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Latin America

The Catholic Church. The repression goes on.

A ferocious campaign against the Catholic Church. Priests imprisoned and tortured. Bishops, priests and religious expelled. Nationality revoked. Christian communities deprived of their popular devotions. On Sunday afternoon, our meeting place is the Plaza Inter shopping centre, in the food court near the Hugo Chávez roundabout, in the centre of Managua. I see him arrive,…

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Colombia. The Wayúu. The spider taught them how to weave.

In the northern tip of Colombia and Venezuela, an indigenous ethnic group has survived, proud of its artisanal tradition. From one stitch to another, this is the textile culture of the desert. According to the myths and traditions of the women of the Wayúu community, settled in the Colombian department of La Guajira, on the…

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Nicaragua. One big prison.

Seven years have passed since the protests against the regime. Assassinations, desaparecidos, incarcerations and deportations have marked the life of this country during those years. The Ortega-Murillo dictatorship continues its repressive action undaunted. At the entrance to the habitation of Niquinohomo, a small village not far from Masaya, stands the statue of General Augusto César…

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Towards a “family dictatorship”.

Change of the constitution. The introduction of a co-presidency. Total control over legislative and judicial power. Establishing a voluntary police force as an auxiliary and support to the National Police. Towards a “family dictatorship”. On January 30, 2025, the National Assembly of Nicaragua approved a constitutional reform that significantly strengthened the power of President Daniel…

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An Unequal Economy.

Modest growth. A dramatic increase in remittances. Over a million people undernourished. Chinese domination. Political indoctrination in schools. The Oriental Market in the capital Managua is the largest market in Central America. A large labyrinth where you can find everything. In one of the shops I met Dona Elvira Arua Pimeda, she has been working…

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Bolivia. The Art of the Andes.

The ancient art of weaving continues to be the heart of life in the Bolivian highlands, where extraordinary fabrics reflect the cultural identity of Andean communities. The inhabitants of the Bolivian highlands are not nomadic herders but live in permanent settlements on lands where nature is not generous. This has forced them to exploit the…

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Bolivia. The Birth and Growth of Ayoreo Children.

The Ayoreo are an ethnic group living in eastern Bolivia. There are about 4,000 people and they are distributed in 29 communities. A look at the birth and education of the children. Ayoreo women prefer to give birth in their community because they want to continue with their ancestral practices, which consist of receiving a…

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Bolivia. The Sound of the Andes.

Native music is very important for the cultural and spiritual identity of the Andean peoples since it is the expression of the sentiment and joy of the Quechua and Aymara indigenous communities and other cultures of the Andes. It also plays a fundamental role in their agricultural calendar. Native music is the expression of an…

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The Last Priority.

Migration control, drug trafficking, authoritarian governments and trade imbalances will be among the priorities of the new Trump administration toward Latin America. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the 53-year-old senator, the first Latino to hold the highest post in the star-spangled diplomacy. What is important for the new administration in its relations with Latin America…

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Ecuador. A state of emergency.

Successive governments have failed to improve the political and economic conditions of Afro-Ecuadorians. Drug-related crime is making their conditions even worse. Afro-Ecuadorians represent approximately 7-10% of Ecuador’s total population. This means that there are between 1.2 and 1.75 million Afro-descendants in a country of approximately 17.5 million people. Most of this population is concentrated in…

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Advocacy

Maria Ressa. Information that gives hope.

“We want to create a federation of international journalistic organisations that collaborate in this effort, starting from the global South,” says Filipino journalist and 2022…

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Baobab

The Leopard, the Dog and the Tortoise.

Once upon a time, there was a leopard. He had a huge walnut tree that was full of nuts. Stingy as he was, however, he forbade…

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Youth & Mission

Mission. In the school of life and humanity.

Three young Comboni missionaries from three continents share their vocation stories and missionary experiences. Fr Victor Cunanan Parungao from the Philippines reflects on 15 years of…

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