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April 30th, 2008

Paraguay: More Blogger Reactions to Lugo Victory

Muna Annahas · 03:06 · Americas

lingua → zht · zhs

Fernando Lugo , the ex-Catholic bishop candidate for the Alianza Patriotica Para el Cambio (Patriotic Alliance for Change), was recently elected Paraguay's new President in the elections held on April 20th, and who obtained 40.8% of the votes. He was followed by Blanca Ovelar with 30.8% and Lino Oviedo with 21.9% Pedro Fadul finished far behind with the 2.3% of the votes. Paraguayan Citizens actively participated in the elections with 68% of the population headed to the polls, which was higher than past contests when approximately 30-40% voted in previous elections.

President-elect Fernando Lugo at the ABC Color Newspaper. Foto by Fernando Lugo campaign and used under Creative Commons license.

In addition, everything appeared to run smoothly without reports of chaos or violence. Obviously such big news wouldn't keep Paraguayan bloggers quiet, especially when it is the first time in more than 60 years that another party wins the presidiential elections. On top of it all, the winner was an ex-bishop, rather than a lifetime politician. Here are some additional blog reactions from Paraguay.

Juan Carlos Rojas in his blog called Oasis Liberario [es] says that he is not very optimistic about these new changes:

No soy tan optimista de que las cosas cambiarán en cinco años de forma radical y para mejor; pero si soy optimista en el sentido de que si Lugo tiene en mente seguir el modelo Chavista, las cosas no le irán tan bien, puesto que el Congreso está conformado por los sectores más conservadores de la sociedad y es por donde deben pasar los proyectos del monseñor – presidente.

I am not very optimistic that things will radically change for the better in the next five years, but I am optimistic in the sense that if Lugo thinks of following the (Hugo) Chávez model, then things won't go so well, especially since the Congress is comprised of the more conservative sectors of society and through them, the Bishop President must pass his laws.

Luz in her blog called Relatos y Sueños [es] talks about her hope that the new President knows what people expect from him and his new government group: honesty and a way to raise the pride of Paraguayans once again. She also hopes for less fanatics and more social work to elevate the self confidence of many Paraguayans abroad, so that they can return home.

Luis Bareiro on his blog Macondo News [es] tells us about his feelings about what is like finally defeating “the enemy.”

and says that his youth he spent fighting for the future with many on his side but they didn't succeed before, but they kept fighting because they knew they would win and that someday it would be defeated… in his words: We won, We won, We won, today is my glory day…don't doubt that im enjoying like a tiny that has defeated a giant perverse and inhuman ….

Mi juventud pasó, luchando por el futuro, con muchos otros al lado, no lo logramos antes, cuando tendría que merecidamente haber sido en su tiempo y momento. Algunos abandonaron el esfuerzo, otros más empecinados y tercos, nos mantuvimos, no tuvimos las armas con las cuales tu hasta te ufanabas que apelabas con tanto descaro, las más ruines, las más sucias, las más perversas, pero a pesar de ello, lo único que lograste fue que el esfuerzo se fortaleciera, soñando quimeras tantas veces burladas por tus perversas acciones, pero “ingenuamente” como juzgabas por nuestro proceder, nosotros si sabíamos, que algún día ibas a ser derrotado. Te vencimos, te vencimos, te vencimos, hoy es mi día de gloria… No lo dudes que lo estoy disfrutando, como un pequeño que ha tumbado a un monstruo gigante, perverso e inhumano.

I spent my youth fighting for the future, with others at my side, we didn't accomplish anything at the time, when it should have happened during its time and place. Some of them abandoned the effort, others more determined and stubborn, we maintained, we didn't have the weapons that you boasted about, the dirtiest, the most perverse, but in spite of all that, the only thing that you managed to accomplish was that the effort strengthened, with wishful thinking that you made fun of with your perverse actions, but “naively” how you judged our reasons, we knew that someday you would be defeated. We defeated you, we defeated you, we defeated you, today is my day of glory…Do not doubt that today I am enjoying this, like a small one that defeated a giant, perverse and inhumane giant.

Finally, Blog Sacoleiro [es] talks about outgoing president Nicanor Duarte's “duality” saying that he will be judged like a president that has suffered from a double personality syndrome. In the future Nicanor will be remembered more for his contributions than for his failures, but mostly he will be remembered because of his duality of assuming two personalities. In the blogger's words he says: “Today we celebrate the advances and fight to correct the failures, advance in what we went backwards, fight for the goverment reform and for the end of the Clientelism that harmed many of us.”

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March 24th, 2008

Paraguay: Candidates Using Blogs to Reach Voters

Muna Annahas · 03:06 · Americas

lingua → sq · mg · pt · mk · zhs · zht · es

Photo taken by Muna Annahas

Paraguay’s Presidential elections will be held on April 20, 2008. Many of the top presidential candidates are using blogs as a way to communicate with potential voters as they transmit their thoughts about a specific topic or explain their government plan in case they are elected. These blogs are written and published in one of Paraguay’s mains newspapers called Diario ABC.

To date, some of the candidate have more than 43,000 visits and some even 500 comments on a single post, which indicates a high degree of interest for this election. Few would have thought that there would be such a direct communication from a presidential candidate with a potential voter, who could express an opinion or a concern, debate or even scrutinize their platform.

Two of the major candidates that each have their own blogs are:

Fernando Lugo is a Roman Catholic bishop and is running for president with the Christian Democratic Party. He writes about what he had to do in order to run for the highest office in Paraguay [es].

Después de 30 años de disciplinado sacerdocio he renunciado a mis condiciones formales de obispo sin dejar de ser cristiano y paraguayo para dedicarme a la política, trabajar por un proyecto y buscar convertirme en Presidente de la República del Paraguay para servir a mis queridos sufridos hermanos de este hermoso y bendito país.

After 30 years of being ordained, I have formally resigned my duties as bishop without resigning being a Christian and Paraguayan in order to dedicate myself to politics, work on a project and serach to become president of Paraguay to serve my dear suffering brothers of this beautiful and blessed country.

Blanca Ovelar is the candidate for the current ruling party, the Colorado Party, and she is backed by the current Paraguayan president Nicanor Duarte. One of her major issues is fighting corruption, and she writes [es]:

Quien niegue que hay corrupción en el Paraguay, estaría cerrando los ojos a la realidad. La corrupción existe, y ha logrado instalarse en todos los sectores de la sociedad. Tanto en el sector público como en el sector privado; en el partido de gobierno como en los de oposición; en las empresas como en los sindicatos.

Whoever denies that there is corruption in Paraguay is closing their eyes to reality. Corruption exists and it has become part of all sectors of society. It is not only in the public sector, but also in the private sector, in the government's party, as well as the opposition party; in businesses, as well as the unions.

The presence of these blogs may be a result of the internet becoming more and more popular in Paraguay. New cyber cafes are opening around almost every corner in the capital city of Asuncion and more wireless and broadband providers are available compared to more than a few years ago. Most people see internet as a commodity, and not as a luxury, which is allowing for more access for more people. During the last elections of 2003, this type of virtual interaction between blogger (presidential candidate) and reader (potential voter) was almost inconceivable, and it is amazing to see how things have changed in the past five years.

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February 25th, 2008

Paraguay: Yellow Fever Scare Causing Long Lines

Muna Annahas · 04:55 · Americas

lingua → jp · pt · es · zht · zhs

Recently, cases of Yellow Fever have been confirmed in Paraguay, which has caused at least 8 confirmed deaths. This situation is generating a mass panic among the population, long waiting lines are observed in front of health institutions, and people are waiting for long hours under the sun to get vaccinated. However, not everybody is so lucky to get vaccinated since there are not enough vaccines left. Neighboring countries have donated vaccines but those weren't enough for everybody, fortunately 2 million vaccines arrived from France recently and country officials are expecting 400,000 more vaccines from the United Nations next week.

Here is what some bloggers are saying about the Yellow Fever scare in Paraguay:

Muna Annahas says that Paraguay has declared an emergency situation due this epidemic:

They are investigating the origin of the disease in the patients, the ministry is very concerned about the situation so the whole population. A few people have recently died in Paraguay of Yellow Fever. Paraguay has even declared emergency situation due this epidemic attack.

Guillermo Verdún of Paraguayo [es] is tells us that while people were waiting in line under the hot sun for hours, others were receiving vaccinations in exchange for commitments to vote for a particular candidate .

Mientras en el hospital materno-infantil de Limpio había cientos de personas haciendo fila bajo un sol abrasador (foto de la izquierda) para vacunarse contra la fiebre amarilla, a una cuadra de allí, en la casa del ex candidato a intendente Guido Gómez, donde funciona el PC de Blanca Ovelar en esa ciudad, había suficientes dosis para aquellos que se comprometían a votar por la candidata nicanorista. Se verificaban los nombres en una lista a la entrada y se anotaba a los beneficiarios en un cuaderno, según pudieron corroborar periodistas de este diario.

Meanwhile, in the maternal-infant hospital in Limpio, there were hundreds of people lining up under a baking sun in order to be vaccinated against yellow fever. A block away in the house of the ex-candidate Guido Gómez, where the headquarters of Blanca Ovelar operate, there were enough vacccines for those that committed to vote for the candidate of the ruling party. They verified the names on the list upon entering and registered them in a notebook, according to journalists that corroborated the story.

Rescatar [es] says that in middle of what already seems to be a mass psychosis generated by the lack of trust of the authorities, it began to register acts of violence during the demand for vaccination.

Comenzaron a registrarse actos de violencia en demanda de vacunación y hay gente que acampa un día antes frente a los locales donde habrá inmunización. El verano está siendo particularmente riguroso con temperaturas –a la sombra- de 35º que bajo el sol superan los 40º y muchos deben soportar estoicamente hasta que la exposición a tan adversas condiciones acaba con su reserva de paciencia.

Acts of violence were beginning to be seen as a result of the demand for vaccinations. There are people that camp out the day before, in front of the immunization sites. The summer is experiencing particularly high temperatures - 35 degrees Celsius in the shade, and up to 40 degrees Celsius under the sun. Many of them must stoically support these adverse conditions, where some people begin to lose their patience.

The blog also produced a video with photos of the long lines, vaccinations and a critical rebuke of the policies of the Paraguayan government qualifying it as “useless.” The video is titled, “The Mosquito Bites the Political Inefficiency.”

3 comments · »»

February 19th, 2008

Paraguay: Ex-Pat Bloggers Share New Experiences

Muna Annahas · 04:20 · Americas

lingua → zht · zhs

Photo by Muna Annahas

The way foreigners see Paraguay, what, and how they feel when they first arrive to Paraguay can be quite an interesting subject. Some stay for a short time as a tourist, while others stay for a couple of years for a mission or project, and even some choose to live there permanently, maybe even to retire there. For many the experience is novel, when they come across something new. For example, the first time someone drinks Terere can be a wonderful experience. In most cases this experience takes place in the company of a Paraguayan, and where new bonds can be made.

For many, these experiences are shared with family members back home or with others within the ex-pat community in Paraguay and abroad through their blogs. Here are few examples of blogs written by ex-patriates in Paraguay. Many are involved with church-related activities, and all write about adjusting to a new culture, food, and people.

Brenda is a missionary living in Paraguay and writes Brenda's Blog about Paraguay, she tells about her daily experiences and the people she has met and their stories. In addition, the blog is written with a great sense of humor and is written in a catchy style. One of her favorite subjects is all of the great food that Paraguay has to offer. Here she amazes of the delicious mangoes that can readily be found:

Its mango season here in Paraguay and I am eating as many as I can get my hands on. There are two varieties in Paraguay, the yellow ones and the red ones pictured. The yellow ones are smaller and mostly good for juice. These red ones are great for eating.

Another interesting blog called Faithful in the Few Things is written by Jackie McCobb, also a Missionary, she grew up in Venezuela but lives in Paraguay with her family writing about her daily experiences. It is a personal blog with a lot of interesting stories. In addition, Jackie is trying hard to learn Guaraní, the country's indigenous language. She writes:

I've recently taken up a new project…I've decided to study the Guarani language. The pronunciation of this language is very similar to that of Yekwana and I can't help but think that perhaps God was preparing me with Yekwana, to learn Guarani. So, every Tuesday during the siesta hour, my friend, Graciela, comes over and gives me a Guarani lesson. If you've never studied a language before (this is my first time) it's kind of funny. You find yourself feeling very proud about being able to say the simplest (and weirdest) sentences.

Another blog I really like is The Jungle Hut, it is written by a Rita Vernoy, a missionary that is about to move to Paraguay. She is also the mother of the author of the previous blog, Faithful in the Few Things. She writes about her frequent trips to visit her daughter:

One of my first impressions is that the Paraguayan people are very friendly! Even while waiting for our flight from Brazil to Asuncion, we had already made friends with many of the Paraguayan people on the flight.

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January 29th, 2008

Paraguay: An Introduction to a Growing Blogosphere

Muna Annahas · 16:31 · Americas

lingua → pt · es

Editor's Note: We welcome Muna Annahas as our newest contributor to Global Voices Online. This is her first article introducing the a little bit of the Paraguayan blogosphere. Her interesting bridge blog called Muna's Blog and is written from Seattle, Washington.

Photo by Alex-S and used under a Creative Commons license.

For a time, Paraguayans were afraid to express their own minds, especially during the long period of an authoritarian regime, when the country was still presided by the Dictator Alfredo Stroessner (1954 to 1989). Paraguayans didn't have the right of free expression and it had almost become a built-in feature for most citizens. In addition, it is sad that some of their personalities were suppressed after so many years of repression. Fortunately the most daring, especially among the younger generation, this is slowing changing and people are opening up about different aspects of their lives focusing on interesting topics like:

* Citizen Journalism
* Personal Blogs
* Academic Blogs
* Political blogs
* Bridge Blogs
* Cultural/Indigenous Blogs

Most blogs are written in Spanish, except for some bridge blogs and journals written by ex-pats. Here are some examples of these different categories in Paraguay:

Citizen Journalism - A very interesting blog called Rescatar [es], which means to Rescue, and hopes to “rescue” the experiences of civil society to learn, exchange and increase dialogue. They also share inspirational initiatives to contribute to Paraguay's development. Some stories focus on the Mennonite community in Paraguay and water rights issues.

Personal Blogs - Written by Luz Maria Toledo, Relatos y Sueños [es] (Stories and Dreams) talks about her dreams and her interesting inner reflections and comments about life with a lot of sensitivity and touch of irony.

Academic Blogs - Masonería Blog Los Arquitectos [es]talks about Masonry, free thinking, humanism and different aspects of Masonry thinking, it is written by Christian Gadea Saguier who is an architect who also has published 2 books called: “El Ministerio de los Masones” (The Ministry of the Masons) y “Los hijos de la Luz” (The Sons of the Light).

Political Blogs - Oasis Libertario [es] is written by Juan Carlos Rojas, a young Law student, who works for a Foundation. In addition, his aim is to promote libertarian ideas and the search for solutions to problems through debate. He also has interesting points of view about Liberty, Communism and Capitalism, as well as the upcoming election season:

En Paraguay existe un ambiente de mucha incertidumbre debido a la proximidad de las elecciones generales. La corrupción y la desconfianza están a la orden del día, así también la falta de ideas en cuanto a las propuestas que tienen los candidatos al electorado. Nos encontramos ante un dilema en donde no tenemos solución.

In Paraguay, there is an air of uncertainty due to the upcoming general elections. Corruption and distrust are at the top of the agenda, as well as the lack of ideas in the proposals of the candidates. We find ourselves in a dilemma that has no solution.

Bridge Blogs - From Seattle, WA, Muna Annahas is a Paraguayan National living far away from her native country . Her goal is to provide readers a glimpse into her “largely unknown” country. She treats readers to tips regarding travel within the country, reminisces about her most recent travels back to Asunción, and what she misses most about her hometown. As an amateur photographer she often illustrates her posts with interesting documentary photos and videos, and she writes her posts mostly in English so more people can understand and learn more about her beloved Paraguay.

Cultural/Indigenous Blogs - El Yacare [es/gu] is a weekly cultural blog about Paraguay's different cultural aspects, cultural activities, Guaraní Language, native population, etc. It talks about “Pea que Amoa” which means in guarani “This and that.” A main focus of the blog is devoted to solidarity campaigns and denouncing injustices against peasant and indigenous groups [es].

El Movimiento Agrario del Paraguay (MOAPA) denuncia la violencia instaurada en los asentamientos Primavera, Los Comuneros y Tapyi Pyajhu de la ciudad de Minga Guazú, a traves de los atropellos sistemáticos que vienen sufriendo desde meses atrás por sectores pertenecientes al oficialismo del Partido Colorado. Estos asentamientos fueron reconocidos con el decreto del Poder Ejecutivo Nº 6294/05, luego de 7 años de lucha por la tierra de manera pacífica pero con firmeza. Se consiguieron 400 hectáreas.

The Agrarian Movement of Paraguay (MOAPA for its initials in Spanish) denounce the violence that took place in the settlements of Primavera, Los Comuneros and Tapyi Pyajhu in the city of Minga Guazú, through the systematic violations that they have been suffering from the past few months at the hands of sectors that pertain to the government party, the Colored Party. These settlements were recognized by Executive decree No. 6294/05 after seven years of struggle for the land in a pacific, but firm manner. They were able to obtain 400 hectares.

There are some ex-pat blogs that I have to include in the next post. Paraguay is all about the experience and now thanks to our bloggers we can definitely know that there is much more happening than what we see in the news.

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