What’s Next for Venezuela?

October 1, 2010

Photo: Globovisión on Flickr

The wave of power that swept Hugo Chávez into office was seen as part of a new leftist revolution in Latin America. In the recent parliamentary elections in Venezuela, Chávez’s party barely retained control. Observers wonder whether this means that the power of Chávez’s socialist movement is on the wane. Nikolas Kozloff joined us two weeks ago to discuss Latin American elections. He joins us again to talk about the results in Venezuela.

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A Conversation with Bolivia’s President Evo Morales

Evo Morales and Maria Hinojosa. Photo: Xochitl Dorsey

Another leader in South America—celebrated and controversial—is Evo Morales, president of Bolivia. Morales is of Aymara Indian descent, and the first indigenous president of Bolivia. He was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly this month, and he sat down with Maria Hinojosa for a wide-ranging interview.

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Ecuador in Crisis

click for AP video on YouTube

The nation was in a state of emergency Thursday after some police and some members of the military violently protested cuts in employment benefits: there was tear gas in the streets and at least one death. Several people were wounded.

The President, Rafael Correa was treated in the hospital—where he remained for hours, some saying because the police refused to let him leave— for tear gas inhalation. Thursday night he spoke to the nation. Friday dawned with news that the Chief of Ecuador’s national police had resigned.

In Washington, Farm Workers & Stephen Colbert

By and large, the crops we eat are harvested by immigrants, a great many of them undocumented. The hue and cry over undocumented immigrants supposedly taking jobs away from Americans is always particularly loud when Washington tries to tackle comprehensive immigration reform. To combat this perception, the United Farm Workers of America asked the country to “Take Our Jobs.” The program gives people a chance to spend a day working in the fields to find out what it’s really like. The program has gained notoriety lately–but not, perhaps, in a way anyone expected. Satirist Stephen Colbert took part in the program, and he tesitified before Congress last week about his experience. Arturo Rodriguez, president of the UFW, talks with Latino USA about the covergage this has created–and whether the publicity generated has been the kind the UFW hoped for. Also in on the discussion is Edgar Garcia, UFW member and a strawberry picker who works in California.

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The Mayans of San Francisco: Navigating Three Worlds

In Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula is home to a large Mayan population. And here in the United States, the San Francisco Bay Area has one of the largest Mayan populations in the nation. Monica Ortiz Uribe found out how Mayans hold onto their heritage while making a home for themselves in the San Francisco Bay area.

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Y AHORA ALGO UN POCO MAS PERSONAL…

Some personal thoughts from Maria. As the seasons change, as vacations ends and work gets back into full swing, September is a time where many of us feel tired out. But Maria finds inspiration in the tireless energy of 80-year-old activist Dolores Huerta, a guest on Latino USA a few weeks ago. If she has the energy, so do we.

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