Michael Fox is a Latin America-based audio producer and media maker.
About a hundred years ago, the Boston-based banana company, United Fruit, reigned supreme in Central America. It didn’t just own banana plantations, but also railroads and telephone lines. The company even dictated national policies and overthrew governments. For his podcast “Under the Shadow,” about US involvement in Central America, Michael Fox traveled to Guatemala, where he looked at the legacy of United Fruit and its impact on the global fruit industry today.
The government approved a new contract with the mine late last week. Since then, protests have rippled across Panama, and people are afraid they could bring the country to a standstill.
Saturday’s solar eclipse cut across the western United States, dipping down into parts of Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and Brazil. It was Panama’s first eclipse in 25 years and it came at an auspicious time when scientists are promoting an interest in astronomy.
Costa Rica is the only country in the Western Hemisphere with a state religion. The religion is Catholicism. But what happens when a president is elected promising to lift evangelical voices to the fore?
Costa Rica sells its image as a “green paradise,” with ample nature reserves and no standing military. But many say this reputation is more myth than reality as violence, poverty and unemployment is on the rise.
The tiny Central American country of Costa Rica is known as a green paradise. But climate change is hitting the country in a multitude of ways, including increasing its risk from storms and natural disasters. Nowhere is the shifting planet being felt more than in some of the country’s most iconic parks and reserves, where ecosystems are changing rapidly.
A year and a half into her administration, many say Xiomara Castro has yet to live up to expectations. But as Honduras’ first female president, those expectations are higher than usual. Much of the criticism against Castro comes from machismo and gender discrimination. She’s just one of two female heads of state of a Latin American country.
The tiny South American country of Uruguay has faced a historic drought over the last three years. Freshwater reserves are now running dangerously low. In an effort to overcome the water shortage, authorities are now supplementing public drinking water from new saltier reservoirs. And it is causing an uproar.
A bill making its way through the Legislature in Brazil could limit Indigenous land claims in the country, and potentially call into question large swaths of land already demarcated for Indian reservations.
Brazil ranks third in the world for the most social media usage, following India and Indonesia. Now, a controversial, 3-year-old bill is weaving its way through Congress. It could regulate social media platforms in the same way as TV and radio. The “Fake News Bill” has staunch supporters, but some also accuse it of being a form of censorship.
The El Fuego volcano in Guatemala spewed lava and ash over part of the country last week. Thousands evacuated the area, and many more were exposed to dangerous ash.