Desfiles de Bufos (Parade of the Fools)

Uh Oh....

No!  All for fun!

Welcome to the show.  The annual Guatemala City tradition of political mockery, hosted by university students.  Just like in the States, and most other places, many politicians here deserve a public defacing for their lack of social action or anything close to humanitarian.  The mockery is done appropriately with absurdity - a perfect revelation of the ridicuoulsness of politics.  Like this:

"malnutrition"

Featured above are the delightful duo currently holding office.  With the election coming up, the first lady (se llama primera puta), Sandra Torres, has decided that she would like to run the country.  But, the constiution indicates that no relative of a president may run for office (or relative of ex-dictators which overthrew the govt illegally - the daughter of one is also trying to run) .  What to do, Sandra?  That's unfair!  How about divorce!  "For the love of my country."  Perfect...now she's ready!  Ohhhhh, bummer...in all the excitement she forgot that she is a Catholic, along with the majority of her constituents ("until death do us part..."). 

Sandra lookin' good for the photo-op

To me the divorce is so ridiculous that I could imagine it to be an act of sabotage in order to support another party (considering the level of corruption and above-the-law business here).  Who might this be helping?  PARTIDO PATRIOTA!

Their slogan is "Mano Duro" (Hard Hand).  Starting to look a bit familiar?   This party is running under the banner of homeland security, i.e. fear mongering.  The candidate is ex-general Otto Molina Perez, present during the civil war in Guatemala (This was a 30 year era in which continuous beligerent coops took hold of office and directed a massive genocide and oppresion of indigenous and poor Guatemaltecos in a war against guerrillas.  During this time, if one were to act in anyway unconformed or abnormal they were subject to torture.  To be fair, this was also a threat posed by guerilla groups towards the people...there is never a good war: They fought for the people/peasants, but had to completely control the villages they gained in fighting territory, so in turn this opressed the innocents from two ends.  The war was funded, and soldiers trained, by the US CIA in efforts to protect US buisness interests which have been in place since the late 19th century - coffee and bananas.  If you look at the history in Central America, it is the same as now in the Middle East.) 

In Guatemala there is gang and drug traffic violence, and the ex-general, out of ignorace and habit, believes that the best way to eliminate such violence is with a GREATER violence.  Literally.  In the late 90s (after the war was 'over' and peace accords signed), he actualized the campaign to end gang violence by sending a van of soldiers to drive-by and shoot handfuls of kids in the barrios.  He must not have learned from the past, when the direct killing of poor people led to a guerilla resistance.  Since the 90s, there is an increase in gang activity.  Despite this, it is most likely that Partido Patriota will win the election, and run a military-based nation - the masses are eay to scare.  Hard hand.

...

As you might have gathered there was sentiments of absurdity, and graveness (pun).  The event is an expression of grievances and urges for social awareness:

honorable protest committee of
all the agronomic pains

We will construct a new society
where all have opportunity.

For a free Latin America. A free Lybia.
Don't intrude, Yankee.

You can read that!  You know Spanish!

As well as an expression of artistic creativity: 

Moving theater which found itself upon many a bystander

Malabaristas!

And dance:

And these guys:

???

Political comedian who gave a speech on the city hall steps.  ´´For my Guatemala, I accept much!´´

 ...

Overall, this was a magnificant, energizing experience, running around and taking pictures.  This event was again another displayof the color and enthusiasm of Guatemala.  I have never seen anything like this in the States, but certainly hope to one day.

Hasta la victoria, siempre!

Ronjon 

Get Down.....................................UGH!

Direct from "Graduation" at our spanish school.  The first video is obnoxiously loud, so don´t turn your speakers down if you are at work (Let the MAN hear it!)  The second is very quiet, so you might need to turn it up even more (may require speakers that go to eleven).  It will be a good song for you, after getting fired for blaring my song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwSlzTWs2sk

This is a peer and good friend of mine who finished classes the same week as me.  He played us many beautiful songs through the week, like Lenoard Cohen and Jeff Buckley´s "Halleluja".  Here he tops it all with a sincere tribute to the Old Friend that helped us through hard times (Guatemalan whiskey):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxvwTvBERUQ

Donde estarìa, sin mi Old Friend (Where would I be, without my Old friend)

Que yo cantaría, sin mi Old Friend (How could I sing, without my..)

Que sería de mi vida, sin mi Old Friend (What would my life be, ...)

Si no tuviera mi amigo (If I didnt have my friend)

Saldre??contigo (I would leave with you)

Ahora yo prefiero  (Now I prefer)

Que darme soltero  (That you leave me alone)

Con mi, Old Friend...  (With my, ...

Amor es una guerra  (Love is a war)

Es posible que te quiera  (Its posible that I love you)

Despúes de que me muera  (After I die)

Ponme en la tierra,  (Put me in the ground)

Con mi Old Friend...  (With my...)

Tengo que salir a Xela  (I have to leave Xela)

Pero mi corazon le quise queda  (But my heart wants to stay here)

Y voy a despedirme  (I am going to say goodbye)

Con una GRAN BOTELLA!  (With a LARGE BOTTLE!)

¡Viva Musica!

Paz,

Ronì

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 0  ---( nooo!)

Eskuelas de español en Guatemala

After spending a month getting skooled in spanish here in Guatemaya, I feel the nagging burning obligatory urge to illustrate an example of what I've heard and experienced.  As well, I have got to publicly shout props to the school I attended, because it is an amazing program.  If you have a couple thousand bucks, a month to spare, and want to learn spanish and Guatemalan politics/history, I highly recommend swinging down here for an education.  The lessons, given by great spanish teachers knowledgeable in history and politics ("leftist"), are complemented with documentary showings, field trips to meaningful places, and guest speakers.  On top of that, you can stay or eat with a local family, which can be an experience on its own (or you might end up watching American TV with them, varies.)  It is an education full as an eclair, stuffed in a duck in a turkey.

But first, in general, worthy of description, is the spanish school thing in Guatemala.  Some are non-profit organizations raising money for impoverished villages, sending kids to school, funding and building health clinics, and so forth.  Some spanish schools just pocket your money.  And other spanish schools say they are funding poor people, and then pocket your money.

There are many styles of spanish schools as well:


Some are fancy, pretentious, and snooty...

      Some are more modest...and hard to find...

The school I went to is called Proyecto Linguistico Quetzalteco.  They are in Xela, along with the majority of schools in Guatemala (most of the gringos in Xela are here to study spanish, volunteer, and learn about Guatemala, which is extremely refreshing compared to the gringos who are here simply to see the popular beautiful spots listed in their stupid guidebooks and avoid the culture... more bitching on that later).  The PLQ has a sister school in the mountains - this is the one I went to, and where my rap career has taken off.

The function of this school, as far as supporting the Guatemalan communities, is creating opportunities for a couple villages consisting mostly of laid-off coffee workers.  The students eat with the families, whom get paid for feeding us, creating a job for them.  A school was built and educational program started.  A health clinic was built to limit travel for injury or illness or giving birth.

These are the beautiful faces of the village

The people here are very gentle

Ok, comic relief aside, I can tell you a story of many of these villagers, one that is pervasive among the oppressed indigenous in Guatemala, and is an old story as well.  Like I mentioned, these families are those who once worked on coffee farms.  And where they worked, they lived.  Temporarily.  However, they unfortunately were working for large-scale commodity farms, which are susceptible to the variabilities of the global market.  For example, when another country like Vietnam decides to up their coffee production because the powers/companies-at-large think the demand will be sky high, and subsequently there is no big increase in demand, then the farms lose out with their depreciated product.  Not so much the owners of the farms, but the numerous workers that were laid off in Guatemala.  They then had to relocate.

Now, most of these folks are day-laborers.  The men at least, there is not enough work for the rest of the family.  It is possible for them to acquire work, they have hope!  There again is some farmwork to be had.  They could get paid 30 Quetzales (Q) for the day (about 4$ US).  Minimum wage?  Well, its 65Q. Min wage is more of a teasing apparition than a concrete effort to limit poverty.  Regardless, they can still buy food for the family, even after dropping some of their earnings into transportation for the day (let's say 12Q, leaving them with 18Q for the day).  Alright, looks like their working again.  Go back for another day, drop 6Q for the ride out there, and, oh shit...no work today.  Bummer, they spent almost all of their earnings from one day for nothing, all while they are barely scraping by as it is.

The take home message here is that there is little work in Guatemala.  The people who need work the most, have been marginalized to the acidic soils of the mountain forest, not well suited for growing their own sustenance.  Another twist of the arm is the loss of income from the (record?) high numbers of USA-deported latinos (under the Obama administration), of whom their families depended on.  ¿Se la ví?

Peace,
Ronjon

Yes, I went into Guatemala City! And, there was awesome graffiti art...

They all will tell you to avoid Guatemala City, as it is dangerous and thick with black diesel fume.  But, as some people, curious when forbidden, I went to check out the scene.  Definitely, it is more worthwhile and safe if you know some people, and know not to do basic things like have your wallet hanging out of your pocket, or try to read a giant map at the street corner.  And yes, it is safer for a single dude rather than a single lady.  I recommend using "couchsurfing" as a way to get to know some folks and maybe have them show you the city.  There are lots of surfing hosts here.

One of three things I intended to see and share with you is the grafitti art.  The next post is another thing, a yearly parade which mocks the politicians of Guatemala, run by university students.  The third is music, and didn't document it, but I saw some pretty great METAL.

Here's some of the graffiti art--

¿whats up with that car?

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty cool, eh?

Appreciate abstract art - it is there to awaken your creativity!  Long live FREE ART!

Ronjon