España, un País en crisis

!Por la Revolución de las Ideas!

Desde que en el 2008 se produjo la caída de la bolsa y su posterior recesión, el Mundo está en crisis, tanto económica como políticamente. Y eso se observa en todos los ámbitos de la sociedad española y sus residentes. En las calles, los bares, el metro, las plazas, los parques, el tema líder es la crisis y lo que ella conlleva. “Los precios suben, pero los sueldos siguen bajando” esto es lo que más se repite en las calles y lo cierto es que cada día los precios suben. Si no es la gasolina, los impuestos o la educación, lo único cierto es que los precios suben y los gastos familiares no dan espera. La población española está cansada de que los responsables de dirigir el país les engañen, de que no cumplan las promesas que en las recientes campañas electorales prometieron y por ello muchos ya han visto la solución, sobre todo los jóvenes. La emigración. Emigrar, como lo hicieron sus abuelos o bisabuelos en época de Franco y como hacen todos los pueblos para poder llegar a tener una estabilidad en el futuro.

Eso es lo que demandan las nuevas y las no tan nuevas generaciones españolas, ya que la mayoría de ingenieros, médicos, enfermeros, economistas y profesionales con los que cuenta el país están “huyendo”, la mayoría a Alemania, el buque europeo por excelencia. Pero no solo los españoles están comenzando a emigrar. La población latina está empezando a ver que su sueño de venir a España para ahorrar lo máximo posible, volver a sus respectivos países y así poder comprar una casa donde disfrutar de la familia y de su país se está truncando. El sueldo base, en 2012, está en 600€, digamos que en un hogar estándar los habitantes de una casa son cuatro, dos menores y dos adultos, es decir 1.200€ al mes. De esos 1200€ o menos, entre unos gastos y otros, al mes, una familia latina de estas características, de beneficio no llega a los 350€, es decir, no se puede hablar de ahorro.

A todo esto se le suma que ya no es tan fácil encontrar trabajo, las calidades de esos trabajos son precarios porque obligan al trabajador a trabajar 12h con descansos de 30 min o lo indispensable para ir a comer, al baño y volver al trabajo. Y si le unimos que los únicos trabajos donde un latino encontraba o encuentra algo es la construcción, la hostelería y la limpieza y todo eso se acabo con la crisis, ya no existe ese incentivo de ganar dinero, ya no tienen esa esperanza de una mejor vida, porque la mayoría ve que en su país de origen a pesar de que la situación está peor, al menos tienen a su familia junto a ellos. Españoles y latinos tienen algo en común y es que ambos ven que Latinoamérica es el futuro, así como una vez lo fue España. La mayoría de españoles o al menos una gran parte se están yendo a Alemania y los latinos a sus países, pero la otra parte de españoles que no se van a Alemania emigran a Sudamérica y no sólo la gente de a pie, la grandes empresas están comenzando a ver a Latinoamérica con otros ojos, ahora la ven como futura potencia y un lugar donde poder instalarse con mínimos costos de operación y altos beneficios. Es la vía de escape más fácil para una solución rápida, para que las empresas no caigan. Ahora deberíamos preguntarnos dónde queda el miedo que hace dos años existía cuando se hablaba del peligro de las mafias, las drogas, las luchas internas en Latinoamérica. La historia se repite y como un nuevo viaje al “Nuevo Mundo” los españoles vuelven a la América, pero esta vez ¿para colaborar en el crecimiento de ambos? En los próximos años veremos el futuro de Sudamérica y sus nuevos inquilinos. Lo único cierto es que España es un país en crisis y la luz al final del túnel no se ve tan cerca.

Natalia Forero Cristancho
Columnista
Latribunacolus.com

Romeo Langlois, In The Hands of Terrorism

!Por la Revolución de las Ideas!

Home

A few days ago in the mountains of Colombia, Roméo Langlois, a French journalist was kidnapped while patrolling along with Colombia’s army. Apparently, Langlois was walking with the army and reporting their everyday routine against Farc. When surprised and attacked by FARC, Langlois ran thinking he would be killed. Instead of waiting with the army, he fled the scene with an unfortunate outcome. Langlois was captured by FARC and they are holding him captive and considering him a prisoner of war.

Farc released a statement earlier this Monday in which they continue to claim the French reporter as a prisoner of war, and demanded equal rights on regards to freedom of speech. This undesirables claim that Langlois was reporting only the version of the Colombian Government, and therefore, should be considered a prisoner of war. They claim that many journalists, who have done investigations about FARC or in favor of this terrorist group, are now outside Colombia simply because the government black listed them as terrorists because they were helping spread FARC’s message. As ironic as it may seem that a terrorist group pretends to make a reporter doing his job a prisoner of war, is completely absurd and out of context. Langlois cannot be compared with journalists who aid FARC; that is unacceptable .Farc claims that many reporters, who have been caught interviewing Farc members or simply spreading Farc’s message, have been isolated, and therefore pursued by the government for aiding Farc. This terrorist group has said that until they don’t have the same rights as the Colombian army on regards to freedom of speech, they won’t release the French reporter. It is completely out of this world that a terrorist group asks for equal rights when it comes down to reporting what happens in Colombia. Freedom of speech, Are they kidding us? Unfortunately they are not. Langlois’s kidnapping comes as a result of Santos’s shift on security policies and how to deal with FARC.

During Alvaro Uribe’s Government Farc was treated as a terrorist group, and, therefore, was attacked and pursued in every corner of the Colombian territory. Now, Santos and his bright team of advisors decided to change things and change Colombia’s conflict from a terrorist’s threat to an internal conflict. That changes things in a big way, and as a result, Mr. Langlois is called today a prisoner of war. By changing the name of Colombia’s conflict, Santos immediately gave farc a belligerence status that allows Farc to kidnap a person and call him a prisoner of war. This was not possible during Uribe’s Government, but since Santos betrayed everybody who believed in him, now the country sees how Farc will play with Colombia due to the fact that there is a weak government that favors Terrorism in Colombia. These organizations do not understand soft talk, they understand the talk of the law coming down on them with force and destroying them. Colombia was very effective in diminishing Farc, but with Santos that is at risk, and Langlois’s kidnapping is proof of this.

At latribunacolus.com we expect Langlois to be liberated soon, but as we have seen in the past, this may not come so easily. Santos has to reassess his strategy against Farc and go after them with no pity. Mr. Santos if you want to secure peace, you must not continue to enforce weak policies against Farc. A strong hand is needed and you have demonstrated that you are not that strong when attacking Farc. Langlois must be liberated and you Mr. Santos were elected to avoid these things from happening. Do your job without favoring those who support terror in Colombia. If you hadn’t changed the name of the Colombian conflict, this would not be happening. Langlois must be liberated at once, and Farc must be terminated to avoid good people from falling into the hands of terrorism.

Cristhian Mancera Mejia

Director

www.latribunacolus.com

Latribunacolus.com Press Service

Jairo Varela ( Grupo Niche), a Leading Voice in Colombian Folk Music

!Por la Revolución de las Ideas!

Miami, Florida, May 6^th 2012- At latribunacolus.com we celebrate Jairo Varela’s 30 year anniversary by exposing his work and a bit of his story. It is an honor to speak about a man who has exported Colombian culture around the world. Jairo Varela was born on December 9, 1949, in Pretoria, Department of Chocó (Colombia). He was raised in the home of a merchant Antonio Varela from Restrepo, Antioquia, and a Chocó writer and poet Teresa de Jesus Martinez Arce. Writer and composer Jairo Varela has been an incredible figure in Colombian folk music as well as an ambassador to Colombian Culture and African influences in Colombian Music. Jairo came in contact with music at the age of 8 when he formed the group “LaTima”, which essentially was a flute, a bongo, maracas and guiro. Varela was always in love with music and had dreamt of becoming an artist since he heard his first tunes of music.

Colombia is a country filled with a lot of African heritage and influence due to the slave trade during the conquest era of the Spanish colonization. During many years Colombia experienced periods of high levels of racism and exclusion. Jairo Varela has been a man that has built a bridge to close cultural differences and eliminate racial tensions in the country. Jairo is a man with great artistic talent and a sense for business that have led him to becoming an icon in salsa and folk music in Colombia. Jairo Varela has been seeking to be a part of Colombian music since his early years. At 8 his grandfather gave him a guitar which he later used as a tool to compose and guide his love for music.

When Varela became older, he moved to Bogotá, Colombia, in order to search for opportunities and for his dream of becoming a well known singer. His dream was not an easy one, especially in a country where opportunities for black people were not so easy to achieve. Nevertheless, Jairo had enough courage to move from his hometown to Colombia’s capital. As an early composer he created “Hard” and “Atrato Traveler”, which later became a great success in the third album of his well known band called ”Group Niche”.Atrato is the name of the river that borders his home state Quibdó.This song became his first take into exporting his culture into the world. Showing Colombians and the world African American Colombian trends in music was one of Varela’s main goals, and to date it remains the same. After a few years, in 1978, Varela established his well known music band “Grupo Niche” (Niche in Colombian slang refers to African American Colombian people). Varela, perhaps, was one of the first Afro- Colombian singers to address the issues of racial discrimination, ethnic and social consequences in Colombia. He has sung not only about racial differences, but also about poverty and exclusion.

  

Varela has contributed to Colombia’s positive exposure in the world. His music is now heard all over the world where salsa is played, and Colombia is seen through the tunes and lyrics of Jairo Varela. Many black underprivileged kids have looked up to Jairo and tried to pursue their dreams as singers away from ghettos and violent environments. In Colombia’s internal conflict, Varela has played an important role in showing many people that being outside the law is not the path to follow, and along those lines he has also shown why being black in Colombia matters. He has shown generations of blacks that they can achieve their goals if they set their minds to it. Jairo has been an inspiring figure for many African youngsters, and in his 30^th year anniversary we celebrate his great influence on Colombian culture before you.

Today Colombia has singers like Shakira and Juanes who produce a lot of music, but unlike Jairo, they have not been identified as artists whose dedication to culture and disadvantaged communities has impacted generations in Colombia. Jairo has brought positive changes to his adopted city of Cali, Valle, Colombia. In Cali, many see Jairo as an idol that has brought music, diversity and excitement to the city which has had a lot of issues to resolve in the recent years. One of Jairo’s accomplishments has been to be the first Colombian artist to be appearing in Madison Square Garden, New York City. In addition to this he has written and composed 25 albums since 1975. As of now, Varela is producing his latest album called ”Black light” that tells the story of a young black kid who is displaced from his town in Chocó due to the paramilitary violence that surrounds this Colombian area. Later he finds himself in the ghettos of Cali, Colombia, and strives to survive as a young black kid. This story narrates the drama that many families face as they move from their homes due to the violence in the country side, and making Colombian society aware of this situation is what makes this album special. Jairo’s mission has been fulfilled as he has influenced many with his music and lyrics. Colombia has shined around the world through his music and not necessarily for cocaine or heroin. Varela has given many underprivileged kids in Colombia a reason to hope that tomorrow will be better and that their voices for help will be heard.

Jairo Varela should be considered as a voice of Colombian afro-culture around the world, and his legacy has been seen in the impact of his music in Colombia. He has brought together communities that never thought would sit at the same table. He has shown Colombian society that blacks are educated, and they can achieve many important goals and not just be maids, security guards or policemen. He gave the black community a reason to dream, and that’s why latribunacolus.com renders tribute to this man’s legacy and work. In the country torn by civil war, Varela has been a warrior in closing the gap to reach peace in Colombia. Therefore, he is a man of courage and should be admired for his work on behalf of underprivileged communities in Colombia and Colombian culture in general.

LaTribunacolus.com Press Service