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Latin America

Mexico. The Land and the People. A Common Destiny.

Peasant communities of indigenous origin see the land not as a commodity to be consumed and exploited. But a living being integrated into their history and their identity. This is how the earth takes on a face with which to establish a relationship as a living being, as a neighbour, an ally and a witness…

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Colombia. The difficult change.

The new progressive executive is the spokesperson of ‘los nadies’, the marginalized, the “nobodies”, including Afro-Colombians. Many reforms are designed to create greater social justice. But they clash with a parliament in the hands of the opposition. After more than two hundred years of republican history characterized by political violence and conservative and oligarchic governments,…

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Afro-descendants. Still a long way to go.

With December, the decade (2015-2024) dedicated by the United Nations to Afro-descendants ends. Little has been done. Injustice and poverty still have an Afro face. Latin America and the Caribbean make up the most “biodiverse” region in the world. By biodiversity we mean not only flora and fauna but also ethnodiversity. The region’s multi-ethnic range…

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Nicaragua. Silent and silenced minority.

The constitution and laws should protect their rights. In reality, this is not the case: because of confiscated land, 70% of these Afro-descendants live below the poverty line, their language is threatened with extinction and their human rights are systematically violated. The Garifuna are an Afro-indigenous people originally from the island of Saint Vincent, but…

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The Last Campesinos in the Mexican Desert.

The small villages of the Tarahumara Indians in northern Mexico – where temperatures have risen above 50 degrees this year – have to deal not only with climate change, but also with injustice and discrimination. We accompany Brother Ricardo Greenley, a Jesuit, on one of his visits to Christian communities. Sand and desert, villages and…

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Brazil. Recognising Dignity.

A place where you can feel at home, welcomed and listened to. An island of refuge, in the turbulent sea of life. The project is called Get Up and Walk, in Salvador de Bahia. Emma Maribel Chiolini a young lay Comboni missionary who works on the project, tells us about it. Imagine a place where…

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Bolivia. The Ayoreos. The Wedding, Celebration full of cultural symbols.

The Ayoreos are an ethnic group that live in the eastern part of Bolivia. They number about 4,000 and live distributed in 29 communities. The name “Ayoreo” means “true men”. It refers to their way of life as hunters and gatherers. A glance at their wedding celebration. The celebration of marriage is not as rigidly…

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Mexico. New President, old president

Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo is the heir apparent of Amlo, the outgoing president. She will lead the second country in Latin America by population. Many challenges to face from corruption to violence. From October 1st, Claudia Sheinbaum, will lead Mexico. In the elections of June 2nd, she clearly beat (36 million votes against 16.5, over 30…

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Uruguay. A Buffer State.

The country is preparing for the next presidential elections which will be held on October 27th. The Frente Amplio is currently ahead in the polls. We retrace the political and economic path of this South American country. Located on the Atlantic side of the Southern Cone, and second in extension only to Suriname, Uruguay is…

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Between China and EU.

Despite the privileged position it enjoys and the fertility of its land, Uruguay presents a large disproportion between its territorial area of 176, 215 thousand km², and the number of its inhabitants equal to 3, 5 million, comparable to those of any capital. Of these, approximately 1,381,000 live in the capital Montevideo. In the opinion…

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Political and economic change.

Significant reforms. Opening up to new markets. The presidency of Pepe Mujica. The victory of the socialist Tabaré Vázquez within the Frente Amplio confederation, achieved in the first round with 50.05% of the votes, followed the wave of political change that had affected the Indio-Latin continent since the end of the 1990s and which was…

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The Guarani. The great family of creation.

For indigenous peoples, the earth is like a mother who offers her children the best that she herself can produce. Women are the producers and guardians of the common home. At Guarani ceremonies in Paraguay, shamans perform prayers in the form of a sacred dance to the rhythm of the beating (with the tacuara) of…

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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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