Coming events

Frontline will be hosting the Pamela Yates's new film on Guatemala: 'Granito: How To Nail A Dictator' on the April the 1st 7pm. The film will be followed by a Q&A with Pamela Yates afterwards.  Following her groundbreaking documentary When the Mountains Tremble, director Pamela Yates revists the genocide of the Mayan people in Guatemala that took place almost a quarter of a century ago as, for the first time, indictments are called against the perpetrators.Weaving together archival footage from her first film with modern interviews and shedding a deeper light on the disruption caused to the Mayan community in Guatemala, Granito highlights the inherent struggle to bring justice to light after years of silence.From Nobel Laureates to the military dictator responsible for the tragedy, Granito interviews the whole spectrum of people involved in the conflict to answer the question of what really happened in the mountains of Guatemala. For bookings go to the frontline website: http://frontlineclub.com/events/2011/04/screening---granito-how-to-nail-...

We’ve noted before about the possible twists and turns in the forthcoming elections especially with regard to the legality, or otherwise, of the putative candidates. Now it seems, the candidature of Otto Pérez Molina has been called into question.

According to a recent post on CERIGUA, the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) has decided to reopen the case of disappeared guerrilla Efrain Bámaca, husband of Jennifer Harbury, whose case we featured here. It seems that the Supreme Court could strike him out of the elections on ethical grounds though that must seem highly unlikely at this stage. Whatever next?

It is a curious fact for Guatemala Presidential elections that the person who came second in the previous elections will win the following one. This would mean that Otto Perez Molina will win and a poll in El Periódico gave him just under 40% while the second place candidate had 11%. This poll was taken despite the Constitutional ruling that electioneering and campaigning is illegal until the Supreme Electoral Court of Guatemala officially calls an election in May. It seems dubious to me. As we noted previously here, there are several suggested candidates who are constitutionally barred from running for the Office.

In a very interesting article on the forthcoming elections, Barbara Schieber, in the Guatemala Times, states that the elections to the Guatemala Constitutional Court will take place in April this year, and it will be up to the members of this Court to rule on the legality, or otherwise, of the Presidential candidates. It seems there is all to play for.

“Guatemala's election campaign got off to a controversial and premature start, with an evangelical pastor, a military officer, a former president, the president's wife and the daughter of a general who led a coup emerging as presidential hopefuls, although three of them face legal barriers to their candidacy, according to experts.”

So begins this article by Danilo Valladares from Inter Press Service, posted by Global Issues. 2011 is an election year in Guatemala and the intrigue is alive and well. What is clear is that the same old games are being played.

We have just received notification of this free event next Tuesday at Amnesty International's Human Rights Centre:

Amnesty International and the Guatemalan Archdiocese’s Office of Human Rights (ODHAG) invite you to see this 90-minute English subtitled film which narrates the life and work Monsignor Juan José Gerardi (1922 – killed in 1998) during the time he ran a diocese in rural El Quiché, a province deeply affected by the 36 year civil war that ended in 1996.  The film also looks at the time he spent in exile in Costa Rica and his work as head of Guatemalan Archdiocese’s Office of Human Rights in compiling the “Guatemala, Never Again” report which documents thousands of human rights violations committed during the civil war. Monsignor Gerardi was assassinated in 1998 by Guatemalan army intelligence operatives, two days after he publicly presented "Guatemala, Never Again".

A Q & A session will follow the screening with Nery Rodenas and Carlos Alarcon from ODHAG.

18:30 on Tue. 21 Sep 2010 at Amnesty International UK, The Human Rights Action Centre, 17-25 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA.  Free entry but please book your place at the Amnesty events website.

For those of you interested in accompaniment in Latin America you might be interested in PBI's forthcoming AGM at which they'll be showing a film about their work in Colombia. The screening of the 15th anniversary film produced by the PBI Colombia Project seeks to bring together the delight, hopes and tears of these 15 years, giving a voice to human rights defenders and to the people who have contributed to making this dream a reality by dedicating a part of their lives to PBI. You will also have the opportunity to hear from a volunteer, who has just returned from a year volunteering with PBI in Colombia.

Peace Brigades International have organised a visit to London of the Mexican human rights defender Tita Radilla. She is the vice-president of the Mexican Association of Relatives of the Detained, Disappeared and Victims of Human Rights Violations (AFADEM). Her visit will take place in early November, and more details can be found below.

While we do our best to keep abreast of the situation in Guatemala and keep people informed via this blog, nothing quite beats the insight provided by those who can report back on what is actually happening "on the ground" (as wonderfully demonstrated by Kevin's article below).

Well, we now have a fantastic new source of information provided by one of our volunteer international accompaniers who has been blogging about her experiences, and her take on the issues currently being faced by Guatemala. You can access her blog here.

Reading this blog is especially useful for all those  who are considering volunteering in Guatemala as an international accompanier, as well as anyone who is interested in finding out a bit more about the work of international accompaniers.

Our visitor from Guatemala, Iduvina Hernandez, will speak at the first ever conference on Latin American Women and Gender Abuse in the UK on 25 November. The event has been organised by the Latin American Women's Rights Service, starts at 2.30pm and is being held at the Bolivar Hall, Grafton Road, London W1T 5DL.

A map of how to get to the event can be found here.

Iduvina's full programme can be found here - this is still being updated so please check back to see what has been added. 

Here is the full description of the conference, plus details of how to register:

In a special pre-tour event on 6 November at 7pm, GSN will be presenting the film 'Estrellas De La Línea' / 'The Railroad All Stars' along with Movimientos at the Salmon and Compass, as part of a special event to mark the Day of the Dead.

Estrellas de la Linea is a much praised documentary on documentary on Guatemalan sex workers who form a football team to highlight their plight. A highly entertaining film that tackles some of the major issues facing Guatemala today, it also touches upon some of the key issues to be discussed in our forthcoming speaker tour of the UK with Iduvina Hernandez.

After the film there will be a short presentation about the work of GSN, along with further details of the tour, followed by DJs and live music downstairs:

Música Latina Clandestina with Movimientos DJs Cal Jader & Clem George + live percussion & special guests + Special guest live performance + Day of the Dead Shrine

Contributions invited 7pm-2am Entry: Donations before 9pm / £3 after

Salmon and Compass 58 Penton Street (Corner of Chapel Market), N1 9PZ (Angel tube/Northern Line) Map here

As reported earlier GSN is organising a speaker tour from 8 to 26 November by Iduvina Hernandez. More detail about Iduvina is provided below, and following that the current calendar of events all over the UK, which you might be interested in attending.

Iduvina Hernandez is a Guatemalan journalist and human rights defender working to challenge the extraordinary and horrific levels of violence and murder against women and young people in Guatemala.

Since the year 2000, more than 3000 Guatemalan women have been brutally murdered. Often their bodies show signs of torture and mutilation. The Guatemalan authorities have systematically failed to respond to this crisis and fewer than 2% of such cases result in conviction. The UN Special Rapporteur for Violence Against Women has stated that, "the absence of a rule of law fosters a range of violent acts against women, including rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, and eventually, murder."

Iduvina Hernandez works to challenge the impunity that is endemic in Guatemala and her struggle aims to combat violence, particularly that directed towards women and young people. Her work to hold the Guatemalan authorities and security forces to account has at times resulted in her receiving threats and intimidation. GSN have invited Iduvina to share her experiences with groups in the UK and would be very pleased if you would join us to hear Iduvina's story about the struggle to combat violence and impunity in Guatemala.

Rosemary Burnett, former director of Amnesty International Scotland, will also talk about her experiences working to support and protect human rights defenders in Guatemala. She will explain how you can support human rights work in Guatemala, including information on how to get involved with accompaniment work.

Iduvina is available for press interviews - please contact us via our email address or via the Contact Form.

Date	Town/City	Time	Address
10 November	Reading	8pm	Reading International Solidarity Centre, 35-39 London Street, Reading, RG1 4PS Map here
11 November	London	7.30pm	Friends' Meeting House, 173 Euston Road, NW1 2BJ Map here
12 November	Totnes	7.30pm	Totnes Methodist Church, Fore Street, Totnes TQ9 5RP
13 November	Bristol	12.30pm	School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, 8 Priory Road, Bristol, BS8 1TZ Map here
13 November	Oxford	7.30pm	Friends' Meeting House, 43 St Giles, Oxford, OX1 3LW Map here
14 November	Kettering	7.30pm	Cornmarket Hall, London Road, Kettering, NN15 7QA Map here
14 November	Loughborough	3.30pm	Room NN 1.11c, Department of Geography, Loughborough Universtity, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU Map here For more information and directions contact  Dr Ed Brown at 01509 222738 or by email at E.D.Brown at lboro dot ac dot uk
17 November	Edinburgh	7.30pm	Methodist Central Hall, 2 West Tollcross, Edinburg, EH3 9BP Map here
18 November	Glasgow	7.30pm	Friends' Meeting House, 38 Elmbank Crescent, Glasgow, G2 4PS Map here
19 November	Newcastle	5.00pm	Friends' Meeting House, Archbold Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle, NE2 1DB Map here
23 November	Liverpool	4.00pm	Next to Nowhere, 96 Bold Street, Liverpool, L1 4HY Contact on 0151 703 6908 Map here
25 November	London	12 noon	One World Action, Bradleys Close, White Lion Close, London, N1 9PF Map here
25 November	London	2.30pm	Speaking at the conference "Latin American Women and Gender Abuse in the UK", Bolivar Hall, 54 Grafton Way, London, W1T 5DL Map here *See also separate item on this conference for details of how to register*
25 November	London	6pm	Speaking at the launch of "More Women More Power" campaign. Organised by One World Action and the London Assembly. At Committee Room 5, City Hall, The Queens Walk, SE1 Map here More information on this campaign here Please confirm attendance by calling Owen Evans on 020 7833 4075 or emailing Carla Montemayor cmontemayor at oneworldaction dot org

 

I just wanted to flag up the following event where Guatemalan human rights defender, Norma Maldonado, will be speaking 10 April 2008, from 7-9pm. Norma has worked for many years promoting women's rights, respect for the environment and trade justice through the Mesa Global de Guatemala amongst many other areas of work. You can see a short presentation by Norma at an event at Harvard University in 2000 (starts 37mins in).

Francisco Goldman has been featured here on the GSN blog. As part of the International PEN literary festival in London, 'Free the Word', the author will be appearing in London on Sunday, 13^th April.  

A Short History of Sedition

A journey through the writings and experiences of literary dissidents.

"Francisco Goldman is an award-winning American-Guatemalan writer whose compelling investigation, 'The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed Bishop Gerardi?', exposes the corruption that permeated the Guatemalan authorities through to the President during the late 1990s. Goldman is in conversation with Turkish poet, novelist and outspoken columnist Perihan Magden, and the young Moroccan writer Abdellah Taïa, the first openly gay voice in a culture where homosexuality isn't taboo, but refusing to live in the shadows is."

More information here.

The Guatemalan author Ronald Flores will talk about torture and reconciliation during his country's civil war when he launches his book, Final Silence, at HOUSMANS BOOKSHOP in London. Wednesday 16 April, 7pm Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX (a minute's walk from King's Cross Station) Tel: 020 7837 4473.

Final Silence, translated from the Spanish-language original Último silencio, is a compelling drama examining the emotional wounds that blighted a generation. It won the prestigious Mario Monteforte Toledo literary prize open to writers in Central America, and is being launched by Aflame Books to coincide with the London Book Fair.

You can find out more about Ronald Flores on his fascinating blog which regularly covers the latest developments in Guatemalan literature.

For further details, contact Gavin O'Toole: 020 8669 3891 Aflame Books.

The book has been reviewed by the Latin American Review of Books by Eugene Carey.