately train a police force in order to stop the violence.

Week Eight: Che, Part 1: The Argentine

In the film Che, Part 1: The Argentine, the audience gets a glimpse into the physical struggle for the rise to power gained by Castro and his followers in Cuba. It is interesting to see, especially in the scenes where Che, or Guevara, is addressing the other countries of the United Nations, how he feels about the support of the Cuban government and the actions taken by other nations. However, one gets a more in depth and direct approach into how Guevara feels about worldwide action taken by the United States to combat communism in his “Message to the Tricontinental Congress.” Guevara does not accept the United States excuse that it is stopping communism but feels that the US government is power-hungry and materialistic. These leaders, according to Che, will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, even exploiting the innocent, like the South Koreans. One could inquire if Che was using the United States’ actions to make the revolution, which he played a major role in, appear more successful to countries around the world. Guevara is aware that the United States is one if Cuba’s largest threats and most likely would want as many allies as possible if it came to a war. 

            Guevara knows that if he makes the United States look like their only goal is the occupation and successive material gains from occupying countries like Vietnam and Korea, and not the concern for the citizens of this country, that less people will be likely to support the war effort made by the United States. Although Guevara obviously is not alive at this time to comment on it, his same argument could be seen in the US fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, with the Middle East being a prime source of oil. Guevara also makes a very profound statement about the United States involvement in other countries in his speech, “Guerrilla Warfare: A method.” Most of the recent wars that the United States has been involved in have been mainly carried out through guerrilla war style, including in Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, and Iraq. As history and current events show, the United States has not been completely successful in any of these wars, which makes one stop and think when Guevara states that guerrilla type wars can only be won with support from the people.

Another nation, like the US, cannot come in and win a war of this type unless the home nation is backing it. One can see how easy it now is to figure out why the US has not been successful, concluding that these particular wars may not be in the nest interest of the people of these countries. This does not mean, however, that the United States does not think that it is doing these countries a favor or that they entered these conflicts solely for material gains.  Guevara is obviously showing that a successful revolution, like that of the one in Cuba is only possible if the citizens of that country are unhappy and willing to fight for the type of government that they believe in.

Week Seven: Motorcycle Diaries

 

Although the film Motorcycle Diaries does not explicitly state that Ernesto Guevara began to form his revolutionary ideas from the cross-continental motorcycle trip that is the focus of the movie, one can interpret that this is an underlying theme, given Guevara’s role in the Cuban revolution. It is interesting to see, however, that Guevara did not initially have much interest in the politics of other countries as Paulo Drinot points out in his article “Awaiting the Blood of a Truly Emancipating Revolution: Che Guevara in 1950s Peru.” Guevara did not make many references to the political situations in his diary about the other countries during his ride across South America. These diaries are the basis for the film and therefore show that although some incidents during his travels could have set in motion the mindset that caused him to become a great revolutionary, that was not the time for an extreme change.

            Traveling was also not a new adventure for Guevara, who, as shown in Eduardo Elena’s essay “Point of Departure: Travel and Nationalism in Ernesto Guevara’s Argentina,” is a very well traveled youth before the events of the film. This exposure to different cultures and areas is possibly an important factor in his extreme political views. Although his motorcycle trip was most likely more expansive than his other travels, all of these experiences combined, not just the one in Motorcycle Diaries, could have been responsible for changing his worldviews on politics. Elena also points out that Guevara already considered his travels more than just a leisurely vacation, which he may not have been doing outright research, but he was paying attention to culture and politics of other places and forming his own views in the process. Another impact that most likely was an important factor for Guevara was his contact with the indigenous people of different countries. We see his empathy in the film for the mining couple and the lepers at the settlement, however the living conditions and lifestyles of these people seems to have a greater impact on Guevara than the film emphasizes. Drinot shows in his essay how Guevara felt that the government or those of the upper classes did not treat natives equally.  Guevara is touched and unhappy with how defeated the Indians seem to see themselves compared to the people who had more than them.

            As Elena profoundly points out in his essay, the audience of the Motorcycle Diaries gets no exposure to the real political environments in each of the countries that Guevara visits. One has no idea how the social and political structures and happenings throughout South America had an impact on the man that he became. This film does make an interesting story about Guevara’s travels, however it does not show the raw situations that each of the countries he travels though is experiencing, therefore shaping the future life of Ernesto Guevara. Although one cannot say that this particular trip had a significant impact on Guevara, it is still important to see the situations of the different areas that he visited.

Week Six: Soy Cuba

Although the film Soy Cuba presents a detailed showing of the events of the Cuban Revolution, it does not delve quite deeply enough into the economic and social factors, among others, that were the initial cause of the revolution. Cuba, like many other Latin American countries, were experiencing an uprising from many of the lower classes. However, unlike any other country in Latin America, Cuba experienced the only socialist revolution, as explained in Susan Eckstein’s “The Impact of the Cuban Revolution: A Comparative Perspective.” The sluggish economy is also one of the important causes that sparked the revolution, as it created a deep rift between social classes. Soy Cuba portrays the struggles of a lower class citizen, as in the nightclub dancer, however it does not do a satisfactory job in showing how many different people all came together to fight for a new form of government.

            In John Chasteen’s book, Born in Blood & Fire, he shows the impact that a nationalist mindset had as a precursor to the revolution. An almost hatred for the United States and the ways of life of its citizens helped to fuel this governmental change in many Latin American countries. The view of this large, overbearing, and power-hungry nation became a wish for a complete turnaround in the governance of these countries. Many went to the extremes, but none like Cuba with its support of Fidel Castro. It is also surprising that the film did not show what an influence that Castro himself had in the revolution. He obviously held a significant amount of power and control over the revolutionaries, but we do not see him, only his protestors in Soy Cuba.

            Although the film ends before any real effects from the revolution can be seen, it is very important to note how initially successful it seemed to have been. A surging growth in economy and more benefits for the lower classes were seen as great successes. Chasteen also points out that not all was well after a revolution, not only in Cuba but consistently throughout Latin America, not everyone was happy with the results. The middle class families took some economic hits as the lower classes moved up the social ladder. He also emphasizes the importance of a new Marxist mindset that was sweeping Cuba during the time of the revolution. This became a perfect entryway for Fidel Castro to capture the attention of the restless groups looking for a change. As one can see, there are many social, political, cultural, and economic factors that one has to consider when discussing the revolutionary time in Cuba, including before, during and after. Soy Cuba, although depicting as many aspects of the revolution as possible for a film made to entertain, does not afford a clear picture of the true precursors of the Cuban Revolution. One must realize that there are so many factors that must happen at exactly the right time for a governmental change so dramatic as that of Cuba.

Week Five: Que Viva México!

In the Russian film “Que Viva México!” the viewer gets an interesting look at the somewhat extreme changes in the lifestyle of the people of Mexico before the Mexican Revolution. This country was not very well known in Europe or Asia at this time, perhaps that is why the film covers many different topics and is quite dramatic at some points. This would give other parts of the world a glimpse into what it would be like to live in this corner of the world, which some seemed to think was backward compared to their ways of life. Although this film may not help to cast the Mexicans in a more civilized light, showing customs and traditions that had been long outdated in other countries. This, however, seems to be the thing that fascinated the filmmaker, Sergei Einstein, the most. His unconventional approach to this film shows the important connections that he wanted to make with his viewers. By not making a film completely with actors and using some documentary type film footage, the film immediately takes on a more serious tone.

One can first comment on the style of production of the film, noting that it is part documentary and part a movie for a general audience. The beginning of the film shows the ancient architecture of Mexico, with barely any people, showing the almost prehistoric side of this country. The next part shows how very simple life used to be for the everyday person. The girl’s biggest worry is to get enough gold coins on her necklace for her dowry. Scenes like the former and the parade celebration clash with the unfinished end of the movie, that focuses more on the Revolution. Einstein makes these very opposing comparisons, like when he first shows the large plants that the men collect the pulp from. This is an everyday and almost completely harmless job for these people. The next time we see these large plants, it is in the middle of a shootout as the Revolution begins. Einstein is showing the audience how quickly the lives of the people in Mexico had changed from peaceful to disastrous.

Continuing with the theme of a change in lifestyle, the director also shows the difficulties of everyday life for Mexicans, especially in the lower classes. A man who is trying to marry his lover has her taken away by a man who is obviously of a higher class. This unfortunate man can do nothing to the man because of his social status. This also is only a few scenes before the start of the fighting, setting a dark mood. The fact that the movie was still produce so many years after it was shot and without an ending shows just how important the filmmakers believed this work was. It commented on many of the struggles of the Mexicans before and during their Revolution, educating people who knew very little about this country.

Week Four: Gabriela

After reading Sueann Caulfield’s article, “Getting into Trouble: Dishonest Women, Modern Girls, and women-Men in the Conceptual Language of “Vida Policial,” it is easy to see how the title character in the movie Gabriela was treated so harshly. It was apparently customary to completely disregard the comfort and wishes of one’s wife during this time period. Gabriela’s husband knew exactly the type of woman that he was marrying, even going so far as to forge her papers. It seems unfair for Nacib to expect her to completely change her customs for him. However, as the article shows, men had complete control over their wives, expect them to sit along side them and perform their womanly duties. Anything a wife may wish to do beyond what is expected of them is an embarrassment to the husband, who is looked upon to have complete discipline over his wife.

            Women do not have free will, which most likely drives many of them to commit infidelities, like Gabriela, as this gives them a little control over their own lives. Cheating, however, is seen as the most extreme embarrassment for the husband and they are encouraged to treat the guilty very harshly. Women in this time are also expected to essentially stay out of sight. We see how Nacib reacts in anger when Gabriela comes to his bar, even though she is doing a proper activity for a woman in bringing him lunch. This incident also shows us how Nacib considers Gabriela his property by getting angry with her flirting at the bar even though they are not married. This seems to be the sole reason that he chooses to marry her, after which he immediately forces her into a role that she does not like.

            Nacib forces Gabriela to attend things like the poetry reading when she would much rather watch her friend in the circus. Women like Gabriela, who were considered of the lower class, were seen as a corruption to the upper class society. Nacib treats Gabriela very differently alone than he does in public. Being ashamed of who she really is, she is forced to wear uncomfortable clothes and hide the fact that she is illiterate. Caulfield points out that the police magazine often categorizes maids in with prostitutes, which seems to be a general feeling at this time. Although it is apparent to the viewer that Nacib did love Gabriela, he was humiliated to be in love with a woman of lower class, and, instead of accepting her for what she was, decided to attempt to change her completely. This shows how hard, and almost impossible, it was for women to climb the social ladder and have an identity that was separate from their husband.

Week Three: Camila

The film Camila typifies the almost powerless status that women held in the early days of Latin American countries. Elizabeth Dore’s essay recounts the history of women’s rights in this part of the world. Although she points out that women had more legal or judicial rights than women in other countries, some of their most basic rights are completely violated. The lack of freedom to choose one’s own husband is a central theme in Camila, and as the movie shows, one of the most important decisions to a woman. Although many women in this time most likely chose their husbands, as Dore points out, the parents had the legal ability to intervene if the pairing was not to their liking. Some women would probably choose the complete control of selecting their future husband over the ability to sign certain documents.

            The punishment for disobeying the will of one’s parents, as seen in Camila, can be as harsh as death. There seems to be nothing more humiliating to parents in this early Latin America than the inability to control one’s children, especially the daughters. A sense of loyalty and obedience is expected of all those subordinate to the father, and when this is broken, that daughter is a black stain on the reputation of the family. This seems slightly overdramatic when all Camila wanted to do was marry the man that she loved. Although much of the scandal had basis in her marrying a priest, this did not seem to be the final straw for her father. He expected Camila to marry her friend who was of the same social status and rank, knowing full well that she did not love him. To the father, it would not matter if she had run off with a man suitable for marriage; it was the defiance of his assumed control over her that angered him so much.

            This complete control by the parents or father of a Latin American family was fueled by the strict differences in the privileges between the different social classes. Those who could not control their daughters did not belong in an elite social class. A scandal like in Camila could damage so severely the reputation of any family that they may not recover. The fact that Camila’s future brother-in-law cancelled the wedding of her sister is evidence of this. Obviously love holds no value in this society, it was all about reputation, status and control. Camila’s father had no reservations in ordering the execution of his own daughter when she was found. It mattered not that he would be losing his daughter, but that it would be seen as a final act of control that he had over his daughter. It seems that the power over family members in this era was not what made the family stronger, but what fostered contempt and the lack of love between its members.

Week One: The MIssion

After watching the film, The Mission, I was appalled, as most would be, at the cruelty shown to the Natives of South America by the Spanish and Portuguese settlers. Most of these newcomers view the Native Americans solely as a means of profit rather than human beings. This view is shown in sharp contrast to the view of the Jesuits, who hope and succeed in living with the natives and converting them to Christianity. This seemed an appropriate picture as I watched the film considering most of the early history of the New World is dominated by the mistreatment of the Native Americans.

This extreme black and white picture shown between the Jesuits and Native Americans versus the Spaniards and Portuguese is not quite historically accurate, as with most Hollywood movies. The differences were put into light for me, especially after reading James Schoefield’s “The Mission and Other Historical Missions.” The most obvious difference between The Mission and actual history was its portrayal of the Native Americans as a primitive group without any voice in their own future. Schoefield shows that the actual tribes in South America were not as primal as the group in the movie, being well aware of their place amongst the lives of the Europeans. They were well aware of the benefits of making economic trades with the Europeans, until they began to exploit them. The Native Americans were also not so simple as to solely accept the Jesuit priest because of the enticing sound of his music, but because they knew that there would be gains economically as well as spiritually.

The Jesuits are also not as pure in real life history as they are depicted in The Mission. Although their main purpose was to convert the Native American people to Christians, they, as well as the natives, knew that there were economic positives to be had with the interactions of these two groups. The Jesuits often exploited the natives as much as the Spaniards or Portuguese, by having them make goods, like the violins in the film, but not allowing them full access of profits from these items. Many Native Americans also did not accept Christianity so willingly, and the missions were not violence-free places. Schoefield tells that it was not uncommon for a Native American to run away from a mission to try his luck at finding a job in a larger city in South America. Natives were at least not treated too much differently in these large cities and were able to choose their specific job.

It seems that almost every group, no matter how they were portrayed in the film, were historically only interested in the bottom line. The war scene at the end was much more violent than what it would have truly been; one can only imagine this makes for a more interesting movie and makes the Europeans even more the “bad guys.” Schoefield says that this is not historically accurate at all, especially the excessive killings of the innocent. All these wasted lives would have meant profit for the Portuguese because they would have been sold as slaves. So, although these inaccuracies do indeed make for a more action packed film, they do not represent the real history of the time.