RadioLAND

There are more than 20 candidates running in Guatemala’s presidential election, which will be held on June 16. Some of them, however, are facing scandals that may keep them off the ballot. Thelma Aldana, a former attorney general and a frontrunner in the presidential race, is one of them. Vaclav Masek talks to journalist Edgar Ortiz about what the accusations against Aldana could mean for Guatemala. Plus, LAND reporter Nicolas Bedoya talks about the Colombian Truth Commission and its work with the exile community.

Guests: Edgar Ortiz and Nicolas Bedoya. Hosts: Cecilia Nowell and Cameron Oakes. Reporter: Vaclav Masek. Producer: Alanna Elder. LAND editor: Colleen Connolly.

This episode was recorded on April 18, 2019. Music: Dub Kong by Caballo, Something Elated by Broke for Free, The 49th Street Galleria by Chris Zabreskie and a mix by Dax on the Trax.

A month-long blockade of the Pan-American Highway in Colombia is over, but the movement behind it is not, according to the leaders of a coalition of Indigenous groups. Producer Alanna Elder reports on what happened and what’s next. Plus, former LAND staff writer Hanna Wallis, who wrote about the movement for the New Republic, talks about what it was like to cover it on the ground.

Guests: Homer Hernán Magín, Jaime Diaz, Virginie Laurent and Hanna Wallis. Hosts: Jacqueline Kovarik and Vaclav Masek. Reporters: Chase DiBenedetto and Alanna Elder. Producer: Alanna Elder. LAND editor: Colleen Connolly.

This episode was recorded on April 11, 2019. Music: Secret Igloo by Yan Terrian, Piano Parapentes by Lobo Loco, Vijera Mistica by Chico Trujillo and a mix by Dax on the Trax.

Last Sunday was the birthday of Cesar Chavez, who in the 1960s, along with Dolores Huerta, led a movement demanding higher wages, better conditions and more recognition for the dignity of farm workers. In a country that today employs more than 2 million farm workers, there are many stories of daily life and resistance in the U.S. food system. Reporter Chase DiBenedetto talked to Mario Sifuentez, who has spent his career collecting that history, starting with his home state of Oregon. Plus, we read an excerpt from a LAND story by Gabriela Barzallo about the “Ni Una Menos” movement in Ecuador.

Guests: Mario Sifuentez. Hosts: Cameron Oakes and Alanna Elder. Reporter: Chase DiBenedetto. Producer: Alanna Elder. LAND editor: Colleen Connolly.

This episode was recorded on April 5, 2019. Music: Our Only Lark by Blue Dot Sessions, Happy Hour by Lobo Loco, Isalaga by Yan Terrien, People of the Sun by Rage Against the Machine and a mix by Dax on the Trax.

Against a backdrop of machismo and impunity in the justice system, the #MeToo movement erupted in Mexico last week, with thousands of women sharing stories of harassment and abuse on social media. Producer Alanna Elder spoke with two women who are working to confront this crisis. Plus, LAND editor Colleen Connolly talked to Brazilian reporter Eduardo Campos Lima about a controversial anti-crime bill being debated in Brazil’s Congress. You can read his story on latindispatch.com.

Guests: Mara Muñoz, Nidia Bautista and Eduardo Campos Lima. Hosts: Chase DiBenedetto and Sofía Cerda Campero. Producer: Alanna Elder. LAND editor: Colleen Connolly.

This episode was recorded on March 29, 2019. Music: Islalaga by Yan Terrian, Hopefully by Lobo Loco, Autumn Morning by Lobo Loco and a mix by Dax on the Trax.

Two days before the one-year anniversary of the killing Rio de Janeiro Councilwoman Marielle Franco, police in Brazil arrested two former officers for the assassination. In communities all over the world, people gathered to remember her this week. Producer Alanna Elder went to one of these gatherings in New York. Plus, LAND editor Colleen Connolly talked to Alvaro Céspedes, who spent a year reporting about a Peruvian woman’s 30-year quest for justice after she was raped and her husband was killed during Peru’s internal armed conflict. You can read his story on latindispatch.com.

Guests: Marcia Tiburi, Kendall Thomas, Edson Cadette and Alvaro Céspedes. Hosts: Emily Corona and Cecilia Nowell. Producer: Alanna Elder. LAND editor: Colleen Connolly.

This episode was recorded on March 15, 2019. Music: Assinatura de sal by Minha Embala, Memories in Love by Lobo Loco, Isalaga by Yan Terrien and a mix by Dax on the Trax.

Two men claim to be the legitimate president of Venezuela: opposition leader Juan Guaidó and sitting president Nicolás Maduro. Leaders of countries in the Americas and beyond have thrown their support behind one or the other. Producer Alanna Elder talks to Alejandro Velasco, a Venezuela historian and the executive editor of the NACLA Report on the Americas, about how a lot of this talk has drowned out another potential way forward. Plus, LAND editor Colleen Connolly talks to Jennapher Lunde Seefeldt about the coming oil boom in Guyana and how the country might avoid the pitfalls of its neighbor, Venezuela.

Guests: Alejandro Velasco and Jennapher Lunde Seefeldt. Hosts: Cameron Oakes and Chase DiBenedetto. Producer: Alanna Elder. LAND editor: Colleen Connolly.

This episode was recorded on March 7, 2019. Music: Dub Kong by Caballo, A Little Sympathy by Lee Rosevere, The Women Fancy by the Agrarians, Mujer by Musikero Calenchu & Yadi Camara and a mix by Dax on the Trax.

On Feb. 24, Cubans voted to replace the constitution they've had for the last 40 years. Reporter Vaclav Masek talks to Cuban blogger and researcher Harold Cárdenas about the changes this brings to the island. Plus, reporter Jacqueline Kovarik talks to the Hemispheric Institute about the launch of a new website documenting the expulsion of refugees and migrants from Central America.

Guests: Harold Cárdenas, Amanda Lotspike and Marcial Godoy-Anativia. Hosts: Cameron Oakes and Vaclav Masek. Reporters: Vaclav Masek and Jacqueline Kovarik. Executive producer: Alanna Elder. LAND editor: Colleen Connolly

This episode was recorded on March 1, 2019. Music: Dub Kong by Caballo, Home Fire by Robert John, Our Only Lark by Blue Dot Sessions, and a mix by Dax on the Trax.

As protests continued in Haiti, a bizarre story broke out: eight people, including five former U.S. military members, were arrested in Port-au-Prince with cars full of weapons. In other news from Latin America, a migrant shelter in Mexico closed and Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro closed his country's border with Brazil. Lastly, Aleesa Mann talks about her reporting on black women activists in Brazil working for change, starting from their own communities.

Guests: Vania André and Aleesa Mann. Hosts: Chase DiBenedetto and Cameron Oakes. Executive producer: Alanna Elder. LAND editor: Colleen Connolly

This episode was recorded on Feb. 22, 2019. Thanks to Caballo and Dax on the Trax for the music.

El Salvador elected a new "outsider" president, Nayib Bukele, who upset the country's two-party system. In other news from Latin America, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó continued his efforts to unseat President Nicolás Maduro, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán was found guilty and the ghost of Pablo Escobar's former drug ring has been haunting Colombia in the form of a 3,000-pound animal — the hippo. Lastly, LAND reporter Jacquelyn Kovarik discusses the launch of the U.N. 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages.

Guests: Vaclav Masek and Jacquelyn Kovarik. Hosts: Chase DiBenedetto and Cameron Oakes. Reporter: Emily Corona. Executive producer: Alanna Elder. LAND editor: Colleen Connolly