Category: RadioSumpul/ElSalvador

Weekend Voices 10/18/08

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

Audio recorded by Matt Murphy

Topic: The historical significance of the upcoming elections in El Salvador.

Bernardo Belloso, a Directiva member of the Association of Rural Communities for the Development of El Salvador (CRIPDES), and Jose Heriberto Orellana Franco, a Directiva council member from Carasque, Chalatenango (Bangor’s Sister City), spoke about the topic in Bangor, Maine on 10/9/08. Jan Morrill co-coordinator of US-El Salvador Sister Cities translates

FMI: www.elsalvadorsolidarity.org ; www.weru.org (El Salvador/ Radio Sumpul Archives section); www.mofga.org, www.pica.ws,

RadioActive 10/16/08

Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco

Topic: Organized Rural Communities of El Salvador on Free Trade and Immigration

How do free trade policies and neo-liberal economics effect the economy and people of El Salvador?  How does free trade effect immigration?  How do free trade policies effect the agricultural economy in small rural communities?

Bernardo Belloso is a National Directive Council Member of the Association of Rural Communities for the Development of El Salvador, CRIPDES. CRIPDES is the largest rural grassroots movement in El Salvador which coordinates the organizing, education and mobilization of over 300 rural communities spread through seven provinces of El Salvador.
Jose Heriberto Orellana Franco is a Directive Council Member in the community of Carasque (the Sister City of Bangor), one of the strongest CRIPDES-organized communities in the department of Chalatenango.

www.cripdes.org; www.elsalvadorsolidarity.org

RadioActive 10/09/08

Producers/Hosts: Meredith DeFrancesco and Amy Browne

Topics:  Discussion with the director of Food and Medicine on the state of the economy at national and state level. And interviews on Maine connections to Salvadoran communities through the US El Salvador Sister Cities network

What are some of the findings of a new survey and report on the current job quality for people in Maine laid off in the manufacturing sector?  What is the history and current relationship of the USESSC and CRIPDES?  What is involved in the relationship between Radio Sumpul and WERU?

Guests: Jack McKay, director of Food and Medcine (foodandmedicine.org) and president of Eastern Maine Labor Council;  Jon Falk, of Peace through InterAmerican Community Action(PICA) in Bangor (pica.ws) (elsalvadorsolidarity.org); and Adam Lacher, WERU Sister Station Committee (weru.org)

RadioActive 5/22/08

Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco

TODAYS TOPIC(S): The assassination of Hector Antonio Ventura Vasquez, one of the Suchitoto 14 in El Salvador; Reflections on International Worker’s Day, May 1st, in San Salvador; the Salvadoran social movement opposes the  Association Agreement (ADA), a free trade agreement currently being negotiated with the European Union and Central America

Salvadoran organizations call on the Attorney General to investigate the assassination of Hector Ventura, who,  was recently dismissed of terrorism charges along with 13 others after they were arrested prior to an anti water privatization forum in July. They also call for the investigation of a number of other assassinations classified political in the last 3 years. There is fear violence could escalate leading up to the presidential elections in March 2009.

Though government representatives  currently negotiating the  Association Agreement (ADA)  between the European Union and Central America, say human rights and political dialogue are important components of the free trade agreement,  they are backing off requiring the  ratification of the Rome Statutes, which created the International Criminal Court.  Central American countries allege this would overturn amnesty laws which block the prosecution of anyone for war crimes during the civil wars in Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador.

The social movement networks through out Central America say the negative impacts that have resulted from CAFTA, will be amplified in the ADA, particularly in the areas of intellectual property rights and services. They say, European companies have the strongest interest in the privatization of water and energy.

GUESTS:

Hector Antonio Ventura Vasquez, Suchitoto 14;

Liga Guevara, the Foundation of Studies for the application of Law (FESPAD);  Rosa Santana, CRIPDES (the Association for the Development of El Salvador; Pedro Juan Hernandez, the MPR-12 (the October 12th Popular Resistance Movement)

FMI: www.elsalvadorsolidary.org