A Major Current Event

There are many current events happening in Chile, however this one really caught my eye.

The  HidroAysen Controversy

Enviornmentalists have recently protested a permit that would allow for the descruction of over 14,000 acres of land, including forests and farmlands, for the flooding of HidroAysen. The idea behind the Hidro plant is to prevent the ongoing problem of blackouts in Santiago, Chile, some 2400 km aways. A powerline would then run from Aysen, Chile (in the patagonia region) to Santiago. Protestors argue that this would "cut through enviornmently sensitive areas". On the flip side the country's "economy is growing at 6% a year and needs an equivalent expansion in electricity generation."

As of today, May 10th, the plans were approved by the Chilean government Commision. It will cost an estimated $7 billion.
Some repurcussions of this approval will be that several farmers and families will loose their land and jobs will be lost, natural landscape would be altered and the fragile ecosystem will be comprimised.

It will be interesting to follow the presidents approval rating after today since he appointed the commissioned.

I have attached a few articles for furthur reading:
http://www.rechargenews.com/energy/wave_tidal_hydro/article253955.ece?WT.mc_id=rechargenews_

http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_18029427

Tourism and its Economy

In 2007, the World Travel and Tourism Council announced a strong growth in Chilean tourism. The out was great for Chile in that the economy would improve and jobs would be created. According to the WTTC President, Jean-Claude Baumgarten "Chile faces great opportunities to make Travel & Tourism a strategic priority and to develop its own plans to realize the full potential that this industry can bring to job creation and economic development for the country. It must however ensure that it has the infrastructure to meet with the high demand."
The following is a copy of the press release: http://www.wttc.org/eng/Tourism_News/Press_Releases/Press_Releases_2007/Travel_and_Tourism_in_Chile_growing_fast/

However, as the world suffered from the financial crisis of 2008, so did Chiles tourism throughout 2009. The H1N1 epidemic was also the cause of a slowed economy. Many jobs thought to be created with the analysis of 2007 ceased to exist. A another major blow came in early 2010 with a tragic 8.8 earthquake. Not only did the quake cost Chile billions, but the tourists became afraid to travel which led to many cancelations. An article released by mercopress describes the impact: http://en.mercopress.com/2010/03/04/chile-s-tourism-industry-fears-long-term-effects-of-quake-and-aftershocks

Tourism seemed to increase later in 2010 after the world took interest in the Chilean miners rescue. An analysis predicted that the incoming tourism would increase because of the intense media following of the rescue would lead to an increase in interest in Chile as a country. According to the report by Euromonitor International the Bicentennial celebrations and the ‘Chile es tuyo’ campaign helped recover tourism in 2010.
Attached is the full summary of the 2010 analysis from the Euromonitor International:
http://www.euromonitor.com/travel-and-tourism-in-chile/report

Cueca

The national dance of Chile is called the cueca. It was declared the official dance of Chile in September, 1979. This dance has rich historical roots in both African and Native American cultures. The dance depicts the courting behavior of the rooster and the hen. Characteristic of this dance are stamping and the use of scarves. These scarves, or hankerchiefs, can symbolize the feathers of the bird or the rooster's comb. The man may use the scarf to pull the woman toward him, and she may use it to cover her face in a flirtatious manner. The cueca may be performed in formal attire or a more rural outfit. The formal, ballroom attire for men is based on the traditional dress of the Chilean cowboy. Women wear a straight black skirt with a slit from which can be seen layers and layers of white lace. She wears a white blouse, black bolero jacket, and a hat like her partner's.

The choreography of the cueca consists of circles, moving in semicircles back and forth and turning towards the partner and then away.The dance happens in an imaginary circle, with the man in one half, and the woman in the other. It starts with a promenade where the man invites the woman to join him by offering his arm. This is done while instrumental entry music is played. The couples stand facing each other about three meters apart. Before the song begins, the couple claps their hands in rhythm of the music.

Cueca is danced during major celebrations including Chile's independence day in September. Dancing can occur at family celebrations as well.

Attached is a youtube video of the dance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvGURVqOmH

There is another version, more modern version, called Cueca Brava. This dance has become popular in competitions.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPDJDfCQ_Gk

Rapa Nui (Easter Island); Photos, Info, and Controversies

Easter Island is one of the most isolated islands in the world. Around 1200 years ago a double-hulled canoe filled with seafarers from Polynesia landed on shore and created a sustainable community. Over the centuries the society developed in almost complete isolation. For reasons still unknown they began carving giant statues out of volcanic rock. These monuments, known, as "moai" are some of the most incredible ancient relics ever discovered. The people of Easter Island called themselves the Rapa Nui.

There have been a lot of speculation about UFO's, Atlantis, and an advanced ancient races which has disappeared, has always been a part of the Easter Island debate. Science has made great strides in understanding who made the giant statues of Easter Island and has proven these extreme stories to rest.

Property Conflict on Easter Island

Here is a copy of an article I found from the Santiago Times regarding the conflict over the Moi and Rapa Nui. It discusses properties and how it is affecting many families on the island:

Distribution of land deeds among locals defuses conflict in Chile’s Easter Island

Chile’s Interior Ministry Undersecretary Rodrigo Ubilla announced this week that more than 30 Easter Island title deeds will be delivered to Rapa Nui families within the next 60 days.

The announcement is expected to put an end to two months of demonstrations and conflict on the island that included the take over of several publicly owned buildings by families of Easter Island’s original inhabitants, the Rapa Nui indigenous group.

The conflict was initially sparked when President Sebastián Piñera appointed Pedro Edmunds Paoa as provincial governor of Easter Island in March. Edmunds’ appointment caused controversy among the Rapa Nui when it was discovered he planned to sell land plots on the island to non-indigenous people. Edmunds later resigned and was replaced with Carmen Cardinali Paoa.
These events sparked concerns by local inhabitants that non-native people may eventually own much of the island, that land ownership titles be updated and clarified, and limitations imposed to contain the influx of non-natives as residents (and thus avoid its overpopulation and environmental destruction).
On Aug. 6, the government issued a proposal to resolve the conflict, prompting discussions and setting a 60-day deadline for finding possible solutions to land issues, to the protestors’ petition for special status for the island and to their request for immigration restraints.
“The decision to regulate these lands came about, decrees were signed and we shared the news with families,” Ubilla said. “They are very happy about this situation.”
Alberto Tepihi, one of the beneficiaries of new land titles, said he was surprised and cried “when the secretary included my name among the beneficiaries."
Despite the government’s claim that the conflict had ended, some 36 clans are still occupying land, insisting the government has failed to resolve their claims to ancestral lands.
The Hito clan, for example, is still occupying the Hanga Roa Hotel. “The occupation of land will continue because the only achievement of the government was to hasten the delivery of title deeds the Vaitea Fundo area of the island, a situation that has nothing do with the issue of ancestral land,” said Marisol Hito, a spokesperson for the clan.
He did not rule out a hunger strike by families to press for further solutions.
In related news, the board of the Association of Archaeologists in Chile called on the authorities to meet the demands of the Rapa Nui people regarding the land issue.
Andrea Seelenfreund Hirch, an archaeologist at the Universidad de Chile and professor at the University Academy of Christian Humanism, said, “At this stage Chile needs new regulations in its treatment of the Easter Island community and its heritage.”
Meanwhile, Leviant Araki, the Rapa Nui Parliament’s president, called for the withdrawal of the contingent of Special Forces (armed police) on the island.
“These first 36 titles will later be joined by others,” said Raúl Celis, governor of the Valparaiso Region (V), which includes Easter Island. “If the government fulfils its part, hopefully the clans will suspend the land occupations.
By Dominique Farrell – Santiago Times
http://en.mercopress.com/2010/09/16/distribution-of-land-deeds-among-locals-defuses-conflict-in-chile-s-easter-island

The Languages of Chile

The official language of Chile is Spanish ( castellano as Chileans call it), which is spoken by practically all the country's inhabitants. In the northern region about twenty thousand indigenous people also speak Aymará, while most of Chile's Mapuche population speak or at least understand their ancestral language, Mapudungu. In Eastern Island the two thousand native inhabitants speak their own language of Polynesian origin. Chileans of foreign ancestry do sometime also speak their mother tongue but do so almost exclusively in the intimacy of their home.
One of the most spectacular expressions of the existing cultural homogeneity is the relative absence of recognizable regional accents, despite the country's extreme geographic length. For instance, the differences in accent between middle-class Chileans from Antofagasta, Santiago, Valdivia, and Punta Arenas are almost inaudible. The national coverage of many Santiago-based radio and television stations also helps to homogenize Chilean Spanish. In contrast, there are in Chile very sharp accent distinctions among the different social classes.
Chilean Spanish is quite characteristic and is immediately identified in other Latin American countries for its distinctive "melody." Chileans generally speak very fast and terminal consonants are often not even spoken. They also often add the suffix –"ito" or –"ita" (meaning "little") to the end of words. In addition, Chilean speech contains many words adopted from the Mapuche language as well as much chilenismos (Chilean slang).

Castes, Classes and Social Stratification

Chile is, on the one hand, the most modern country in Latin America and has relatively low levels of poverty. On the other hand Chile shows the second worst distribution of wealth in the region (after Brazil). So while the richest 10 percent of the population obtains 46.1 percent of the national income, the poorest 10 percent has only 1.4 percent of the national income.

While color does not constitute the main source of social discrimination in Chile, class does. In contrast to many other Latin American countries, most Chileans constantly think and act in terms of traditional class divisions (largely expressed as lower, middle, and upper).  Entrance to a university is based on the points one obtains at a single national academic test. Even though someone from a lower class can get into a university and go on to get a good job does not automatically guarantee social acceptance among the middle and upper classes. The same is true for people from lower class origins who have made money and live in middle- or upper-class neighborhoods. They are often disdainfully called rotos con plata ("vulgar people with money"). Generally, it can be stated that most Chileans of European roots belong to the upper and middle classes, while most Chileans of mestizo and indigenous backgrounds belong to the lower classes.

In larger cities, classes are spatially segregated. Upper, middle, and lower classes live largely isolated from each other in very distinctive neighborhoods and city sections. Also, primary and secondary schools express social stratification. Chileans automatically categorize a person socially based only on the comuna (municipal division within the city) where the person lives and the name of the school he or she has attended.

Speech is another important marker of social stratification. Upper-class Chileans exaggerate their particular way of speaking to indicate their social predominance. On the other end of the social ladder, lower-class Chileans speak in a very idiosyncratic way. Chileans are so speech-conscious that even the slightest difference in pronunciation of some consonants immediately "betrays" social background.

Ceremonial Foods

During the celebrations of Independence Day (18 September) Chileans eat a large variety of traditional food. As a snack or the first course of a large meal, Chileans normally eat empanadas. This pastry of Spanish origin is stuffed with meat, cheese, or seafood, as well as onion, raisins, and olives. Another popular starter is humitas, which contains a paste of white corn, fried onions, and basil, wrapped in corn husks and cooked in boiling water. A classic second dish is pastel de choclo ( choclo is the Mapuche word for corn). It is a white corn and beef casserole topped with sugar and mostly cooked in traditional black ceramic dishes, handmade in the small town of Pomaire. Also on Independence Day, large parrilladas (barbecues) are organized across the country. Large quantities of wine, chicha (fermented apple brew), and pisco (grape brandy) accompany the celebrations.