Following the right-wing coup in Bolivia and the resignation of Evo Morales, the governments and people of several Latin American countries have let their thoughts and opinions be heard. One of the main countries voicing their opinion is Mexico, which granted Morales political asylum following his coerced resignation by the military in an order to return the country to peace. A Mexican Air Force G550 was sent Monday morning to pick up Morales in a proactive effort, not a reactive effort. There was uneasiness in the journey because the plane took off from Lima, Peru it was not allowed to land in Bolivia and had to return and wait for hours. After Morales was picked up, the plane was not able to refuel in Peru “due to political evaluations.” The plane was then able to land in Paraguay after a discussion between Argentina’s President-elect Alberto Fernandez and Paraguay’s President Mario Abdo. Following his departure, Morales tweeted “Sisters and brothers, I am leaving towards Mexico… It hurts to leave the country for political reasons; however, I will always be watching. Soon I will return with more strength and energy.”

Many left-leaning Latin American governments have expressed their thoughts that this was coup, while right-leaning governments like the US and the UK have expressed this as a return to democracy. Nicaragua’s left-leaning president Daniel Ortega has called this a coup and shows his unwavering support for Morales. Argentina’s foreign minister agrees with the recommendation from the OAS about holding new elections, but its President-elect Alberto Fernandez describes what has been happening a coup, saying “It was a coup perpetrated against the president who had called for a new electoral process”. There have even been huge protests in Buenos Aires against the coup. Venezuela’s Maduro condemned this suspected coup and added his support for the Native Bolivian people who he calls “victims of racism,” while Juan Guaido describes this as a continuation of the “democratic hurricane in Latin America”. Cuba has also called this a coup. Countries with more center and/or right-leaning governments have not called this a coup, but do call for a peaceful transition and process, these countries include Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Brazil.

Latin America as a whole is portrayed differently in all the articles I looked at. It depends on which news site, but these sites seem more or less neutral and just reporting on an event that could be considered a coup or not, which also depends on which government leader people are asking. This is very important to our class discussion because Latin America has a lengthy history of right-wing coups that have taken out democratically elected governments. We are seeing history in the making, and a history that has clearly repeated itself.

Sources

1. https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Bolivias-Evo-Morales-Lands-In-Mexico-As-A-Political-Refugee-20191112-0005.html
2. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/mexico-grants-asylum-bolivia-evo-morales-191111232118741.html
3. https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/13/americas/bolivia-political-unrest-intl-hnk/index.html
4. https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/massive-mobilization-in-buenos-aires-against-coup-in-bolivia-20191112-0021.html

On November 3rd, the day after Mexico’s famous holiday, “Day of the Dead,” protests erupted across Mexico City. The protest was about the number of murdered and missing women rising across Latin America. Protesters carried over one hundred purple crosses across the country’s capital. Each cross had the name of specific women who have been murdered or gone missing. The protest was titled “Dia de Muertas,” which translates to “Day of the Dead Women.” BBC’s article discussed the reason behind women being murdered as “femicide.” “Femicide, the murder of a woman because of her gender, kills 12 women daily in Latin America according to the UN” (BBC, Violence Against Women: ‘Day of the Dead Women’ Protest in Mexico City). The protesters laid large posters across the city’s ground showcasing over forty specific women’s faces who have been murdered or gone missing. A highlight of the posters was one that said, “Not one more.” The protest was led by the group, “Voices of Absence.” Frida Guerrara, a journalist and activist, led the demonstration.

The main reason behind the protest is for women to have their voices be heard after too many have been killed because of their gender. The protest also attempted to raise awareness and “[demand] justice through the legal system” (BBC). As mentioned before, “femicide” has been a massive issue across Latin America, and the world, and the protest successfully brought people’s attention to this problem. “Latin America is home to 14 of the 25 countries with the highest rates of femicide in the world, and 98% of gender-related killings go unprosecuted” (BBC). In 2018, the United Nations started their campaign to end gender-violence in Latin America. The United Nations’ deputy head, Amina Mohammed, “… praised Mexico, among other Latin American countries, for having the ‘political courage to confront and end femicide” (BBC). A similar protest occurred in Mexico back in 2016. Instead of posters, protesters and activists laid out high heels and pink crosses to remember the women who were murdered.

In BBC’s article, they portray Latin America as a dangerous region to be in. The article mainly discusses how the majority of Latin American countries are extremely high in “femicide” and for violence, in general. The article also portrays Latin America as a region that needs plenty of help. The article discusses the United Nations’ impact in Mexico and other Latin American countries. For example, as discussed before, the UN’s campaign and initiative to eliminate gender-violence in Latin America is still a work in progress, clearly, but will eventually and ultimately help this struggling region of the world.

In relation to our class, the article shows that there is still a lot of chaos in Latin America today. The article shows how women are still being mistreated, even violently, as they were throughout revolutionary history. To summarize, the protest shows that there is still gender disparity, in incredibly unfortunate ways of violence, across Latin America and the world. Moreover, it proves that male dominance still occurs and the stereotype of a superior and inferior gender are very much active.

Article:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-50287993