Guatemala 2009

On February 4, Dr. Klak spoke to our class concerning sustainability and tourism.

Dr. Klak argued a shift to sustainable tourism is needed. Practicing sustainable tourism minimizes the harmful effects of conventional tourism on the environment. Also, this approach empowers cultures and provides revenue for local communities.

On February 27th, Jeanne Hey spoke about the past and current economic situation of Latin America. Essentially, the industrialized countries, including the United States and Europe, are caught in a constant pattern of unequal trade with unindustrialized countries, including much of Latin America. In order for the developed countries to continue producing finished goods, they must be able to find reliable sources for raw goods; a role that countries like Guatemala play very well.

This class was really interesting because we learned a lot about America's influence in Latin America, specifically Guatemala. The United Fruit Company/Chiquita Banana essentially used Guatemala as a banana market, and and in order to ensure a need for a banana market in America, they inundated Americans with positive images of bananas to increase sales. A singing, dancing Chiquita banana, modeled after Carmen Miranda, became the symbol for the United Fruit Company.

Juan Carlos posses a way of vigilantly overseeing a classroom. His slow, deep voice and carefully constructed questions left me with a desire to reshape my hopes for this delegation. Juan Carlos posses a piercing conviction that I believe left my colleagues and I searching for the substance that lies beneath our interests for this Peace Delegation to Latin America. He began by playing us a song by a famous Guatemalan,Ricardo Aronja in which he sings candidly about his view of America.

Dr. Elena Albarrán spoke to our class about the period in Guatemalan History from 1890-1954 which was a period characterized by liberal economic policies. Ultimately a focus on foreign investment, rule by military governments, and massive landholdings led Guatemala to be deemed a "Banana Republic" when the United Fruit Company came into control of a vast portion of Guatemalan lands, using them to harvest and export bananas to the United States. As a result, the Guatemalan economy basically fell under control of the U.S. banking system.

We started off this class, as we often do, discussing funding issues. We then watched a documentary titled "Burning Rivers," which Kevin McLaughlin already provided a pretty good synopsis for.

As has already been mentioned, Susan Paulson spoke to our class on 2.12.09 regarding Women's Issues in Latin America. I enjoyed how she started off the class interactively by having us identify our preconceived notions of what constitutes "women's issues" and how they would vary in Latin America versus the United States. While addressing the issue of the economic divide between genders, Paulson mentioned that as a result of indusrial capitalism in Latin America there has been a divorce between the production and reproduction system.

In the age old tale of U.S. economic self interest in Latin America meets new liberal Latin American president meets CIA sponsored coup, the history of Guatemala does not differ. In the late 19th and early 20th century Central and Latin America were characterized by liberal economic policies which allowed for much foreign investment, especially that of the United States. These nations were also characterized by military dictatorships that supported these economic policies in an attempt to befriend the U.S. government. When U.S. investors deeply invested in the United Fruit Company, the U.S.

On January 22, our class had the opportunity to watch "Burning Rivers," a 1991 documentary that offers a perspective into the social and environmental crises occurring throughout the nation of Guatemala. In effect, the issues have been and are running in a hazardous cycle, where complex interconnections have caused conditions to worsen over time. The Guatemalan government , in order to make money, has taken control of nearly all of the arable land. It has taken this land from the 'Campesinos,' who are the original landowners who farm in subsistence.

On February 12, our Guatemalan Delegation had the pleasure of a visit by Susan Paulson, of the Latin American Studies program at Miami University. She spoke with us about women's issues in Latin America which, as she saw it, stemmed from three broader areas: colonialism, economy, and issues of violence. The colonial impact on Latin America, seen in everything from architecture to clothing, formed Latin American into a male-dominated society, where the sexuality of women was highly conserved and guarded.