Brazil

SÃO PAULO, Brazil — In my high-school English language class in São Paulo, our teacher Agnaldo once raised the question of whether Brazilians saw themselves as “Latino” or not. After some lively discussion, Agnaldo informed us that, in the U.S., we would be seen as Latinos. This came as a surprise to many of my […]

A major blackout last week left more than 1.5 million clients —including households, businesses, and schools— without electricity, and over 160,000 without water. Authorities reported on Sunday morning that electricity had been restored to almost all clients.

Data shows that Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro worked an average of three hours and 10 minutes a day in January. It is hard to imagine that he decided to work more in February and March. In just over three hours, however, Bolsonaro was able to amass more controversies.

Latino Rebels Radio: March 3, 2022

President Jair Bolsonaro stands with Russian President Vladimir Putin while parts of Brazil are destroyed by torrential rains. Meanwhile, the annual Carnival celebrations have been canceled—except for the rich

The government on Saturday issued a statement that blamed the U.S. for the current war in Ukraine. It referred to “U.S. efforts to continue the progressive expansion of NATO” towards Russia’s borders as the main provocation for its attacks on Ukraine.

The government of the Dominican Republic on Sunday began construction of a wall along its border with Haiti. President Luis Abinader said that the wall will “drastically reduce irregular migration,” as well as the illegal trade of arms and narcotics.

A talk with Brazilian Black feminist philosopher Djamila Ribeiro at the Hay Festival in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

Authorities in Buenos Aires reported that at least 24 people have died since Wednesday as a result of a contaminated batch of cocaine. Over 80 persons were said to have been hospitalized, with some requiring the life-sustaining support of mechanical ventilators.

January marks the beginning of an election year that could see Jair Bolsonaro re-elected as president of Brazil. Polls and conditions in the country suggest he won’t have it easy. 

The Americas reported nearly 7.2 million new COVID infections and more than 15,000 COVID-related deaths over the past week, the Pan American Health Organization said Wednesday. Coronavirus infections across the Americas almost doubled between January 1 and January 8, from 3.4 million cases to 6.1 million, PAHO said.

Written in 2017, shot in 2019, and out in theaters on January 14, the Brazilian film ‘The Pink Cloud’ explores what happens when a deadly phenomenon forces the whole world indoors immediately and indefinitely. Sound familiar?

December has shown that not much changed in the year 2021 in terms of Bolsonaro and his aggressive statements and actions against politicians, the media, and other parts of government.

With temples and churches closed, priests and pastors have successfully moved their services online, their streams reaching thousands of believers and potentially revitalizing their faith during dark times.

The “Sembrando Oportunidades” project will combine efforts from the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (Amexcid) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to focus on Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.

The U.S. State Department announced on Tuesday that it will remove the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) from its list of designated terrorist organizations. The updated list will include two dissident groups that were formed as offshoots of the FARC.

Fifty-seven percent of the population want him impeached, and his approval rating has plummeted to 19 percent, a record low. Brazilians are starting to wonder, not whether Bolsonaro has a chance of being re-elected or not, but if he’ll even be able to find a party to run with.

Thousands of demonstrators marched in Ecuador on Tuesday and Wednesday to protest the increase in fuel prices and President Guillermo Lasso’s economic policies. At least 37 demonstrators were arrested and eight police officers injured in demonstrations that blocked roads and highways in five of Ecuador’s 24 provinces.

One of the few certainties Brazilians have these days is that, whenever possible, far-right president Jair Bolsonaro will make stupefying, anti-science, and borderline criminal statements. On Thursday, October 21, the President claimed that those who are vaccinated against COVID-19 could develop AIDS.

While the people of Brazil suffer on the socioeconomic edge, its political class engages in endless debates on whether to overthrow or save the President from impeachment.

Latino Rebels spoke to three experts in different areas to understand the political moment and what the pro-Bolsonaro demonstrations —and his retreat— mean for Brazil and its democracy.