SIS/LSJ 322:Human Rights in Latin

America

Fall 2009

Prof. Angelina Godoy

Goals for this class: 3 threads

1. Basic familiarity with evolving global field of human rights– Civil/political to social/economic– Open question: how do we face urgent challenges of

the 21st century?

2. Basic human rights history of Latin America– Rooted in sociopolitical struggle– Multiple vantage points

3. Situating ourselves in the mix

What are human rights?

• Fluid and changing concept– Not a concrete “thing” defined in laws on the books,

but a constantly-changing dialogue about the kind of world we want

• There are multiple ways of understanding rights, but too often we assume there is a sort of consensus around the vision of rights we find most familiar– This means taking Latin American voices, views

seriously

Carlos Mejía Godoy, “Quincho Barrilete”De la marimba de chavalos de la

TirsaEste tal Quincho se las gana a los

demásCon sus diez años no cumplidos

todavíaEs hombre serio, como pocos en su

edad.

Mientras su mama se penquea en la rebusca

Quincho se faja como todo un tayacán

Mañana y tarde vende bolis en los buses

para que puedan sus hermanos estudiar.

Of the group of kids from TirsaThis kid Quincho beats the rest of

‘em,He’s not yet ten years oldBut he’s a serious man, like few kids

his age.

While his mother barely scrapes by scavenging,

Quincho pulls himself up like a tayacán (leader)

Day and night he sells pens on the buses

So that his siblings can go to school.

Que viva Quincho, Quincho Barrilete,

Héroe infantil de mi ciudad,Que vivan todos los chavalos de mi

tierra,Ejemplo vivo de pobreza y

dignidad.

Que viva Quincho, Quincho Barrilete

Su nombre, no se olvidará,Porque en las calles, plazas,

parques y barriadasEl pueblo lo repetirá.

Long live Quincho, Quincho Barrilete

Child hero of my city,Long live all the kids of my

land,Living examples of poverty

and dignity.

Long live Quincho, Quincho Barrilete

His name will not be forgottenBecause in the streets, plazas,

parks and slumsThe people will repeat his

name.

Joaquín Carmelo viene a ser solo un membrete

que le pusieron en la pila bautismal,pero su nombre de combate es

Barriletele cae al pelo, con su personalidad.

Allá en el Open, vive desde el terremoto,

a hacer lechuzas este Quincho es un campeón,

por un chelín, te hace un cometa prodigioso

para ponerle un telegrama al colochón.

Joaquín Carmelo is just a label

They put on his baptismal certificate,

But his combat name is Barrilete

And it suits him perfectly, with his personality.

There in the Open, where he lives ever since the earthquake,

He’s a champion at kitemaking

For 25 cents he’ll make you a great kite

That you can use to send a telegram to God

El tiempo sigue, incontenible, su camino

Y el chavalito que vivió en el Open tres

No volvera a ponerse más pantalon chingo

Ni la gorrita con la visera al revés.

Un dia va a enrrollar la cuerda del cometa

Y muy feliz mirando al sol se marchará

Enfrentará las realidades de su pueblo

Y con los pobres de su patria luchará.

But time keeps passingAnd the boy that lived in the

Open TresOne day won’t be wearing

shorts anymoreOr that cap with the visor

facing backwards

One day he’s going to roll up his kite strings

And happily, with his eyes on the horizon, he’ll march off

He’ll confront the realities of his people

And alongside the poor people of his country he will struggle.

Kids in Open Tres today(now known as Ciudad Sandino)

Assumptions about rights?

Assumption that US is “more advanced”: what’s wrong with this?

• World interdependent-> we may be part of the problem even if the symptoms crop up elsewhere

• Countries follow different historical trajectories

• For any solution to be sustainable, has to be driven by local participants; models imposed from outside don’t work

What are human rights?

1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights – established rights that every human being

should have, simply by virtue of his/her humanity

– these include full spectrum of rights, civil and political as well as social, cultural, and economic

Types of rights

Political rights enable people to participate freely in the political process.

-right to participateCivil rights (or civil liberties) are the freedoms to

develop views, institutions and personal autonomy apart from the state. Protect the individual from abuses of his/her liberties by the state.

-right to fair trial-right to exercise one’s own religion

Social, economic, and cultural rights

Social, economic and cultural rights include rights to : adequate levels of fooddignified housing, and work conditionsrights to education, healthrights to retain one’s cultural identity

UDHR includes all types of rights, but political circumstances especially in the North have led to greater acceptance of civil/political rights as rights

Overview of the class

Authoritarian period in Latin America

-Birth of contemporary human rights movement

-Primary concern with civil/political rights: torture, disappearances, extrajudicial executions

“Quincho Barrilete”

Overview of the class

Contemporary period

-Transition to democracy failed to resolve underlying socioeconomic issues

-Increasing attention to social, economic, and cultural marginalization as rights issues

-New opportunities and challenges for human rights

El Alto, Bolivia13,000 feet up90% indigenous (Aymara)50% lives on less than USD $1 a day

Raza Insana, “Hijos del Tawantinsuyo” / Children of Tawantinsuyo

Raza insanaMi .38 que no juegaEl altiplano se uneEcuador y BoliviaHip hop de lucha

De Tawantinsuyo somos los hijos

Somos latinos, negros, indios y mestizos

Hoy vivimos cambios, complicaciones

¿Cómo no? si somos hijos de violaciones

(2x)

Insane RaceMy .38 doesn’t play aroundThe highlands uniteEcuador and BoliviaHip hop of the struggle

We are the children of Tawantinsuyo (the Inca nation)

We are latinos, black, indigenous, and mestizos

Today we’re living through change, and complications

How could it be otherwise? If we are the children of violations/rapes

(repeat chorus)

Somos hijos de asesinatos y violaciones durante mas de cinco siglos de cultura.

Casi estamos extinguidos.Hemos aprendido la vergüenza, la

apariencia, el miedo a la naturaleza. Primero nos roban, luego nos cambian

la idea de riqueza, ahora empieza a cambiar la cosa. De la tierra la Pachamama nos da su fuerza.

Hemos salido de la union Bolivia y Ecuador que flow, luchar en

contra del racismoLuego en la sangre, but… Raiz cultural Con mucha humildadRecorriendo muchos caminos,

senderos, retosSeguros y perfectosDesde El Alto

We are the children of murders and rapes over the course of more than 5 centuries of our culture.

We’ve almost been extinguished.We’ve learned shame, superficial

values, fear of nature. First they stole from us, then they

changed our idea of what “riches” means. Now things are starting to change. From the land, Mother Earth gives us her strength.

We have been born of unionBolivia and Ecuador, struggling

against racismIt’s in our blood, but… Cultural roots With great humilityTravelling along many paths, ways,

challengesSecure and perfectFrom El Alto

Mi casa, mi hogarLlego y llevo el pensamiento de

masacrarPara el mundoY mashutikangi soy micrófono del

imperio inca que eran miles de guerreros.

Una nueva invasión hace tiempo que empezó.

Ahora tiene que tener claro de que lado estas vos.

De Tawantinsuyo somos los hijosSomos latinos, negros, indios y

mestizosHoy vivimos cambios,

complicaciones¿Cómo no? si somos hijos de

violaciones (2x)Hijos de la Mama PachaCachas el poder y ahora haces

masasNos levantamos y despertamos

My house, my homeI’ve come and I bring thoughts of

massacresTo the world (Aymara word) I am the

microphone of the Inca empire, which was thousands of warriors.

A new invasion started, some time ago.

Now you have to get straight which side you’re on.

We are the children of Tawantinsuyo We are latinos, black, indigenous, and mestizos

Today we’re living through change, and complications

How could it be otherwise? If we are the children of violations/rape (repeat)

Children of mother EarthYou catch power, and now you

move massesWe awaken and rise up

Del sueno eterno trepados en los Andes cielos

Hijos de TawantinsuyoRompiendo las cadenas de la

dominación, ahora en este flow ya doy mi opinión, alze mi voz, y ya sabés

Somos los verdaderos pues,Subimos los senderos, luchando

con fuerza y valorResistencia hasta este díaYo, flow, luchando con fuerza y

valor

Pana ¿Qué pasa? Masa tras masaMatico en la casaQuinientos años de prisiónEsta es la ocasión donde entra mi

flowEsta es la canción TawantinsuyoHumillación y traición

From the eternal slumber on the mountaintops of the Andes, skies,

Children of TawantinsuyoBreaking the chains of domination,

now in this flow I´m giving my opinion, I raised my voice, and you know

We are the true ones, We walk up the paths, struggling

with strength and valorResisting to this dayStruggling with strength and valor

What´s happening? Mass mobilizations

Matico’s in the houseFive hundred years of prisonThat´s the scenario where my words

are coming fromThis is the song of TawantinsuyoHumiliation and betrayal

Mi gente despierta, lucha y protesta

Causa de los aprovechadores del primer mundo

Guerreros de sangre morenaPor ellos mi sangre encierra,

estoy sintiendo palabras, viendo masacre, fuera de juego

Hechos y perfectosSiempre causando injusticiaMi gente se achicaSe vuelve suicidaSiguen actuandoY encierra mi futuroDices te juro y lo digo seguro…

(palabras aymaras)

My people wake up, struggle, and protest

Because of those from the first world who take advantage of us

Warriors of brown bloodFor them, my blood closes up, I

am feeling words, seeing massacre, out of bounds

Facts and figuresAlways causing injusticeMy people get smallerIt becomes suicidalThey keep actingClosing off my futureYou say, I swear, I tell you for

sure…

(Aymara words)

What does Raza Insana tell us about human rights?

1. Legacies of historical inequalities

2. Requiring everyday resistance and rebellion

3. Shaped by distinct cultural traditions, but also by globalization