Tag: El Salvador

RadioActive 10/18/18

Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco

Environmental and Social Justice: El Salvador Social Movement

Key Discussion Points:

a) We sat down with two members of the Salvadoran social movement, Bernardo Belloso of CRIPDES and Zulma Tobar of US El Salvador Sister Cities, to talk about some of the issues confronting the organized rural communities in El Salvador.

b) These include the growth of the sugar cane industry and the impacts on health from agrochemicals and excessive use of water, national efforts to privatize water and climate change. In 2016, El Salvador became the first country to ban metallic mining, a result of massive social movement efforts.

c) Since 1991, Bangor, through local organization PICA (http://www.pica.ws/) and US El Salvador Sister Cities, has had a sistering relationship with the Salvadoran community Carasque, one of the 300 rural communities organized through CRIPDES. MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association is sistered with the Salvadoran sustainable agricultural organization, CORDES. (www.mofga.org/Publications/The-Maine-Organic-Farmer-Gardener/Spring-2015/Sustainable-Agriculture-in-El-Salvador). WERU Community Radio is sistered with community radio station Radio Sumpul in the organized community Guarjilla. (www.radiosumpul.org/)

Guests:
Zulma Tobar, US El Salvador Sister Cities www.elsalvadorsolidarity.org/
Bernardo Belloso, CRIPDES www.cripdes.net/ www.elsalvadorsolidarity.org/cripdes/

Thanks to Andrea Mercardo for translation.

RadioActive 1/11/18 (rebroadcast 1/18/18)

Producer: Meredith DeFrancesco

Trump Administration’s Rescinding of TPS for El Salvador and other Immigration Policies

-Today we look at a number of the Trump Administration’s hostile immigration stances and policies.

-This week, the Trump Administration’s Department of Homeland Security announced it would end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 200,000 Salvadorans in the United States, adding to the list of countries already struck from the humanitarian program, including Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan.

-We look at the rescinding of TPS and the impacts it would have on Salvadorans in the US and in El Salvador. And we look at the realities of so-called “chain migration” and other programs the Trump administration has vilified.

Guests:
Rachel Reyes, Center for Migration Studies in New York City http://cmsny.org/
cmsny.org/publications/jmhs-tps-elsalvador-honduras-haiti/
Dennis Chinoy, US El Salvador Sister Cities and PICA (Power in Community Alliances), in Bangor, ME
www.elsalvadorsolidarity.org/
www.pica.ws/

Common Ground Radio 3/3/17

Producer/Host: C.J. Walke
Engineer: Amy Browne

Issue: Organic Food and Farming in Maine

Program Topic: MOFGA – El Salvador Sistering Committee

Key Discussion Points:
a) History of committee and work over past 20+ years
b) Changes in agricultural activities over the years
c) Environmental and social impacts of sugar cane production

Guests:
Jean English, MOFGA
Karen Volckhausen, Happy Town Farm, Orland, ME
Paul Volckhausen, Happy Town Farm, Orland, ME
Willie Marquart, WERU

Maine Currents 10/5/16

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Studio Engineer: John Greenman

Today we welcome visitors from El Salvador and local residents who are working together through US-El Salvador Sister Cities. The right wing death squads in El Salvador’s civil war (1980-1992) were funded and trained by the US government, so alliances between citizens of these two countries may seem unlikely – but our guests explain how they are strong and mutually beneficial. We also look at some of the issues facing El Salvador today, and hear what Salvadorans are saying about the US presidential elections.

Guests:
Zulma Tobar, US-El Salvador Sister Cities staff, based in El Salvador
Carly Roach, Volunteer with US-El Salvador Sister Cities, based in El Salvador
Dennis Chinoy, PICA and City of Bangor Sister City Committee (with Carasque, El Salvador)
Karen Volckhausen, Maine farmer and member of the MOFGA committee that has a sistering relationship with CCR, a rural communities organization in El Salvador
Willie Marquart, WERU Finance Manager and former Sister Cities staff member- has worked with MOFGA committee and the sister stations WERU and Radio Sumpul in El Salvador

Maine Currents is a weekly show featuring independent local news, views and culture. Catch us on WERU-FM every Wednesday at 4pm. Send story ideas, suggestions and comments to news@weru.org

FMI:

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Welcome to PICA!


http://www.mofga.org/Programs/MOFGAElSalvadorSisteringProject/tabid/371/Default.aspx
https://weru.org/radio-sumpul

Past WERU reporting on El Salvador may be found here: http://weru.macrevival.com/?s=el+salvador

RadioActive 12/4/14

Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco

Issue: Environmental and Social Justice

Program Topic: Solidarity Rallies for Fast Food Workers Day of Action and Black Friday Protests at Walmart; Second El Salvador Municipality Bans Mining

Key Discussion Points:
a) The Community Union of Ellsworth and Hancock County talk about local rallies in support of national movements to raise the standar of living for low wage workers. Black Friday demonstrations focused on Walmart workers,and December 4th was a day of action with fast food workers.
b) The Community Union also speaks to the importance of supporting the striking Fairpoint workers, who have no financial safety net, and who continue their daily pickets.
c) Salvadoran activist speaks at the Penobscot Nation’s River Justice event on the importance of organizing to protect the environment.

Guests:
A) John Curtis, Community Union of Ellsworth and Hancock County, ph: 667-
B) Edith Portillo, CRIPDES, stopesmining,org
C) Cori Ring-Martinez, translator, US El Salvador Sister Cities http://elsalvadorsolidarity.org/

WERU News Report 10/15/14

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

Segment 1: A rally in Skowhegan Monday kicked off efforts here in Maine to follow the lead of cities like Seattle and Minneapolis, and replace “Columbus Day” with a holiday called “Indigenous People’s Day”. Former Penobscot Chief Barry Dana organized the event:

Segment 2: Students in Bangor are raising money to help provide access to clean drinking water in the West African country of Burkina Faso. We spoke with 2 of the organizers of this year’s annual
benefit race, which will be taking place on the Bangor waterfront this weekend:

Segment 3: A few other events happening this weekend: Saturday evening at 7 at the UU Church in Bangor, Sister Cities coordinator Cori Ring-Martinez, and Edith Portillo of the Association for the Development of El Salvador will be speaking on the topic of “Crossing Borders: Organizing in El Salvador and the U.S.: How US policy created the immigration humanitarian crisis, how the Salvadoran government and social movements are responding, and what international solidarity can do to help”. Also on Saturday, from 2-8pm, there will be a concert and fundraiser to benefit the Penobscot Nation’s defense of their ancestral River. There will be an opportunity to learn more about the Penobscot’s battle with the State of Maine in Penobscot Nation v. Mills, and hear about threats to the watershed. That will be held at the Sockalexis Arena on Indian Island. More information is available at the Justice for the River! facebook page.

Segment 4: While all these events are happening, there is also a group of people walking across the state to draw attention to what they say is Maine’s “growing dependence on military production”. One of the organizers is Bruce Gagnon, of Maine Veterans for Peace and the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space:

WERU News Report 9/30/14

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

Reporting from El Salvador last week and today, as we accompany an international delegation observing anti-mining activities in the country. This week a World Bank tribunal is holding final hearings in a lawsuit a mining company filed against this impoverished country, because they prevented further mining in an attempt to protect the estimate 5% of their water that is not already contaminated.

Segment 1: As we wrap up our coverage today, we’re making connections with the efforts to regulate mining here in Maine. Background on Maine’s mining regs re-write, some words of advice for Mainers from representatives of First Nations communities that have dealt with mining (John Cutfeet and Aurora Conley), and Maine-based anti-mining activist Sidney Mitchell, a member of the delegation, reflects on lessons learned for her work here in Maine.

Segment 2: News from Bangor’s Sister City Carasque and from WERU’s Sister Station Radio Sumpul – with translation by Cori Ring of Sister Cities.

(For full disclosure: Travel expenses for WERU staff member Amy Browne and volunteer Meredith DeFrancesco were paid through a grant from the Haney Foundation received by the Bangor based group PICA, which coordinates the city sister relationship with Carasque, El Salvador.)

FMI: http://www.stopesmining.org/j25/

WERU News Report 9/24/14

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

Reporting from El Salvador this week and next, as we accompany an international delegation observing anti-mining activities in the country. This week a World Bank tribunal is holding final hearings in a lawsuit a mining company filed against this impoverished country, because they prevented further mining in an attempt to protect the estimate 5% of their water that is not already contaminated.

Today on the News Report we’ll hear from 2 First Nations representatives traveling with the delegation. John Cutfeet is from the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (“KI”) First Nation in Northern Ontario, and Aurora Conley is from the Bad River Band, Lake Superior Chippewa tribe in Wisconsin. They talk about how mining has threatened their communities, and how they’ve fought back:

(For full disclosure: Travel expenses for WERU staff member Amy Browne and volunteer Meredith DeFrancesco were paid through a grant from the Haney Foundation received by the Bangor based group PICA, which coordinates the city sister relationship with Carasque, El Salvador.)

FMI: http://www.stopesmining.org/j25/