Actions and thoughts for a better present
Proyecto Ballena is a meeting space that brings together, from December 4th to 6th, various figures from Latin American political and cultural life to develop alternatives that help us envision a better present.
To exchange ideas and proposals about “ Democracy today: In danger? Undergoing mutation? ”, the following participate:
References from the Latin American political sphere: Tristán Bauer, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Evo Morales Ayma, Manuela D'Ávila, Nicolás Trotta, Bernarda Llorente.
Intellectuals, specialists, researchers: Boaventura de Sousa Santos (Portugal), Karina Batthyány (Uruguay), Sayak Valencia (Mexico), Jacques Rancière (France), Nelly Richard (Chile), Abel Prieto (Cuba), Giselle Beiguelman (Brazil), Dora Barrancos (AR), Alejandro Grimson (AR), Ricardo Forster (AR), Cecilia Nicolini (AR), Beatriz Busaniche (AR), Verónica Gago (AR), Enrique Viale (AR), Claudia Salinas (AR).
Artists and collectives: Regina José Galindo (Guatemala), Yeguas del apocalipsis (Chile), Grupo Etcétera (AR), Diana Szeinblum and Jazmín Tesone (AR), Macarena Aguilo (Chile), Colectivo Byte Footage (AR), María Bagnat (AR).
Representatives of social movements: Tupac Amaru, La Cámpora Hurlingham, Agrupación La Nelly Omar, Metrodelegados, Jóvenes por el clima Argentina, Centro Estudiantes del Belgrano de Córdoba, Belleza y Felicidad Fiorito, Deolinda Carrizo.
In this context, on Friday, December 4th at 6:00 PM Argentina and Uruguay time (UTC-3), Boaventura de Sousa Santos will present his book, “Leftists of the World, Unite! And Other Essays,” published by the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO). He will be accompanied by the Argentine Minister of Education, Nicolás Trotta, and the Executive Secretary of CLACSO, Karina Batthyány. Interview: Bernarda Llorente.
“In an increasingly interdependent world, I have long insisted on the need of global learning –De Sousa Santos maintains. No country, culture, or continent can claim Today, we have the privilege of having found the best solution to the problems. those the world faces, much less the right to impose it on others countries, cultures, or continents. The alternative lies in global learning. without losing sight of the contexts and specific needs of each one. I have long defended the epistemologies of the South as one of the paths to to promote such learning and the need to do so based on experiences of the social groups that suffer exclusion in different countries and the discrimination caused by capitalism, colonialism, and patriarchy.”
December in Argentina is the month of democracy
In 1983, the last month of the year was not experienced as an ending, but as a horizon. Raúl Alfonsín assumed the presidency, elected by the majority vote, and Argentina recovered its democracy after the most brutal dictatorship in its history.
Another December, in 2001, the majority rose up to challenge the legitimacy of a neoliberal regime, formally democratic but excluding vast sectors of the population from the common good. This other political milestone taught us that republican formality is insufficient to sustain a democracy if the inequalities it endures render its very name ironic.
In December 2020, even amidst the pandemic that is ravaging the world and unsettling the thinking in centers of power, it is time for us in Latin America to ask ourselves what kind of “normal” we want to return to, what commitments democracy is capable of renewing. What alternatives can we offer ourselves to improve the living conditions of the beings that inhabit this planet?
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