VOL.

8
LATITUDES
APRIL 2010 Foto por Alex “Pelos” Briseño

NOTA ACLARATORIA
Los seis infantes de la portada fueron fotografiados por Lars Plougmann en
Lilongwe, Malaui. Tadala, la niña albina en el centro de la foto, fue aban-
donada por su padre luego de que su madre muriera en el parto y se creyera
que el niña estaba “maldito”. Su nombre significa bendición”. Con el tiempo
fue adoptada por Malawian quien permitió que esta foto fuese divulgada.

A Significant Truth p.4

Extreme Women: From Docility to Shahidka p.7
EL DIFÍCIL

Brasil Helps U.S. Against Drug Trafficking p.9

The tourist: Buon Convento p.9
A Bilingual Manifestation p. 10
The Dark Realities of Albinos in Africa p.12
COMENTARIO

Una vez más Pilatos se lava las manos p.18

La capacidad de la inteligencia económicap.19
La memoria selectiva p.20
Haneke retrata el mal de la sociedad en “The White Ribbon” P.21

Para colaboraciones, temas y comentarios, por favor escribir a: editorial@revistalatitudes.org

REDACCIÓN: José Antonio Acevedo Cuevas | Ada M. Álvarez Conde | Angélica M. Andújar De Jesús | Carolene Fontanet
Smith | Alyssa A. Méndez Batista | Loipa Ramos Delgado | DIRECTORA DE COMUNICACIONES: Katherine Márquez
DEPARTAMENTO DE COMUNICACIONES: Yariana Rodríguez | Yaleica Paniagua | Jonathan Deliz | DIRECTORA
DE FOTOGRAFÍA: Natalia M. Febo Rodríguez | ENGLISH EDITORS: Karla M. Hoyos Rosario | Geraldine Márquez
Santiago | COPY EDITOR: Carolene Fontanet Smith | DIRECTORA Y EDITORA: Natalia A. Bonilla Berríos
© 2009 by REVISTA LATITUDES, INC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be altered or reproduced in
any form without permission in writing from the publisher.
The Expansion Of “El Difícil” And What The Future

editor’s special note

May Bring!
You are not reading wrong. Prepare yourself for this special and short edition
of Latitudes magazine.
It is very hard to believe that it has been months since “El Difícil” was
launched. As editors and writers, we are proud of the stories that our little
magazine within a magazine has reported. When the concept was first pre-
sented, we faced adversity (starting with its controversial name due to the fact
that is a Spanish term to an English section), from those who not only doubt-
ed the importance of having a bilingual element inserted on a fully Hispanic
magazine, demonstrating the importance of the two main languages which
have been essentials parts in our lives as Puerto Ricans –mostly bilinguals-;
and others who doubted our capability as editors because we come from an
entirely different faculty that is from the most part underestimated by the field
of Communications.
The English language is a part of our everyday life in many countries,
which includes our beautiful island of Puerto Rico, where we have been the
common wealth of the United States of America since 1898; that is so far a
total of a hundred and twelve years and no matter how much the defenders
of Spanish –the purists who propagate the vernacular as the only language in
Puerto Rico- try to deny it, using some variation of the English language is a common activity. However, in the case
of our island, there seems to be a stigma where adopting vocabulary words or creating new words around that of the
English language is seen as somehow “anti-patriotic” and it may be seen as worse if you enjoy speaking in English
or have the habit of code switching between Spanish and English that you are seen as a traitor, someone that is trying
to “assimilate” to the American Culture.
The question that arouses is “why”? The simple truth is that languages are constantly evolving, if they did not
we would be speaking Latin at this very moment. Change is a part of our life; nothing ever stays the same; as the
language changes so does the culture. This change overtime can also apply to our “El Dificil”.
Initially, we envisioned it as a small bilingual section in “Latitudes” but as time progresses -in our academic
lives-, we are exposed to new languages and new cultures, as we are growing and maturing as editors and writers,
is time for our “El Dificil” to reflect those changes. One of them is the integration of a new editorial member to the
staff; Ms. Carolene Fontanet will start from now on as copy editor of our section. As well, in our future editions we
will include different stories dedicated to a whole set of different cultures on a larger scale but never abandoning our
personal favorites such as Latin American issues, Obama and gender issues. Each edition, we prove to the reader the
controversy and the importance of languages in our culture, but at the same time proving to our readers the beauty
of communications electronically; and the never-ending war between Spanish and English.
This specific edition shall primarily be “EL DIFÍCIL”, the language which has been characterized by being a
literal pain to the people who want to be part of our capitalist world, but setting aside the political issues which cloud
notions towards English, it is an incredible language for versatility and extremely rich for word plays (or puns).
Also, your beloved editors were “M.I.A” these past editions; let’s say we shall write what you the reader, was miss-
ing of us do to our “EL DIFICIL xpress” mode we tend to adopt.
Forecasting the next edition, Spanish shall be more predominant, due to the eve of “El Festival de la Palabra”,
which is to be held through the week of May 4th to 9th, brought by the “Salón Literario Libroamérica en Puerto
Rico”. The editors and writers of “EL DIFICIL” shall set aside their Shakespearian’s souls in order to bring to you,
our beloved reader the most complete coverage, made for your enjoyment. Our goal is to bring closer that world
which seems to be far away from us but on the contrary, the “Festival” has an aggressive campaign towards the
public in where it offers a varied range of activities on which all family members can participate, all based on an
educational matter but accessible and dynamic, the perfect place to promote literacy as a family activity.
Obviously, we shall be on the lookout –as a bonus- if there is any English manifestation in any sort of form,
in the end, the reader is who receives the best part; while we walk like crazy against all odds, you shall be comfort-
able reading these humble lines and enjoying our words.

Best of Readings, enjoy it! It is our catharsis, we grow and we die with you…
 SPECIAL REPORT
Montaje por Richard Kellan
E
A Significant Truth
By Carolene Fontanet Smith
nrique Martín Morales, better known as Ricky
Martin, has been in the public eye since his childhood, back
when he danced around Big Bird’s Sesame Street as a mem-
ber of the quintessential Latin American boy band, Menudo.
This Puerto Rican artist gained the adoration of numerous
admirers in all America, a fan base that only expanded as he
aged; let his hair grow out and modeled his toned body. He
won the hearts of housewives and teenage girls as a young
actor in Mexican and North American soap operas and cap-
tivated countless more women as a recording artist, singing
about wayward lovers on hits such as “María” and “Fuego
de Noche, Nieve de Día”.
By the time he released his fourth studio album,
Ricky Martin was a bona fide star, but he exploded all over
the place when his hit “La Copa de la Vida” was chosen as
the anthem for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. What followed
was a show stopping performance at the following Grammy
Awards ceremony that deserved the standing ovation it re-
ceived and soon after -perhaps as a direct result- world wide
fame. A consequence of such celebrity was a noticeable in-
crease in the public’s interest regarding his love life. Back
then the artist wore tight shirts and accessorized with prayer
beads at a time when “metrosexual” wasn’t a common term.
He walked the red carpets with a string of beautiful women
on his arm, among them his on-again off-again girlfriend,
4 LATITUDES | APRIL 2010
Mexican TV presenter Rebecca de Alba. The world’s big-
gest Latin American pop star had beautiful love interests and
all was right in the world.
And yet, as the years went by, his relationships with
women never seemed to go anywhere and so the rumors
about his sexuality -which began to circulate early in his
solo career, increased-. The off hand remarks evolved into
assurances, to the point that Barbara Walters, the renowned
American reporter, asked him point blank if he was a homo-
sexual. He evaded the question and true to the axiom that
states that silence speaks volumes, many people assumed he
had something to hide. When de Alba got out of the picture
for good on 2005, it seemed that most people had already de-
cided Ricky Martin was gay. Nonetheless, neither the sleazi-
est tabloids nor the public had any proof, and so the matter
continued to entice the public interest as a matter ripe for
speculation. On August 2008, the singer once again became
a staple of the tabloids when he became the father of twin
boys, Matteo and Valentino, who were delivered via gesta-
tional surrogacy, a fact that served to fuel the long standing
rumors. And then, out of the blue, this past March 29, at the
age of 38, Ricky Martin finally admitted his homosexuality.
Unlike other artists, Ricky Martin didn’t chose to appear
in a magazine or TV show to communicate his message.

It’s safe to say that many TV
talk show hosts and magazine edi-
tors would have paid a hefty sum of
money for an exclusive, but the singer
evaded them all and instead chose his
web page, as well as Twitter, to speak
directly to his fans. In his personal
site, Ricky reveals that the process
of writing his memoirs brought him
closer to his personal truths. He also
attributes parenthood with giving
him the strength and courage to
speak clearly about his sexuality.
“I am proud to say that I am for-
tunate homosexual man. I am very
blessed to be who I am”.
The statement is a far cry
from another one he made almost
a decade ago, assuring an inter-
viewer that “I am a normal man. I
love women and sex. I am a real
hot-blooded Puerto Rican, I have
never been attracted to have sex
with a man”. The artist addresses
the issue of why he didn’t come
out earlier saying that “This wasn’t
supposed to happen 5 or 10 years
ago, it is supposed to happen now”.
In other words, a person chooses to
reveal his or her sexuality when the
time feels right, there is no ticking
time bomb. However, Ricky Mar-
tin admits that part of the reason he
held back is because people close to
him told him that such a revelation
would end his career, a completely
understandable fear. Jeremy Kinser,
editor in chief of the arts and enter-
tainment section in The Advocate, the
oldest magazine dedicated to topics
regarding homosexuality, points out
that “The entertainment industry is
very hypocritical: its based on mon-
ey and nobody wants to compromise
the economic potential of a star. The
representatives and executives are
the ones who convince them to hide
their preferences. They say they don’t
want to give fans any reason to reject
them”.
SPECIAL REPORT
All the same, for many people,
the announcement was merely a con-
firmation of what they already knew
to be true. Out of this group, some
D
were accepting and others condemned
Ricky, but the point is that for them,
it was no secret. While the majority
was aware, there was still a minor-
ity of people that were surprised by
the news. Considering the way his
Caricatura por Mala Imagen
sexuality has been a matter of public
debate for so long and that so much
circumstantial evidence -such as pho-
tos and anonymous declarations- had
been amounted, it is curious that there
were still those that didn’t know. Per-
haps they didn’t want to know. That
group has been the mainstream me-
dia’s target market while reporting
the story, the reason they’ve had a
field day with it. From The New York
Times and El País to the local papers
and all around the blogosphere, ev-
erybody has covered it, this publica-
tion included, which is why, instead of
speculating about the motives behind
his statement, or debating the proper-
ness of making the announcement in
the middle of Holy Week, we have to
ask ourselves not who cares since it’s
obvious that a lot of people do, but
rather why.
espite the illusio nthat we
live in a time where everything is ac-
ceptable, the opposite is still true. Over
the last couple of decades, specifically
since feminists and civil rights ac-
tivists raised hell in the six-
ties, a shift, instead of genu-
ine change, has taken place.
Women have overcome many
of the barriers that men im-
posed on them over the cen-
turies. For example, they are
now able to hold important
positions in the workplace.
However, in most cases, they
don’t receive the pay a man
would get for doing the same
job. On the other hand, much
ado has been made over the
fact that a black man is sitting
in the White House, but that
doesn’t mean that racism is
over and done with; it doesn’t
mean that white parents
have stopped cringing at the
thought of seeing their chil-
dren married to black people.
In other words, as of yet, we
don’t live in a world where diversity
is appreciated. If you aren’t a white,
heterosexual man, you are tolerated,
not accepted.
Ricky Martin’s statement
has been controversial because even
though society has come a long way
since the days when homosexuality
was labeled as a mental sickness, it’s
still not tolerated as say, a female CEO
or a black head of state are. That is not
to say that countless women prejudice
against women and blacks is limited
to disapproval. Countless women are
killed every day at the hands of their
partners and the Ku Klux Klan is still
claiming victims.
APRIL 2010 | LATITUDES 5
 SPECIAL REPORT
But the difference between those tragedies and the
crimes of hate against homosexuals is that the State is ac-
tively involved in prevented the first two, while it does little
to prevent the third, precisely because it doesn’t promote the
rights of homosexuals. Our government routinely puts out
campaigns to fight against domestic violence, but it refuses to
recognize gay marriage.
For its part, despite its own numerous transgressions,
the Church is only too ready to condemn homosexuality. From
their standpoint, it is an unnatural sin. Generally, they believe
homosexuals are made not born, which is why many churches
have support groups that claim they can turn homosexuals into
heterosexuals. This belief is disputed by numerous cases of
children who display their homosexuality from an early age, a
truth that institutions such as The Family Research Council, a
I
conservative Christian think tank in Washington, D.C., deny.
n its book Getting It Straight, the council argues that
finding people are born gay “would advance the idea that sex-
ual orientation is an innate characteristic, like race; that homo-
sexuals, like African-Americans, should be legally protected
against ‘discrimination;’ and that disapproval of homosexual-
ity should be as socially stigmatized as racism. However, it
is not true”. It is as if they encourage the stigmatization of
homosexuals.
In Ricky Martin’s case, traditional religious leaders
like the Island’s Catholic archbishop, Monsignor Roberto
González, didn’t directly censure him, but that doesn’t make
up for years of standing in the way of society’s unity through
the acceptance of homosexuality. Because of their actions, both
the State and the
Church, two of
the most power-
ful institutions
in our society,
hinder change.
Considering the
panorama that
Foto por See-ming Lee
homosexuals
are up against,
it’s no wonder
that many chose
to hide their
sexual prefer-
ences.
Nevertheless,
the revelation of artists such as Ricky Martin is undoubtedly
helpful. Cynics who believe that his disclosure is merely a
ploy to promote his upcoming memoirs are missing the big-
ger picture. At least, this is the general feeling in many parts
of the gay community. For instance, The Advocate celebrated
the singer’s “coming out day” with multiple articles full of
hope for a future of understanding and acceptance. In addi-
tion, Jarrett Barrios, former Massachusetts state senator and
current president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance against
6 LATITUDES
LATITUDES|| MARZO 2010
APRIL 2010
Defamation, wrote a column for The Huffington Post were
he stated that Ricky Martin’s coming out is an important step
towards the acceptance of homosexuality because for many
fans, especially Latinos, it provides a more tangible meaning
of what being gay means: “Ricky martin’s coming out is like
having a family friend come out. Gay is no longer an abstract
idea, or worse, a stereotype (...) Ricky Martin puts a face on
the gay community in a whole new way and will spark the
types of conversations that build common ground”. Barrios
goes on to say that Ricky’s coming out may even affect the
gay rights movement in the United States. In his opinion, it
can help activists reverse Proposition 8, a piece of legislation
that took away homosexual’s right to marry in the state of
California after it gained a majority vote on 2008. Since more
than 20% of those voters are Latinos, their attachment to the
singer may change their minds. After all, this is a man often
lauded for his humanitarian efforts, which is why it would be
infinitely easier for heterosexual conservatives to accept that
his sexuality doesn’t make him any less of a person and even-
tually, believe the same is true about any homosexual.
It is important that we remember that though our so-
ciety has progressed, and homosexuals are no longer as perse-
cuted as they were before, it still happens. Jorge Steven’s bru-
tal murder last November is tragic proof. More over, there’s
still a long way to go from tolerance to acceptance. As Ricky
Martin himself pointed out on a column for El Nuevo Día
this past December, titled “Acceptance”. In it, he asserts that
crimes like those committed against the Puerto Rican teenager
and others because of their sexual orientation are unacceptable
and that it is up to us to change the paradigms that make them
possible. As an example, the activist points out that “when I
hear how some media outlets hold on to the word “tolerance”
when referring to such cases, I ask myself why, instead of
talking about how “we need to tolerate diversity” we don’t say
“we need to accept diversity”. The artist makes an excellent
point for, in fact, acceptance is “the most important step we
can take to eliminate hate crimes and unite humanity”.
When one analyzes the state of affairs at present, it be-
comes clear that Ricky Martin’s admission of his homosexu-
ality and his self- acceptance, will have an impact on the long
run, even if many seem indifferent today. It won’t affect those
who already accept homosexuality, but either consciously or
unconsciously, it will have an impact for those who are still
reticent about the matter. It may help distressed parents real-
ize that their gay children can live full, rewarding lives. It
educates fans about the pressures they exert over their idols. It
shows that a gay person can be a good parent, something im-
portant in Latin America, were the practice isn’t as common
as in the United States and many people disagree with it even
more than with homosexuality alone. In short, his decision to
share such a personal matter, regardless of why and when he
didn’t, has the potential to help improve the lives of countless
gay people, which would in the end, better society as a whole.
[LAT]
Photo by Anya

Extreme Women:
From Docility to Shahidka
By Karla Marie Hoyos-Rosario
In many cultures, the notion that women are the weaker sex unable to
function without the guidance of men is a common thought between
chauvinistic societies. Although it may seem absurd the fact that woman
may participate in armed conflict, let alone be regarded as terrorists. How
far women are willing to go in order to be treated as equals, be respected
and accepted. Is this a patriotic fervor where females need to drop their
lives to serve the Jihad? Or is it the thirst of vengeance for the loss of
their loved ones?
Foto propiedad del usuario de flickr todosnuestrosmuertos
APRIL 2010 | LATITUDES 7
Extreme Women: From Docility to Shahidka
M
any questions arouse concerning the
motive, especially when news reports
are informing the whole word that
Moscow was the recent target of fe-
male suicide bombers who are “be-
lieved to have boarded the train at Yugo-Zapadnaya
station in southwest district… who killed at least 37
people and injured 65 by targeting two packed tube
trains during the busy rush” (MailOnline.com). To
fuel such act, journalist such as Anna Politkovskava
told that “There is a line of young women hoping
to be chosen as candidates for being suicide bomb-
ers... they say they want to force Russians to feel the
same pain they have felt”(CNN). The last statement
may be interesting due to its directness if history
didn’t record the fact that the Chechen people and
the Russians have been at conflict since the 16th
century, where both are struggling to persist –Rus-
sia to imposing integration and Chechnya denying
it-. Initially, the bomb attack perpetuated in Mos-
cow was not claimed by any group, but some “body
parts belonging to two female suicide bombers were
found and, according to initial data, these persons
are linked to the north Caucasus” said by Alexan-
der Bortnikov, head of Russia’s Federal Security
Service [..] Analysts said the involvement of wom-
en was similar to the ‘black widows’ in Chechnya”
(Mailone.com).
The phenomenon in this case consists of
women that are increasingly taking an active role
in the armed struggle; advancing on ranks, gaining
the status of martyrs and having their own negative
but respectable denominator: “Shahidka” or “Black
Widows”. The term “Shahidka” is a derivative from
the Arabic “shahid”, which means “witness or mar-
tyr”. Their attire mainly consists of black mourning
clothes that cover them from head to toe; their age
range is mainly between 15 to 19 years old. One
of the first “Shahidka” incidents was when “Khava
Barayeva drove to a military headquarters in a truck
filled with explosives and blew herself up […] A
well-known Chechen singer and songwriter, Timur
Mutsurayev, dedicated a song to her self-sacrifice,
“A truck heading toward headquarters, loaded with
plastic explosive and destiny. / Look at Khava’s
gentle face behind the wheel; she chose to sacrifice
herself” (Prague Watchdog).
Lest we forget that although songs are com-
posed to celebrate such feats, one cannot forget
that these women that are willingly participating
in the struggle are in their great majority mourn-
ing widows, daughters and sisters that have nothing
else to lose. We cannot omit the case that some of
women are forced to become “Shahidkas”, some of
them are sold or forced by tradition and others are
kidnapped, as if it were some type of prostitution.
Instead of throwing the bombs from a vehicle, they
use the embodiments of “helplessness” as the artil-
lery in order to fulfill the target.
Women’s rights on any sphere are important
and so is the promotion of equality, this is crucial
for the harmony of groups this includes the war sec-
tion. For the “Shahidka” supporter, each time that
a bomb explodes and a woman gets killed for the
cause may be a feat, but for the eyes of the rest of
the world which thinks this is still a form of armed
prostitution, it is viewed as a step back for women,
men and civilization alike. [LAT]
Photo by Anton Nossi
 the tourist
Brazil Helps U.S. Against
Devealing Italy
Drug Trafficking
By Geraldine Márquez

Fotos propiedad del usuario.Attilios

Drug trafficking is arguably one of the worst problems
faced globally. Even though daily raids that locate and stop drug
trafficking help reduce the
problem, drug traffickers still
seems to find ways to infiltrate
and maintain dominion of the
drug world. Recently, how-
ever, we have begun to no-
tice a bigger effort in the war
against drug traffic; new coun-
tries have begun to step up and

combine forces with the Unit-
ed States government in a new
effort to stop drug trafficking
once in for all. On the March
31rst, 2010 Commander Doug-
las Fraser, a member of the US Photo by Miriam Poppe
Armed forces and director of the Pentagon’s operations in Latin
America meet with both the Brazilian director of defense Nelson
Jobim and the general director of the Brazilian Federal Police,
Luiz Fernando Correa; to discuss the possibility of establishing a
multinational base in Rio de Janeiro (Brasilia the nations capital
they already possess an anti-drug trafficking base), that would
work alongside with the naval bases in Key West, Florida and
Lisbon, Portugal to control drug trafficking and fight against ter-
rorism.
In Portugal, the base is located in River Tajes, Lisbon. This
base is in charge of controlling drug trafficking and monitoring
possible terrorist attacks that could come from the North Atlan-
tic. The base is operated by Portuguese government, but features
the help of aides from different countries-the base works in alli-
ance with the US department of Defense-. The Key West base is
part of the Joint Interagency Task force, a joint services agency
whose mission is to “ provide the necessary operations for detec-
tion, monitoring and deterrence of drug smuggling operations”
If they do establish a base in Brazil, it would have two
significative purposes. The first is that would establish a com-
munications relationship between the Brazilian armed forces -in
the country Brazilian air force ( Força Aerea), The Marine force
(Marinha) and their version of a Federal Bureau ( Policia Fed-
eral) work separately-. The new base would allow them to work
together and improve the nations security. The second purpose is
to improve international relationship between the United States
and Brazil; the Brazilian government would have the right to
buy military aircrafts and in turn the United States government
would have another place to practice combat training, with time
the diplomatic relationships could continue strengthening and
new economic possibilities could arise that would benefit both
the United States and Brazil.
Buonconvento
by Yariana Rodríguez Torres
Bounconvento is a small city in the province of Siena in La
Toscana. Its name derives from the Latin words bonus con-
ventus which means happy community or fortunate; a good
fortune that comes from their fertile lands and agriculture.
Bounconvento is enriched by history and the great
men who loved the city as well. In the year 1313 emperor
Arrigo VII (Henry VII) died there, on august 24th, after
conquering the town. It still possesses many of its natural
architectural splendors, like the Town Hall where you can
still see the coats-of-arms of the olden days. The most in-
teresting tourist attraction is the Sacred Art Museum, which
houses works by Sano di Pietro, Duccio di Buoninsegna and
Matteo di Giovani, taken from their local churches.
If you travel there and happen to be taking a walk
don’t be surprise to find an ancient castle just around the
corner, they’re scattered all over the city. This and the many
Liberty-style houses around Bounconvento serve for an
amazing scenery. Apart from its ancient structures the city
is also known for its gastronomy, especially for their Val
d’Arbia DOC white wine, which has become quite famous
for its exquisite taste.
The city was part of the Republic of Siena from 1371
to 1559 when it officially became part of the Grand Duchy
of Tuscany. Buonconvento is a charming little town, like so
many in Italy. Its serene ambience and friendly locals make
it almost impossible not to want to spend a nice weekend
get-a-way in what some italiani consider to be the heart of
Siena. [LAT]

APRIL 2010 | LATITUDES 9

“Unidos por Nuestro Idioma”: A “Bilingual” Manisfestation
Commentary and photo by Karla M. Hoyos-Rosario

O
n a sunny Monday, in Old San Juan
Puerto Rico, the day seemed to be almost an or-
dinary day: families flying kites, young couples
drinking coffee on the perimeter, the usual by-
stander and native on the sidewalks and the tour-
ists; but what made this day special wasn’t only
the fact that it was Jose de Diego’s commemora-
tion-fervent defender of Spanish when the island
was under the early “Americanization” period-, it
was the fact that a group of people sharing the
same passion for Spanish gathered themselves to
march; it was carefully planned out- they regu-
larly reunite in the Ateneo Puertoriqueño- to the
point that it reached social networks by creating
their own group which tries to preserve Spanish
as the chief language. While it seemed that a big mass was to be expected due to the delicate planning “Unidos por nuestro
idioma es una agrupación creada por ciudadanos de variados sectores de nuestra sociedad, para proteger la integridad y
permanencia del español como lengua materna y común de los habitantes de Puerto Rico”; -a description found on their
Facebook page where it has a community of 1,701 and rising-, one would have thought that at least a half of its members
would assist to the activity, in order to support the cause.
But reality was that not even a hundred gathered to march under the sunny sky which very soon turned into a rainy
afternoon. Among the lines, there was the insignia of the “Festival de la Palabra”activity which shall be held officially
proximately on May and whose main language is Spanish. There were also speakers, music and some police reinforce-
ment, mostly for the “Movimiento Hostoniano” group that were behind the pacifist Spanish inquisitors. The groups were
supposed to reunite in front of the Ateneo Puertorriqueño, the “Plaza de Armas” until they reached “La Fortaleza” for
some hope that their plight may be heard. As usual, the activity went as another friendly symbolic gather where the youth
attendance was scarce and the only newspaper that made a cover of the event was English oriented (irony isn’t that, no
Spanish newspapers were involved, maybe due to the lack of violence?).
After the atmosphere has been set, one cannot forget the words that were being shouted, words that would chill the
spine of any who has encountered more than two languages: “…
.Puertoricans should only speak Spanish and English” “Only Spanish and English should remain in our country”.
Although the march was oriented for the preservation of Spanish in Puerto Rico, I cannot help myself to feel disgusted
by the narrow minds of the people who dared to shout that only Spanish and then English only are the two languages that
should hold importance. What kind of message is being taught to the youths “only learn English because you already
know Spanish and you can have the whole word; being bilingual is what matters!!”. It very sad that such an opportunity
is being set backwards; where is totally agreeable that the vernacular of a country is defended, it is unforgiveable that the
minds of a nation should be reduced to bilingualism, even more sadder is the fact that the natives are the ones who are in
charge of annihilating their vernacular and substituting for a language that -although in the case of Puerto Rico, which is
a colony- instead of co-existing with the vernacular, is it at war with it.
As a person that believes in equality, I believe that the promotion of the vernacular is essential for any culture, but also
the call for a more fomented polyglot education is more positive than locking us in the political struggle that languages
are immerse, a false and negative notion that shall be destroyed when we learn to differentiate that languages are power
to the knowledge and not a political stand. [LAT]

10 LATITUDES | APRIL 2010

The Dark Reality Of The
Albinos In Africa
By Karla M. Hoyos-Rosario
T

Foto por Ferdinand Reus

T
Photo by Alex Wynter/IFRC
he majority of the time when a person is
asked about Africa, the very first, and spontane-
ous though that comes to mind is “black people”…
simple truth, without filters or fears of being judge
for racism. Common sense dictates that Africa is a
continent of black people normally, but to think that
there may be people with abnormally milky skin,
wispy white hair and what may appear as red colored
contacts – that are in fact their real eye color- inhab-
its the land and are normal people with a condition
known as Albinism. The major issue is not that peo-
ple fail to acknowledge it on the “Black Continent”;
the tragedy is that on Tanzania and other parts, there
The stories continue following the same pattern in
is an Albino’s slaughter because it’s perceived that
Tanzanian regions where “people are five times more
their body parts and blood serve for dark magic ritu-
likely to have some form of albinism” (The Indepen-
als.
dent). While the authorities are asking for respect
Life as a person with Albinism (for the benefit
and a stop to the massacres, other groups have tried
of the reader, the condition is produced by the in-
to mobilized themselves on a more concrete man-
heritance of recessive alleles which causes a lack of
ner, for example, The Hands of Africa Foundation in
melanin pigment in the eyes, skin and hair); it’s suf-
Netherlands and the Tanzania Albino Center in Ar-
ficiently hard enough on a normal basis, imagine liv-
usha are collaborating on order to improve the life
ing with palpitating terror that any time you may be
quality spreading that “Our first task is to provide
hunted; it’s already happening to people, such as the
education to the albinos and create awareness to the
tragic case of an innocent “13-year-old albino Eliza-
society to accept albinos as normal beings with all
beth Hussein, tempted from her home after hearing
human rights including social protection…we are
that a film about Jesus was to be screened in the vil-
also expertise in fighting Malaria, reducing poverty
lage. On the way back she was hacked apart by a
and helping the albino’s society by providing them
machete-armed mob.
sunglasses, and sun blocks; education, medication
Her limbs were found at the home of a witch
etc.”.
doctor - who fled cops following a tip-off”, or the
But this is only a small step in favor of a cam-
case of “a man was caught trying to enter the Dem-
paign of civil rights which have been lost in favor
ocratic Republic of Congo with an albino child’s
of ignorance, criminality and cruelty not only in
HEAD in his luggage”, and last but not least a case
Tanzania, but through the whole world. In Africa,
“In the Mwanga district, near Mount Kilimanjaro,
an albino is considered a curse that would bring a
a baby girl was dressed in black by her mother and
major punishment to its family and therefore they
left alone in the family hut. A group of men cut off
are hidden or neglected as a shameful creature. This
the girl’s legs, slit her throat, poured the blood into a
type of perception may be direct but it doesn’t run
pot and drank it” (The Sun). Another of the horrors
away from the fact that the majority of the world on
committed in the name of the mythical conceptions
an implicit matter think about albinos not very dif-
of Albinos is that it is believed that if a man infected
ferently from the witchdoctors. When shall be the
with HIV shall be cured of if he has unprotected sex-
day when a condition of the skin will cease to be an
ual intercourse with an albino woman; in general,
indicator of the worth of the person? When that day
their body parts serve as instruments for witchdoc-
arrives, the albinos and segregation overall will have
tors who allege to their clients that they can make
no place on our society. [LAT]
them rich.
ABRIL 2010 | LATITUDES 13
 Fotos suministradas

AIESEC EN PUERTO RICO La Asociación Internacional de Estudiantes de Ciencias

51 años
Económicas y Comercio, mejor conocida como AIESEC (por sus
siglas en francés), ha estado más de 50 años en el Recinto de Río
Piedras de la Universidad de Puerto Rico. Esta organización sin
fines de lucro se ha dedicado a ayudar a universitarios a adquirir
destrezas de liderazgo para entrar en el mundo laboral.
En un principio, los programas ofrecidos eran dirigidos a

formando
estudiantes de Administración de Empresas y, actualmente, está
abierto a otras facultades. AIESEC en Río Piedras era una exten-
sión de la oficina de New York University (NYU) y diez años
después se consolida y se convierte en lo que hoy es AIESEC en
Puerto Rico.

estudiantes líderes
Por Alyssa A. Méndez Batista

14 LATITUDES | ABRIL 2010

 La organización tiene oficinas en 107 país-
es, haciéndola la segunda más grande después de
la Cruz Roja. Actualmente, existen cuatro cen-
tros de AIESEC alrededor de la Isla: los Recintos
de Río Piedras y Mayagüez de la Universidad de
Puerto Rico, la Universidad Católica en Ponce y
la Universidad de Sagrado Corazón.
Puerto Rico pertenece a la Región
Iberoamericana de la Asociación y se encuentra
en la posición número 22 en los resultados de la
cantidad de estudiantes que se van de intercam-
bio y regresan. AIESEC
se ha especializado en
ofrecerles a sus miem-
bros oportunidades de
intercambio a nivel in-
ternacional, al igual que
ofrecen conferencias
sobre liderazgo y desar-
rollo empresarial. Com-
pañías como Triple-S
(SSS), Electrolux y Mi-
crosoft preparan un per-
fil de requisitos de estu-
diantes que necesitan para que trabajen en sus
internados que fluctúan desde un período de un
mes y medio hasta un año.
María Mercedes Rodríguez, presidenta del
Comité local y estudiante de Administración de
Empresas, tuvo su experiencia de internado con
AIESEC a partir de su primer año en la Univer-
sidad.
“Lo primero que hice fue irme en inter-
cambio”, expresó enfáticamente al contar que
estuvo mes y medio en Buenos Aires, Argentina,
ayudando a una fundación llamada Vida y Espe-
ranza. Esta organización, por ejemplo, se dedica
a rehabilitar a jóvenes que viven en las calles y
Rodríguez, tuvo la oportunidad de ayudarlos re-
caudando fondos de empresas argentinas. “Fue
una experiencia super buena, una vez en la vida”,
dijo la presidenta en entrevista a Latitudes.
Por otro lado, los procesos de reclutamiento
se dan en los lugares donde ofrecen información
acerca de la organización y los estudiantes inte-
resados llenan una solicitud. Luego, es seguido
por una sesión informativa donde los egresados y
miembros que se encuentran activos en AIESEC
comparten sus experiencias dentro de la Aso-
ciación para que otros universitarios tengan un
conocimiento a fondo. Después, son llamados a
una entrevista para que los evaluadores conoz-
can al alumno y, finalmente, el evento de induc-
ción (una forma de
iniciación oficial) a
la organización que
sirve para hacerles
un perfil y saber
dónde los pueden
ubicar para ofrecer-
les oportunidades
de internados en el
área que les interesa.
“(Los internados)
no tienen que ser de
la facultad que son”,
indicó Jessica Seiglie, estudiante de la Facultad
de Humanidades y miembro de AIESEC.
A pesar de que AIESEC no ofrece becas
ni otras ayudas económicas para los estudiantes
que se van de internado, los mismos miembros
se ayudan entre sí buscan cartas de auspicio de
las compañías afiliadas y consiguen, en muchas
ocasiones. comida y hospedaje para los que se
deciden ir. “Es una empresa dirigida por estu-
diantes”, dijo Seiglie al explicar que entre los
universitarios que pertenecen a la organización
se encargan de realizar las conferencias y las ac-
tividades de AIESEC. Por otro lado, mencionó
que este organismo provee las herramientas nec-
esarias a sus miembros para que a largo plazo,
puedan dar iniciativas y ser distinguido dentro
del mundo del trabajo. [LAT]
ABRIL 2010 | LATITUDES 15
 DESDE ESTE PUNTO DE VISTA
Por Loipa Ramos Delgado
Una vez más Pilatos se lava las manos
La violencia asociada al narcotráfico en México ll-
eva en su cuenta sobre quince mil quinientos homicidios
en los últimos tres años, según reportó el diario El Univer-
sal. La constante lucha entre los siete carteles de droga que
circulan por suelo mexicano –Golfo, Milenio, Juárez, Ti-
juana, Colima, Oxaca y Sinaloa—ha logrado un ambiente
de pánico y terror sobre la población.
El presidente del país, Felipe Calderón, activó en
el 2006 una serie de medidas para combatir este mal que
incluye más de cincuenta
mil oficiales efectivos del
ejército dispersos por todo
el País. A partir de la fu-
erza bruta se ha logrado
apaciguar el problema y
aniquilar, en todo sentido
de la palabra, a más de
la mitad de los narcotra-
ficantes que controlan los
carteles.
La situación ha
llamado la atención del
país vecino, quien acudió
al rescate para aminorar el
daño que un principio reconoció ajeno. Estados Unidos,
principal afectado a pesar de lo indicado en un reportaje
especial de la cadena ABC para el mes de marzo 2010, en
el cual Athanasios Hristoulas, profesor del Instituto Tec-
nológico de Monterrey, afirmaba que el 90% de las armas
que entran a México para los carteles de narcotraficantes
fueron compradas en los Estados Unidos. Adicional, de
la cantidad total de cocaína que entra a territorio esta-
dounidense, sólo el 10% de la misma es decomisada, el
resto se vende por la nación con la ayuda de las autori-
dades.
El problema de infiltración en las autoridades es
el principal facilitador de la droga y el tráfico de armas
en ambos países, donde tanto en México como en Estados
Unidos son los oficiales los que convalidan los permisos
de entrada de cargamento entre ambas fronteras, aseguró la
Subprocuraduría de Investigación en Delincuencia Orga-
16 LATITUDES | ABRIL 2010
nizada de México.
La Secretaria de Estado de los Estados Unidos, Hi-
lary Clinton, admitió en su última visita al país afectado
que su nación es corresponsable del problema. Además,
aseguró que pondrían todos sus esfuerzos económicos para
aportar a la desaparición de este crimen. Por lo menos,
porque gracias a las cifras provistas por la Oficina Nacion-
al de Políticas de Control de Drogas de la Casa Blanca; “en
Estados Unidos hay 35 millones de consumidores de co-
caína y 500.000 presos
por delitos relacionados
con el narcotráfico. Y
los 50.000 millones de
dólares anuales, por la
venta de coca, salen de
los bolsillos de los es-
tadounidenses y pasan
a engrosar las arcas del
crimen organizado”,
según estipulado en
el artículo de Manuel
Guedán para la red
latina de noticias Info-
latam.
Con todo el respeto que la tierra de la libertad y
la justicia se merece, tirar unos cuantos pesos al aire no
limpian una conciencia. Por más que el pueblo mexicano
trate de eliminar la producción o traslado de cocaína y otras
drogas, hay manos envueltas que se pintan de santos, pues
el negocio familiar se mantendrá vivo siempre y cuando,
los norteños se den gusto comprando. Aceptar es el primer
paso, pero no el único, y para lograr sacar de raíz el prob-
lema del narcotráfico habría que hacer más que declara-
ciones públicas de culpabilidad y actuar mano a mano con
el gobierno mexicano. No olvidemos que Poncio Pilatos
se lavó las manos hace muchos años atrás, y aún no hemos
podido borrarlo sin culpa de la vieja historia. [LAT]
La autora es estudiante de periodismo y francés de la
Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras. Se
especializa en los derechos humanos.
MIRADOR ECONÓMICO
Columna de Edgardo Balzac Febles
La capacidad de la
inteligencia económica
E
n un contexto económicamente vanguardista a
nivel internacional, ¿qué seríamos sin el apoyo
de un capital productivo sin tecnología? O se
han preguntado: ¿qué seríamos con él en su
punto óptimo de utilidad? ¿Acaso nos serviría de algo o
para algo el poseer todo lo necesario como para que no
exista nada más que pueda llenar la brecha que posee cada
país relativamente?
Si un país X fuese, absoluta y científicamente, ca-
paz de no poder crear sinergias productivas en sus proce-
sos creativos de los sectores en donde ya posee una ventaja
absoluta entonces la pendiente de su curva de aprendizaje
dejaría de ser positiva, o por lo menos eso dice mi lógica.
Con esto nos llega a la razón un concepto que se relaciona,
aunque en un contexto parecido con uno de los objetivos
principales de la macroeconomía, el de los precios esta-
bles o levemente ascendentes.
Si algún país Y le interesara alcanzar algún ren-
dimiento de escalas económicamente inteligentes y hacer
que su curva de aprendizaje posea una característica un
poco más vertical a través del tiempo, entonces le invito
a dicho país a que incorpore, dentro de sus planes estraté-
gicos, todo aquello que se encuentre lo más cercano a los
sistemas de información gerencial en sus sectores, tanto
en el público como en el privado. Más aún cuando se con-
sideran alianzas público privadas dentro de sus planes de
desarrollo económico.
Dentro de lo que conlleva el poseer dichos sistemas
de apoyo, tendría que tener un personal adiestrado y com-
petente capaz de manejar las complejidades informáticas
“No cabe duda que la tecnología de la información juega un rol indispensable
en el crecimiento económico de un país o región y que sin esta la cuesta se le
inclinaría mucho más que sin ella”.
que puedan surgir en los distintos escenarios. Y para esto
la sustentabilidad del modelo de desarrollo económico
dependería grandemente de los factores que lleven al al-
cance de su recurso humano adiestrado para ello.
No cabe duda que la tecnología de la información
juega un rol indispensable en el crecimiento económico
de un país o región y que sin esta la cuesta se le inclinaría
mucho más que sin ella. Es por eso que un sistema de
apoyo a las decisiones desde una perspectiva tecnológica
ya sea a nivel inferior de ese recurso humano o a un nivel
ejecutivo más que amenazar a la clase baja le incentivaría
de motivos y razones para dejar de pensar en un progreso
negativo. Y el efecto multiplicador contagiaría a dichos
sectores como pudiera ser con las APP mencionadas.
Desarrollar una Infraestructura adecuada en cual-
quier país, la fundación de Agencias Promocionales que
vayan al lado de los esfuerzos, la implementación de
Proyectos Pilotos y de Investigación, un proceso de plani-
ficación desde una perspectiva civil democrática, junto
con el apoyo a iniciativas de protección ambiental, más
los planes de contingencia adecuados en casos de emer-
gencias tecnológicas crearán el ambiente necesario como
para que los beneficios potenciales de un país o región
integrada y capacitada de estos factores prospere y man-
tenga un aprendizaje positivo y/o recupere el intelecto
económico que favorece a la sociedad mundial. [LAT]
El autor es estudiante de doctorado en administración de
empresas de la PUCPR.
ABRIL 2010 | LATITUDES 17

La memoria selectiva
J
udith Miller es una reconocida ex reportera del
New York Times y a ella se le atribuye el comienzo
de la Guerra de Irak. Sí, en las manos de una reportera
que el 7 de septiembre del 2002, con ayuda de otro
reportero, Michael Gordon, anunció una intercepción
de tubos de aluminio que iban dirigidas a Irak. Su no-
ticia cubrió la primera plana y citaba anónimamente a
oficiales americanos y expertos de inteligencia. Ésta
dijo que los tubos iban a ser usados para crear bom-
bas nucleares y citó anónimamente (otra vez) a ofi-
ciales del gobierno de Bush que decían asegurar que
los iraquíes estaban en la búsqueda de material para
crear una bomba atómica. Miller escribió: “la expan-
sión de arsenales químicos y biológicos en Bagdad ha
hecho que Iraq y los Estados Unidos estén a punto de
comenzar una guerra”.
Luego de que el artículo de Miller fue pub-
licado: Condoleeza Rice (Secretaria de Estado bajo
la administración de Bush), Colin Powell (también
Secretario de Estado para Bush (primer término) y
general de alto rango del Army) y Donald Rumsfeld
(Secretario de Defensa) aparecieron en televisión cit-
ando la historia de Miller varias veces para recom-
endar una guerra. Hasta el propio George W. Bush
citó a Miller al proponer la guerra. A pesar de que la
historia de Miller citaba a expertos de inteligencia,
ella decidió no publicar nada sobre otros reportes que
hacían su historia objetiva o le restaban certeza. En el
2001 el gobierno de Estados Unidos había hecho un
reporte al Oak Ridge National Laboratory en donde
concluía que los tubos no servían para hacer armas.
para hacer su historia objetiva; como lo fue un
En resumen, se fue a la guerra y la gente quería
hacer algo luego del 9/11 y esta historia aparentaba
ser perfecta. El Washington Post trató de escribir la
otra parte de la historia, diciendo que las fuentes de
Miller no eran suficientes para comenzar una guerra,
pero Miller publicaba más noticias que alimentaban
el deseo de comenzar una. Judith Miller fue también
la primera periodista arrestada por no revelar sus
18 LATITUDES | ABRIL 2010
Pensándolo Bien
Columna de Ada Álvarez Conde
fuentes, lo cual comenzó una batalla legal sobre el
derecho de los periodistas. Al final tuvo que revelar-
las para ser extraída de la cárcel y se determinó que si
es algo relacionado a la seguridad nacional el derecho
del periodista no la cubre. Este caso se dio dos años
después de que la guerra había comenzado.
Entonces, cabe hablar de la memoria selectiva.
Hace unas semanas salió la película Green Zone; in-
spirada en la búsqueda de armas de destrucción masi-
va y esta historia. Sin embargo, más de 5 periódicos,
incluyendo el Nuevo Día de Puerto Rico y El Nuevo
Herald, le hicieron preguntas a los productores sobre
la inspiración de la película y cómo se sentían hablan-
do de un tema político (un poco fuerte). Lo más inte-
resante, es que pocos recuerdan o saben esta historia
y es decisiva porque fue lo que comenzó la guerra.
La forma en que se fijan los recuerdos depende es-
encialmente de nuestras respuestas emocionales ante
cualquier incidente. Steven Worchel y Joel Cooper
en su libro llamado Psicología Social (2002) anali-
zan las reacciones de la memoria en casos históricos
y afirman que la memoria puede ser selectiva, esco-
giendo recordar unas cosas y omitiendo otras con-
scientemente. Aunque las memorias se colecten en el
subconsciente y de igual manera puedan tener efectos
en la actualidad, uno puede (tanto como para evitar
dolor o porque una historia conviene más que otra)
omitir cosas que pasaron.
Así que me imagino que tenemos una poca
memoria histórica o selectiva pero la película Green
Zone, no es original sino está inspirada en el reporta-
je investigativo que puso al descubierto el poder que
una periodista tuvo en el mundo. Así que al ver la
película, no es casualidad que el Sargento sea Miller,
que el periódico al que ella trabaja sea el Washington
Post (que fue el que decía la otra historia) y que al
final se sabe la verdad. [LAT]
La autora es periodista, escritora y activista social.
 CRÍTICA DE CINE
Haneke retrata el mal de la sociedad en “The
White Ribbon”

E
Por José Antonio Acevedo Cuevas
n la víspera de la Primera Guerra Mundial, sociedad contemporánea. Su estilo es muy parecido al
un pequeño pueblo al norte de Alemania se ve hostiga- cual destacó el dramaturgo y director alemán de teatro,
do por un sin número de terroríficos acontecimientos. Bertolt Brecht, en el siglo XX con el efecto del distan-
Todo esto perfilándose como un ritual de castigo. “The ciamiento ligadas a la realidad política, social y estética
White Ribbon” (2009), cinta cinematográfica escrita y pero alejadas del sentimentalismo.
dirigida por el cineasta alemán Michael Haneke, nos
hace reflexionar sobre los prim- Por otra parte, Michael Kranz, Ul-
eros movimientos del fascismo rich Tukur y Susanne Lothar igualmente
y la opresión a través de una nos presentan unas memorables interpre-
historia dramática que ha cauti- taciones acompañadas de unos diálogos
vado a muchos miembros de la justificados; y visuales exuberantes con
audiencia y críticos de cine. la técnica del blanco y negro que atra-
Con dos nominaciones pan la atención del espectador y crea un
al Óscar por mejor fotografía y balance entre la delicadeza estética con
película extranjera, y un galardón la angustia que se plantea en la historia.
de Palma de Oro en el festival “En cuanto a la dirección de actores, me
de Cannes, esta producción nos limito a indicarles lo que no me parece
presenta un panorama de Ale- exacto. Si se elige bien al intérprete, el
mania en el siglo XX mediante personaje suele funcionar dentro de la
una serie de retrospecciones en situación”, mencionó Haneke, quien
un pequeño pueblo de dicho país ha dirigido otros filmes como “The Pi-
donde la malicia social está muy ano Teacher”(2002), “Cache” (2005) y
presente. A causa de una mujer Foto promocional “Funny Games” (2008).
que sufre un insólito accidente, unos infantes que son Las frustraciones, la crueldad, las conductas
atormentados, un granero que es incendiado y toda una violentas y la venganza son varios de los temas que
comunidad que es parte de unos sucesos violentos, se plantean en esta película que provoca la intriga y el
comienza la investigación de parte del maestro de la suspenso. Diez años tomó la realización de este filme,
escuela del pueblo, interpretado por Christian Friedel. pero es el guión detallado, la composición sonora, las
“Son los temas de todo el cine que hago. En nuestra destacadas interpretaciones de parte de los adultos y
sociedad, no puede obviarse la cuestión de la violen- niños, que hacen que este sea el trabajo más sobresali-
cia. En cuanto a la culpabilidad, crecí en un ambiente ente de Haneke que explora el nacimiento del mal en
judeocristiano donde siempre estaba presente. No es nuestra sociedad. Influenciado y conocedor de varios
necesario ser malo para convertirse en culpable, sim- movimientos en la historia del teatro, Heneke se acerca
plemente forma parte de la vida cotidiana”, expresó igualmente al teatro épico, en su filme, con una rup-
Haneke en una entrevista por Fabien Lemercier para tura de la empatía y el puro entretenimiento para que
‘Cineuropa’. el público no se sienta cómodo al hora de apreciar la
No obstante, este director se distingue por sus película pero sí sea juicioso a la hora de reflexionar.
proyectos audiovisuales con los temas que acechan a la [LAT]

ABRIL 2010 | LATITUDES 19