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Stay poor or drill paradise? Ecuador’s present dilemma
In a live broadcast on television, radio and the web, President Rafael Correa announced that Ecuador will exploit the oil reserves of the ITT area (or a portion of it, located in the Yasuní National Park, the most biodiverse area in the world. In fact in Ecuador there is more […]
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Ecuador: Breaking the Austerity Grip in Music
No one knows what the term “music industry” means in Ecuador. We did have one a long time ago, I think, but it just disappeared because local music couldn’t compete with foreign imports. Nowadays local music can’t compete with them either, even though worldwide record sales are poor and the […]
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Ecuador’s difficult road to a trade agreement with the EU
Last April Ecuador’s president Rafael Correa went on an international tour of several countries, including Germany, Italy and Spain. In Germany, his intention to open a trading space with the European Union (EU) became clear to many people. In a joint press conference with German chancellor Angela Merkel, he said […]
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Ecuador: the morally respectable woman
On February the 20th, 2013, a group of young men murdered 20 year old Karina del Pozo, after a party. She was a model for events and fairs, and as many people said, specially on social networks, her line of work was an unmistakable sign of her not taking a […]
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La angustia del buen vivir
Sumak Kawsay is an indigenous concept that involves good living and being responsible with all beings that surround us, including nature. In Ecuador, this concept (which comes from the Quechua language) was included in the final draft of the Constitution in 2008. It is the first time that the country speaks of the Rights of Nature, giving plants and land the same rights enjoyed by humans. But over the years, many fear that the urge for money can or will destroy this concept and allow the indiscriminate exploitation of oil and mining, conceived by some politicians and enterprises as the only source to increase national income, affecting people and nature. Is Sumak Kawsay strong enough in Ecuador?