loyola llothta
☭☭☭
No they not but the fourth largest following Haiti, Brazil and the USA
Essential Afro-Latino/ Caribbean Current Events
- Thread starter Poitier
- Start date
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20150518/jamaicas-collapse-international-tourism-ranking-
major-blow-shahine-robinson
Opposition spokesperson for tourism and cruise shipping, Shahine Robinson is expressing deep concern about Jamaica's worst ever ranking in the Global Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015 published biennially by the internationally respected Swiss-based World Economic Forum.
"With growth rates already lagging way behind competing destinations in the region, the stubborn, lacklustre and visionless approach of tourism minister, Dr Wykeham McNeill adds nothing to turning the sector around. Jamaica dropped nine places to rank 76 out of 141 countries, the worst ever, and leaving it behind is a slew of regional destinations including Trinidad and Tobago," said Robinson. She also noted that when the Jamaica Labour Party left office in 2011, the country ranked 65 out of 139 countries.
The report ranked countries based on their score in its travel and competitiveness index. The index is comprised of four sub-indices including: enabling environment; travel and tourism policies and enabling conditions; infrastructure; and natural and cultural resources.
Robinson noted that safety and security concerns continue to be a major bugbear to Jamaica's tourism sector and again used the opportunity to call on the tourism and national security ministers to more seriously address the problem in the major resort areas. She argued for an increase in the number of police units, more frequent patrols, speedy investigations and community policing as some of the ways to better tackle the challenge. Beyond that she noted that Jamaica's walled in tourism industry will have to overtime augment itself to better benefit the Jamaican people and allow for more integration with people and their communities.
Robinson reminded McNeill to desist with immediate effect from continued gloating at Jamaica's less than average growth performance and instead focus on preparing the country for the imminent opening up of Cuba, propelling higher tourist arrival growth rates, significantly improving the nation's tourism product and tackling crime and violence.
major-blow-shahine-robinson
Opposition spokesperson for tourism and cruise shipping, Shahine Robinson is expressing deep concern about Jamaica's worst ever ranking in the Global Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015 published biennially by the internationally respected Swiss-based World Economic Forum.
"With growth rates already lagging way behind competing destinations in the region, the stubborn, lacklustre and visionless approach of tourism minister, Dr Wykeham McNeill adds nothing to turning the sector around. Jamaica dropped nine places to rank 76 out of 141 countries, the worst ever, and leaving it behind is a slew of regional destinations including Trinidad and Tobago," said Robinson. She also noted that when the Jamaica Labour Party left office in 2011, the country ranked 65 out of 139 countries.
The report ranked countries based on their score in its travel and competitiveness index. The index is comprised of four sub-indices including: enabling environment; travel and tourism policies and enabling conditions; infrastructure; and natural and cultural resources.
Robinson noted that safety and security concerns continue to be a major bugbear to Jamaica's tourism sector and again used the opportunity to call on the tourism and national security ministers to more seriously address the problem in the major resort areas. She argued for an increase in the number of police units, more frequent patrols, speedy investigations and community policing as some of the ways to better tackle the challenge. Beyond that she noted that Jamaica's walled in tourism industry will have to overtime augment itself to better benefit the Jamaican people and allow for more integration with people and their communities.
Robinson reminded McNeill to desist with immediate effect from continued gloating at Jamaica's less than average growth performance and instead focus on preparing the country for the imminent opening up of Cuba, propelling higher tourist arrival growth rates, significantly improving the nation's tourism product and tackling crime and violence.
Full rankings on page 15 (physical page no.5) if anyone interested: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/TT15/WEF_Global_Travel&Tourism_Report_2015.pdf
Federal University of Maranhão becomes first in Brazil to offer undergraduate degree in African and Afro-Brazilian Studies
Note from BW of Brazil: One of the principle reasons that Africans and black people throughout the world are so terribly stereotyped as inferior, less intelligent and culturally backward is due to a Eurocentric power structure that continues to ignore the vast history and accomplishments of these people through its education system. Still today in the second decade of the 21st century, the world’s population and students learn very little about African people and the little that they do learn is often based upon purposely false, half true information that continues to spread the idea that Africans had no important history until the European arrived on what was labeled “the dark continent”. The devastating result of this false interpretation of history is that millions of descendants of Africa continue to have shame of this ancestry as they too are indoctrinated to believe that Africa is nothing to be proud of.
The case of Brazil is an excellent example of how a lack of information of one’s origins can lead to the total domination of an entire people. Even with a glimmer of hope with more and more Afro-Brazilians having access to a college education, this education still comes from a Eurocentric perspective. As we have seen, with the work of Afro-Brazilian intellectuals still basically ignored in Brazil’s finest universities, the journey to decentralizing Western education styles has a very long path to travel. Recently one important step forward was made in the northeastern state of Maranhão and while this advance is decades behind, it does represent a glimmer of hope. Let’s hope this idea spreads to other regions of the country in years to come.
UFMA opens undergraduate course on Afro-Brazilian History and Culture
Universidade Federal do Maranhão in São Luís, Maranhão
Maranhão is the first Brazilian state to have an undergraduate degree in African and Afro Brazilian Studies, approved by the Ministry of Education. The Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), on the campus of the capital city of São Luís, will be the first in the country to offer a degree course in order to train teachers to teach about African history and culture in elementary and high schools.
State of Maranhão in Brazil’s northeast
The initiative arose from the need to enforce the federal law 10.639/2013 which made compulsory the teaching of African history and culture, but that hasn’t been met because of the lack of trained teachers. This semester a special selection process will be held to fill 40 positions in night classes. The course will be in the classroom and will last four years.
Carlos Benedito Rodrigues da Silva, Kátia Regis and Marcelo Pagliosa
“The law provides subsidies for the questioning of ethnic-racial relations in a Brazilian society where inequality between blacks and whites is a structural and a structuring element of social reality. This inequality is manifested in educational institutions through its curricula, which have been Eurocentric and omit and/or distort African and Afro-Brazilian History and Culture,” said Kátia Regis.
Nilma Lino Gomes of SEPPIR speaks at the inauguration of the course
The law was enacted in 2003 and, despite some progress, it is still not fully effective. Despite several continuing education initiatives for teachers on Afro-Brazilian studies, there is a deficiency in the initial formation and graduation of these professionals. “There is a lot of resistance to the inclusion of this theme in teaching courses and the degrees. Generally the discussion on the theme occurs in either one or other discipline of History of Africa and/or Education for Diversity. Despite the importance of the inclusion of these subjects in the curriculum, we believe that is not enough to change still stereotypical views about Africans and the black Brazilian population, as well as in an isolated and/or timely manner and cannot eliminate prejudice and racist attitudes present the university. I.e. there is a need for more incisive actions in teaching, research and extension so that the theme acquires the required relevance in the legislation mentioned,” argues Regis.
The news of the approval and authorization for the start of the course was very celebrated by teachers who worked in the pedagogical project and closely followed in the progress of the process in MEC. “We hope this pioneering attitude of the Federal University of Maranhão inspires other universities across the country,” said the teacher Kátia Régia, one of the founders.
Note from BW of Brazil: One of the principle reasons that Africans and black people throughout the world are so terribly stereotyped as inferior, less intelligent and culturally backward is due to a Eurocentric power structure that continues to ignore the vast history and accomplishments of these people through its education system. Still today in the second decade of the 21st century, the world’s population and students learn very little about African people and the little that they do learn is often based upon purposely false, half true information that continues to spread the idea that Africans had no important history until the European arrived on what was labeled “the dark continent”. The devastating result of this false interpretation of history is that millions of descendants of Africa continue to have shame of this ancestry as they too are indoctrinated to believe that Africa is nothing to be proud of.
The case of Brazil is an excellent example of how a lack of information of one’s origins can lead to the total domination of an entire people. Even with a glimmer of hope with more and more Afro-Brazilians having access to a college education, this education still comes from a Eurocentric perspective. As we have seen, with the work of Afro-Brazilian intellectuals still basically ignored in Brazil’s finest universities, the journey to decentralizing Western education styles has a very long path to travel. Recently one important step forward was made in the northeastern state of Maranhão and while this advance is decades behind, it does represent a glimmer of hope. Let’s hope this idea spreads to other regions of the country in years to come.
UFMA opens undergraduate course on Afro-Brazilian History and Culture
Universidade Federal do Maranhão in São Luís, Maranhão
Maranhão is the first Brazilian state to have an undergraduate degree in African and Afro Brazilian Studies, approved by the Ministry of Education. The Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), on the campus of the capital city of São Luís, will be the first in the country to offer a degree course in order to train teachers to teach about African history and culture in elementary and high schools.
State of Maranhão in Brazil’s northeast
The initiative arose from the need to enforce the federal law 10.639/2013 which made compulsory the teaching of African history and culture, but that hasn’t been met because of the lack of trained teachers. This semester a special selection process will be held to fill 40 positions in night classes. The course will be in the classroom and will last four years.
Carlos Benedito Rodrigues da Silva, Kátia Regis and Marcelo Pagliosa
“The law provides subsidies for the questioning of ethnic-racial relations in a Brazilian society where inequality between blacks and whites is a structural and a structuring element of social reality. This inequality is manifested in educational institutions through its curricula, which have been Eurocentric and omit and/or distort African and Afro-Brazilian History and Culture,” said Kátia Regis.
Nilma Lino Gomes of SEPPIR speaks at the inauguration of the course
The law was enacted in 2003 and, despite some progress, it is still not fully effective. Despite several continuing education initiatives for teachers on Afro-Brazilian studies, there is a deficiency in the initial formation and graduation of these professionals. “There is a lot of resistance to the inclusion of this theme in teaching courses and the degrees. Generally the discussion on the theme occurs in either one or other discipline of History of Africa and/or Education for Diversity. Despite the importance of the inclusion of these subjects in the curriculum, we believe that is not enough to change still stereotypical views about Africans and the black Brazilian population, as well as in an isolated and/or timely manner and cannot eliminate prejudice and racist attitudes present the university. I.e. there is a need for more incisive actions in teaching, research and extension so that the theme acquires the required relevance in the legislation mentioned,” argues Regis.
The news of the approval and authorization for the start of the course was very celebrated by teachers who worked in the pedagogical project and closely followed in the progress of the process in MEC. “We hope this pioneering attitude of the Federal University of Maranhão inspires other universities across the country,” said the teacher Kátia Régia, one of the founders.
The Núcleo de Estudos Afro-Brasileiros (Neab or Afro-Brazilian Studies Center) was the proponent for the establishment of the project coordinated by Professor Carlos Benedito Rodrigues da Silva, Professor Kátia Regis and Professor Marcelo Pagliosa (photo, left to right) with support from the rector Natalino Salgado. The implementation of the course coincides with the celebration of 30 years of NEAB and, according to the professor Carlos Rodrigues, the proposal of the course resulted from a discussion of the mandatory teaching of African History and Culture in the Brazilian educational system. “We are faced, throughout this process, as much with a certain resistance in the application of the law, as with an argument that there are no qualified people to work with these contents. Because of this they were made through the Afro-Brazilian studies of various universities nationwide, a number of courses at the level of expertise, distance education, but that still haven’t filled this gap,” he said.
Carlos Benedito also says that, besides being the first degree in Brazil that addresses this issue, in the Maranhão scenario its implementation becomes even more important because of the historical process of the state. “Maranhão is the third (highest) Brazilian state with the percentage of black population, a very large inherited cultural diversity of the African continent, and from the point of view of religion, musicality, among others,” lists.
Inauguration
On May 5th, the Federal University of Maranhão held the inaugural class of the Interdisciplinary Degree course in African and Afro-Brazilian Studies. The President of the SINTEMA, Mariano Azevedo, attended the event and congratulated the dean, Prof. Natalino Salgado Filho, for the important initiative to have embraced this commitment to the advancement of society.
Nilma Lino Gomes during the ceremony
The inaugural lecture of the course Interdisciplinary Degree in African and Afro-Brazilian Studies occurred in the Central Auditorium of UFMA in the presence of the rector Natalino Salgado, students, professors and state and municipal authorities.
UFMA
On Tuesday, (May 5th) the Minister of the Secretary of Policies for the Promotion of Racial Equality (SEPPIR), Nilma Lino Gomes, gave the inaugural class of the Interdisciplinary Degree course in African and Afro-Brazilian Studies, held at the Auditório Central da Cidade Universitária, in the presence of the rector Natalino Salgado, students, teachers and state and municipal authorities.
Before the inaugural lecture, the minister was received by the Rector in his office and praised the UFMA for the pioneering initiative in Brazil, the first university to introduce the Interdisciplinary Degree course in African and Afro-Brazilian Studies. “UFMA is to be congratulated, as well as the coordination of this course. I hope other universities follow the same example in creating courses that study African and Afro-Brazilian history and culture,” stressed the minister.
At the opening ceremony of the main event, the rector of UFMA, Natalino Salgado, reaffirmed his commitment to spare no effort in supporting the development of degree. “We have open arms to continue to contribute to the growth and consolidation of the course,” he said.
The course coordinator, Kátia Regis, thanked the rector for his support and stressed his commitment to the implementation and completion of the course. She also said that the timing is important for UFMA and researchers of African and Afro-Brazilian Studies, and especially, for society. She hopes that more universities in the country also follow the same path. “We hope this pioneering initiative will inspire other Brazilian universities to deploy similar courses with African and Afro-Brazilian studies,” she said.
Mariano Azevedo with Nilma Lino Gomes of SEPPIR
Initiating the class, the Minister of the Secretariat of the Promotion of Policies for Racial Equality Policies, Nilma Lino Gomes, said there is no way to begin the discussion without first making a deployment of the very name that the course received – Licenciatura Interdisciplinar em Estudos Africanos e Afro-Brasileiros (Interdisciplinary Degree in African and Afro Brazilian Studies).
For the minister the name Interdisciplinary Degree already shows that the course is training teachers who will work in basic education. “African and Afro-Brazilian Studies is a course that will occupy the place in Brazilian history by the struggles of black movements, so the students themselves have a huge responsibility because they will be the teachers of our children in primary education,” extolled the minister.
Nilma Lino Gomes believes that Law 10.639, which makes compulsory the teaching of African and Afro-Brazilian History and Culture and, is a process of concretization of announcements and denouncements made by black movements. “The black movements are intervening in the three structures of Brazilian society – structures of power, work and knowledge,” she said.
For the minister this is an initiative that also aims to overcome racial inequalities in Brazil, in which “the expectation is that this degree transforms the vision of the students about the African continent,” she declared. The minister also hopes that this degree forms another profile of teachers on African and Afro-Brazilian culture, which enhances its profiles of educators, and breaks down stereotypes about Africa.
Nilma Gomes noted that there are several types of knowledge beyond scientific, such as traditional knowledge, which is very important and should be highlighted, in her view. At the end of the lesson, the minister suggested that the name of the course be Interdisciplinary Degree in African and Afro-Brazilian Studies of the Emerging because she said “this course will make emerge the histories and subjects of traditional African and Afro-Brazilian knowledge,” she said.
Present at the ceremony were the coordinator of the nucleus of Afro-Brazilian Studies, Carlos Benedito Rodrigues da Silva; the coordinator of the Degree Course in African and Afro-Brazilian Studies, Kátia Regis; the director of the Center of Biological Science and Health, Nair Portela Silva Coutinho; the dean of Education, Isabel Ibarra Cabrera; the Municipal Secretary of Education, Geraldo Castro, representing the Mayor of São Luís, Edivaldo Holanda Junior; the secretary of state of Racial Equality, Gerson Pinheiro, and representing the Governor of the state of Maranhão, Flávio Dino.
Source: Tô No Rumo, Sintema, Portais Institucionais Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Folha da Bico
http://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2015/0...degree-in-african-and-afro-brazilian-studies/
Carlos Benedito also says that, besides being the first degree in Brazil that addresses this issue, in the Maranhão scenario its implementation becomes even more important because of the historical process of the state. “Maranhão is the third (highest) Brazilian state with the percentage of black population, a very large inherited cultural diversity of the African continent, and from the point of view of religion, musicality, among others,” lists.
Inauguration
On May 5th, the Federal University of Maranhão held the inaugural class of the Interdisciplinary Degree course in African and Afro-Brazilian Studies. The President of the SINTEMA, Mariano Azevedo, attended the event and congratulated the dean, Prof. Natalino Salgado Filho, for the important initiative to have embraced this commitment to the advancement of society.
Nilma Lino Gomes during the ceremony
The inaugural lecture of the course Interdisciplinary Degree in African and Afro-Brazilian Studies occurred in the Central Auditorium of UFMA in the presence of the rector Natalino Salgado, students, professors and state and municipal authorities.
UFMA
On Tuesday, (May 5th) the Minister of the Secretary of Policies for the Promotion of Racial Equality (SEPPIR), Nilma Lino Gomes, gave the inaugural class of the Interdisciplinary Degree course in African and Afro-Brazilian Studies, held at the Auditório Central da Cidade Universitária, in the presence of the rector Natalino Salgado, students, teachers and state and municipal authorities.
Before the inaugural lecture, the minister was received by the Rector in his office and praised the UFMA for the pioneering initiative in Brazil, the first university to introduce the Interdisciplinary Degree course in African and Afro-Brazilian Studies. “UFMA is to be congratulated, as well as the coordination of this course. I hope other universities follow the same example in creating courses that study African and Afro-Brazilian history and culture,” stressed the minister.
At the opening ceremony of the main event, the rector of UFMA, Natalino Salgado, reaffirmed his commitment to spare no effort in supporting the development of degree. “We have open arms to continue to contribute to the growth and consolidation of the course,” he said.
The course coordinator, Kátia Regis, thanked the rector for his support and stressed his commitment to the implementation and completion of the course. She also said that the timing is important for UFMA and researchers of African and Afro-Brazilian Studies, and especially, for society. She hopes that more universities in the country also follow the same path. “We hope this pioneering initiative will inspire other Brazilian universities to deploy similar courses with African and Afro-Brazilian studies,” she said.
Mariano Azevedo with Nilma Lino Gomes of SEPPIR
Initiating the class, the Minister of the Secretariat of the Promotion of Policies for Racial Equality Policies, Nilma Lino Gomes, said there is no way to begin the discussion without first making a deployment of the very name that the course received – Licenciatura Interdisciplinar em Estudos Africanos e Afro-Brasileiros (Interdisciplinary Degree in African and Afro Brazilian Studies).
For the minister the name Interdisciplinary Degree already shows that the course is training teachers who will work in basic education. “African and Afro-Brazilian Studies is a course that will occupy the place in Brazilian history by the struggles of black movements, so the students themselves have a huge responsibility because they will be the teachers of our children in primary education,” extolled the minister.
Nilma Lino Gomes believes that Law 10.639, which makes compulsory the teaching of African and Afro-Brazilian History and Culture and, is a process of concretization of announcements and denouncements made by black movements. “The black movements are intervening in the three structures of Brazilian society – structures of power, work and knowledge,” she said.
For the minister this is an initiative that also aims to overcome racial inequalities in Brazil, in which “the expectation is that this degree transforms the vision of the students about the African continent,” she declared. The minister also hopes that this degree forms another profile of teachers on African and Afro-Brazilian culture, which enhances its profiles of educators, and breaks down stereotypes about Africa.
Nilma Gomes noted that there are several types of knowledge beyond scientific, such as traditional knowledge, which is very important and should be highlighted, in her view. At the end of the lesson, the minister suggested that the name of the course be Interdisciplinary Degree in African and Afro-Brazilian Studies of the Emerging because she said “this course will make emerge the histories and subjects of traditional African and Afro-Brazilian knowledge,” she said.
Present at the ceremony were the coordinator of the nucleus of Afro-Brazilian Studies, Carlos Benedito Rodrigues da Silva; the coordinator of the Degree Course in African and Afro-Brazilian Studies, Kátia Regis; the director of the Center of Biological Science and Health, Nair Portela Silva Coutinho; the dean of Education, Isabel Ibarra Cabrera; the Municipal Secretary of Education, Geraldo Castro, representing the Mayor of São Luís, Edivaldo Holanda Junior; the secretary of state of Racial Equality, Gerson Pinheiro, and representing the Governor of the state of Maranhão, Flávio Dino.
Source: Tô No Rumo, Sintema, Portais Institucionais Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Folha da Bico
http://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2015/0...degree-in-african-and-afro-brazilian-studies/
Almost unbelievable that this is just happening in 2015 but a great step forward for all people of Brazil
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This account was for entertainment purposes only.
Puerto Rico's population swap: The middle class for millionaires
By Franz StrasserBBC News, Washington
- 5 May 2015
- From the sectionMagazine
Puerto Rico's struggling economy has led to an exodus of young people moving to the US mainland - while wealthy Americans are starting to call San Juan home. As a result, the economy and identity of both places are changing in surprising ways.
While the US economy is steadily improving, Puerto Rico's unemployment rate has remained at over 13%, twice the US national average, for the last decade. The island is facing a fiscal crisis with $72bn (£47.5bn) in debt.
So the government is looking elsewhere for relief. It has started to lure America's super wealthy from the US East Coast. Two acts passed in 2012 guarantee no capital gains taxes and a mere 4% tax rate on their business to those who make Puerto Rico their primary residence.
More than 500 eligible individuals have answered the call.
"There has been some concern that we're not contributing enough on the island and not everybody is happy about that," says Robb Rill, who moved his business down in 2013.
He says the island is benefitting.
"There's probably been almost a billion dollars invested on the island since these acts have passed, and that's a billion dollars that would not have been invested on the island had there not been the proper incentives. So the everyman on the street doesn't necessarily see the direct benefit, but I can tell you that there is an immeasurable benefit not just on the real estate but through direct investment which is making a difference."
What do they get?
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- No federal taxes on capitals gains
- 4% corporate tax rate on their business
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Media captionA tour of the Ritz Carlton Reserve in Puerto Rico
'Perfect storm'
This influx of mainland monied comes as tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans leave every year. They head in search of more opportunity on the US mainland, where they have the right to work as US citizens.
"What's going on in Puerto Rico right now it's the perfect storm," says Valerie Rodriguez, a young lawyer in San Juan and member of the New Progressive Party.
"You have a population in Puerto Rico where the productive sector is shrinking and the young professionals are leaving. Then you have an elderly population that's increasing in size, and obviously that population is going to depend more and more on government."
Clockwise: the Puerto Rico capitol, Orlando Rivera and his wife in Ponce, and a worker at the San Juan market
Funding those government services is a contentious issue.
"I am the worker, I am the one who is paying the taxes," says Orlando Rivera, a store manager in the city of Ponce. "I have to sustain my family, pay a 400-dollar electrical bill and my daughters' tuition fees. And in the meantime [the millionaires] aren't bringing any solutions to the problem."
Little opportunity
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Media captionPuerto Rico's students sound off
For those who aren't wealthy, staying in Puerto Rico is not always an option.
"Young people here that go to university and prepare themselves, they really want to stay on the island and it's not something they can do." says Ms Rodriguez.
The changing demographics are altering Puerto Rico's relationship with the mainland.
"Students that have decided to leave the island for job opportunities are important for Puerto Rico because they create other opportunities," says Uroyoan Walker, the President of the University of Puerto Rico. "It's very important that the university and the people of Puerto Rico stay connected with that diaspora so that we can become a stronger and bigger country."
The big migration
Puerto Ricans moving to the US between 2005-2012 (Source: Pew Research Center)
As citizens of a US territory, Puerto Ricans have the same right to work as any American born in the 50 states. More than 300,000 of them have left the island and headed for the US mainland in the last decade. Traditionally they have moved to New York, but more recently a third of them have moved to Florida. In Central Florida alone, 100 new families arrive every single week.
- "I miss Puerto Rico but I do not think I'm moving back there. Here there is more help here for the children, who are my priority." - Vincent Diaz Lebron
- "We came for the education. Public schools here are as good as private schools in Puerto Rico. You can have opportunities." - Jean Pierre Hernandez
- "Jobs for Puerto Ricans are very good. Not everyone is lucky enough to get a job soon but if you are bilingual and have a lot of energy, it is easy for Puerto Ricans to get a job here." - Kyana Leon
Doubling sales
This increased migration has presented an opportunity for entrepreneurs.
Titan Products of Puerto Rico opened a distribution centre in Central Florida last spring. Over 40,000 square feet of Puerto Rican products are being moved here and shipped across the Southern US.
"People used to travel there and bring back in their luggage, the cookies, the beans, or the rice," says Rafael Julia, the sales director for Titan. Alternatively, they would get products sent through the post or brought back by friends or family, she adds.
"We receive probably one to two containers a week, they come from Puerto Rico, we consolidate all the cargo down there. We have over 176 clients from small bodegas, family-owned, to big supermarkets."
They say their business is booming.
"We can double our sales next year. We are currently talking to big players like Publix and Wal-Mart to have our products there."
Popular products
- Lotus pineapple juice
- Cameo cookies
- Tacos de Mariscada
Florida, Florida, Florida
And where there's people and money the politicians won't be too far behind. Puerto Ricans residing on the mainland have the same voting rights and could be the kingmakers in one of the most important Presidential swing states in 2016.
"I don't think any presidential candidate who is looking to secure Florida will be able to do that without counting on the support of the Puerto Rican communities," says Jose Luis Marantes a political activist with Mi Familia in Orlando.
"It's not enough just to be able to say a couple of words in Spanish to be able to say that you're in solidarity with the Latino community and with the Puerto Rican community. You need to speak about jobs, about health care, about education, and about opportunities for folks to come in."
Fuuck Puerto Rico!!!
June 14, 2:45 PM EDT
CUBAN ARTIST PUTS ON HAIR COMPETITION TO BOLSTER BLACK PRIDE
BY ANDREA RODRIGUEZ
ASSOCIATED PRESS
HAVANA (AP) -- A young Afro-Cuban performance artist transformed a Havana cultural center into the stage of a black hairstyle competition this weekend in a rare public commentary on racial beauty standards in Cuba, where prejudice remains widespread and largely undiscussed.
Politics, particularly detente with the U.S., is a common subject matter at this year's international art fair. Few works touch on discrimination against black and mixed-race Cubans, which remains commonplace more than a half-century after the island's socialist revolution promised to eliminate racism.
Susana Delahante, an internationally known 30-year-old Havana artist, invited black and mixed-race women to compete in three hair categories - natural, braided and dreadlocked.
After a two-hour competition in which 70 women competed Saturday evening, the audience of about 300 people voted by applause, handing the natural-hair prize to 72-year-old Felicia Solano, whose white outfit dramatically set off her halo of white hair, and the braids award to Marbelys Gonzalez, 15, with a cascade of tight braids decorated in brightly colored beads. There were no entries in the dreadlocks category.
Delahante and participants in the competition described it as a way of rebuilding pride among Afro-Cuban women in a society where kinky hair and black skin often are seen as less beautiful than straight locks and pale complexions.
"This is a first step in reclaiming this type of hair," said competitor Ania de Armas, a 22-year-old art history graduate who competed in the natural hair category.
Contemporary Cubans are descended mostly from Spanish colonists and their West African slaves, and Cubans categorize themselves as black, white or mixed-race. Sixty-four percent of Cubans identified themselves as white in the country's last census in 2012, 26.6 percent as mixed-race and 9.3 percent as black - figures that wildly undercount the number of Cubans identified as black by themselves and others in their daily lives. Sociologists say black Cubans' reluctance to identify themselves as such is a powerful indication of lingering prejudice.
"I wanted to do something that legitimized my hair, this undervalued type of hair," said Delahante, who wears her hair in a tight Afro style. "This competition is about something that has merit and needs to be rewarded."
The socialist revolution brought large numbers of black Cubans into the middle and upper ranks of government, academia and professional fields but the Afro-Cuban population still generally has worse housing, transportation and food than whites. The Cubans who fled the island after the revolution were heavily from the white elite class, and so their hundreds of millions of dollars of remittances sent back to relatives on the island each year tend to go to white Cubans.
Behind closed doors and even in public, white Cubans have been known to talk disparagingly about black Cubans in ways that have become socially unacceptable in many other countries, describing them as criminals and forbidding their children from dating Afro-Cuban schoolmates.
Black Cubans also have been the losers in President Raul Castro's economic reforms, in which Cubans with capital from overseas have been able to open profitable businesses serving increasing numbers of international tourists. Black Cubans are notably absent even on the lower rungs of those new private businesses, such as in service jobs like wait staff positions that bring in big tips from foreign customers.
People of predominantly Afro-Cuban descent also are underrepresented on Cuban television and in much of the contemporary music world, making many black Cubans feel they have to straighten their hair to be considered beautiful.
Roberto Zurbano, a cultural critic and essayist at the Casa de las Americas, a Havana cultural center, said the mostly white leaders of Cuba's revolution had failed to realize the deeply rooted nature of Cuban racism and implemented race-blind policies instead of programs like affirmative action specifically designed to help black Cubans move into positions of greater influence.
"Racism persists in Cuba," Zurbano said. "The revolution didn't question the country's racist heritage."
Naomi Santana, a 25-year-old librarian, said she was at the competition in order to bring herself closer to Afro-Cuban culture.
"I used to have straight hair," said Santana, who now styles her hair in a large Afro. "This is a social recognition that's been missing for a long time."
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Michael Weissenstein contributed to this report.
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Andrea Rodríguez on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ARodriguezAP
Michael Weissenstein on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mweissenstein
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-06-14-14-45-05
CUBAN ARTIST PUTS ON HAIR COMPETITION TO BOLSTER BLACK PRIDE
BY ANDREA RODRIGUEZ
ASSOCIATED PRESS
HAVANA (AP) -- A young Afro-Cuban performance artist transformed a Havana cultural center into the stage of a black hairstyle competition this weekend in a rare public commentary on racial beauty standards in Cuba, where prejudice remains widespread and largely undiscussed.
Politics, particularly detente with the U.S., is a common subject matter at this year's international art fair. Few works touch on discrimination against black and mixed-race Cubans, which remains commonplace more than a half-century after the island's socialist revolution promised to eliminate racism.
Susana Delahante, an internationally known 30-year-old Havana artist, invited black and mixed-race women to compete in three hair categories - natural, braided and dreadlocked.
After a two-hour competition in which 70 women competed Saturday evening, the audience of about 300 people voted by applause, handing the natural-hair prize to 72-year-old Felicia Solano, whose white outfit dramatically set off her halo of white hair, and the braids award to Marbelys Gonzalez, 15, with a cascade of tight braids decorated in brightly colored beads. There were no entries in the dreadlocks category.
Delahante and participants in the competition described it as a way of rebuilding pride among Afro-Cuban women in a society where kinky hair and black skin often are seen as less beautiful than straight locks and pale complexions.
"This is a first step in reclaiming this type of hair," said competitor Ania de Armas, a 22-year-old art history graduate who competed in the natural hair category.
Contemporary Cubans are descended mostly from Spanish colonists and their West African slaves, and Cubans categorize themselves as black, white or mixed-race. Sixty-four percent of Cubans identified themselves as white in the country's last census in 2012, 26.6 percent as mixed-race and 9.3 percent as black - figures that wildly undercount the number of Cubans identified as black by themselves and others in their daily lives. Sociologists say black Cubans' reluctance to identify themselves as such is a powerful indication of lingering prejudice.
"I wanted to do something that legitimized my hair, this undervalued type of hair," said Delahante, who wears her hair in a tight Afro style. "This competition is about something that has merit and needs to be rewarded."
The socialist revolution brought large numbers of black Cubans into the middle and upper ranks of government, academia and professional fields but the Afro-Cuban population still generally has worse housing, transportation and food than whites. The Cubans who fled the island after the revolution were heavily from the white elite class, and so their hundreds of millions of dollars of remittances sent back to relatives on the island each year tend to go to white Cubans.
Behind closed doors and even in public, white Cubans have been known to talk disparagingly about black Cubans in ways that have become socially unacceptable in many other countries, describing them as criminals and forbidding their children from dating Afro-Cuban schoolmates.
Black Cubans also have been the losers in President Raul Castro's economic reforms, in which Cubans with capital from overseas have been able to open profitable businesses serving increasing numbers of international tourists. Black Cubans are notably absent even on the lower rungs of those new private businesses, such as in service jobs like wait staff positions that bring in big tips from foreign customers.
People of predominantly Afro-Cuban descent also are underrepresented on Cuban television and in much of the contemporary music world, making many black Cubans feel they have to straighten their hair to be considered beautiful.
Roberto Zurbano, a cultural critic and essayist at the Casa de las Americas, a Havana cultural center, said the mostly white leaders of Cuba's revolution had failed to realize the deeply rooted nature of Cuban racism and implemented race-blind policies instead of programs like affirmative action specifically designed to help black Cubans move into positions of greater influence.
"Racism persists in Cuba," Zurbano said. "The revolution didn't question the country's racist heritage."
Naomi Santana, a 25-year-old librarian, said she was at the competition in order to bring herself closer to Afro-Cuban culture.
"I used to have straight hair," said Santana, who now styles her hair in a large Afro. "This is a social recognition that's been missing for a long time."
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Michael Weissenstein contributed to this report.
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Andrea Rodríguez on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ARodriguezAP
Michael Weissenstein on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mweissenstein
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-06-14-14-45-05
http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/15/news/economy/puerto-rico-debt/index.html?iid=Lead
Puerto Rico is on the brink of default -- and a massive population drain.
Its economy has been spiraling for years now, and Puerto Ricans of all social classes have had it. They are moving to the mainland United States in rising numbers in search of jobs.
"We're in unprecedented territory because this is, in recent memory, the biggest out-migration that Puerto Rico has experienced," says Mark Lopez, director of Hispanic research at Pew.
It's gotten to the point where the migration is beginning to rival the record numbers of Puerto Ricans who arrived in New York in the 1950s -- the "West Side Story" era. There are now more Puerto Ricans in Florida than in Puerto Rico, according to Pew.
A debt debacle: In total, the Puerto Rican government is $73 billion in debt, and there's a solid chance it could default this summer. A big payment for its energy provider is looming in July.
The problem looks like this: Puerto Rico has similar debt to New York -- a very large state economy -- but it only has the population of Connecticut.
Every time someone leaves Puerto Rico, it only exacerbates the situation. It shrinks the island's tax base, which the government needs to pay for itself and its debts. In recent years, the government just issued even more debt to pay off its current debt.
Puerto Rico's problems result from years of government overspending, high energy costs and dependence on debt, says Ted Hampton, an analyst at Moody's who covers Puerto Rican bonds.
"It's a self-perpetuating, vicious circle," says Hampton. Along with a shrinking population, "the economy of Puerto Rico at the same time has also greatly underperformed."
Moody's downgraded most of Puerto Rico's debt even further into junk status in May.
Puerto Ricans are leaving: That news wasn't received well by many Puerto Ricans, especially college graduates. They're getting their degree and leaving, says Maritza Stanchich, a professor at the University of Puerto Rico and a columnist.
"It's a marked shift in the past 10 years," says Stanchich.
One of Stanchich's former students and his wife plan to leave for Austin, Texas, in July. He's never lived outside Puerto Rico and had no plans to move up until a year ago. When Moody's first downgraded Puerto Rico's bonds to junk status last year, he made the decision to leave.
"I don't think we've hit bottom yet and that scares me," says the 25-year-old graduate, who requested anonymity because he hasn't quit his job in Puerto Rico yet. "There comes a point where you say 'I've had enough. I'm a good person, I'm a good citizen, I pay my taxes.'"
He isn't alone. Consider this: between 1980 and 2000, the average annual migration of Puerto Ricans to the mainland United States was 12,000 people. From 2010 to 2013 -- when the economy started tanking -- that figure jumped to 48,000 people per year.
That's when the government-run electricity provider, PREPA, has to make a $400 million debt payment it almost certainly can't pay. Moody's has rated PREPA's bonds in the lowest category possible.
PREPA has about $9 billion in total debt. By comparison, when Detroit went into bankruptcy, it shed $7 billion. By law, Puerto Rico isn't allowed to declare Chapter 9 bankruptcy the way that Detroit did.
PREPA's problems are an oil story. The company still imports and burns crude oil to power its electric plants. While others in the Caribbean have turned to natural gas and renewable energy, PREPA continues its "inefficient" energy spending, according to Moody's analysts.
The looming default may foreshadow a difficult dilemma for the government. It must start making decision between what's best for its people and what's best for its creditors.
"Those two obligations are coming into conflict here," says Hampton, the Moody's analyst. "Puerto Rico's economy has languished and its citizens have been leaving the island to come to the mainland."
Puerto Rico is on the brink of default -- and a massive population drain.
Its economy has been spiraling for years now, and Puerto Ricans of all social classes have had it. They are moving to the mainland United States in rising numbers in search of jobs.
"We're in unprecedented territory because this is, in recent memory, the biggest out-migration that Puerto Rico has experienced," says Mark Lopez, director of Hispanic research at Pew.
It's gotten to the point where the migration is beginning to rival the record numbers of Puerto Ricans who arrived in New York in the 1950s -- the "West Side Story" era. There are now more Puerto Ricans in Florida than in Puerto Rico, according to Pew.
A debt debacle: In total, the Puerto Rican government is $73 billion in debt, and there's a solid chance it could default this summer. A big payment for its energy provider is looming in July.
The problem looks like this: Puerto Rico has similar debt to New York -- a very large state economy -- but it only has the population of Connecticut.
Every time someone leaves Puerto Rico, it only exacerbates the situation. It shrinks the island's tax base, which the government needs to pay for itself and its debts. In recent years, the government just issued even more debt to pay off its current debt.
Puerto Rico's problems result from years of government overspending, high energy costs and dependence on debt, says Ted Hampton, an analyst at Moody's who covers Puerto Rican bonds.
"It's a self-perpetuating, vicious circle," says Hampton. Along with a shrinking population, "the economy of Puerto Rico at the same time has also greatly underperformed."
Moody's downgraded most of Puerto Rico's debt even further into junk status in May.
Puerto Ricans are leaving: That news wasn't received well by many Puerto Ricans, especially college graduates. They're getting their degree and leaving, says Maritza Stanchich, a professor at the University of Puerto Rico and a columnist.
"It's a marked shift in the past 10 years," says Stanchich.
One of Stanchich's former students and his wife plan to leave for Austin, Texas, in July. He's never lived outside Puerto Rico and had no plans to move up until a year ago. When Moody's first downgraded Puerto Rico's bonds to junk status last year, he made the decision to leave.
"I don't think we've hit bottom yet and that scares me," says the 25-year-old graduate, who requested anonymity because he hasn't quit his job in Puerto Rico yet. "There comes a point where you say 'I've had enough. I'm a good person, I'm a good citizen, I pay my taxes.'"
He isn't alone. Consider this: between 1980 and 2000, the average annual migration of Puerto Ricans to the mainland United States was 12,000 people. From 2010 to 2013 -- when the economy started tanking -- that figure jumped to 48,000 people per year.
That's when the government-run electricity provider, PREPA, has to make a $400 million debt payment it almost certainly can't pay. Moody's has rated PREPA's bonds in the lowest category possible.
PREPA has about $9 billion in total debt. By comparison, when Detroit went into bankruptcy, it shed $7 billion. By law, Puerto Rico isn't allowed to declare Chapter 9 bankruptcy the way that Detroit did.
PREPA's problems are an oil story. The company still imports and burns crude oil to power its electric plants. While others in the Caribbean have turned to natural gas and renewable energy, PREPA continues its "inefficient" energy spending, according to Moody's analysts.
The looming default may foreshadow a difficult dilemma for the government. It must start making decision between what's best for its people and what's best for its creditors.
"Those two obligations are coming into conflict here," says Hampton, the Moody's analyst. "Puerto Rico's economy has languished and its citizens have been leaving the island to come to the mainland."
I'm taking you forgot about Atlanta?
this is the most interesting part for me. for so long the Northeast was the destination for Puerto Ricans but now Orlando is their city like Cubans in Miami. Blacks need to learn from this
I remember when Atlanta was a city for southerners. Now, anyone that's black from all over the country, wants to go there. It's been like this since the mid 90's. Atlanta is a black city.
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Ive never been there so idk
US wants to triple call centre employment in Jamaica
BY VERNON DAVIDSON Executive editor -- publications davidsonv@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, June 19, 2015 18 Comments
MORENO… said lottery scammers have been so bold as to bring people to Jamaica to open bank accounts here
UNITED States Ambassador to Jamaica Luis Moreno sees call centres as a growth industry for Jamaica and, as such, wants to triple employment in the sector, hopefully within a year.
That target, though, has one obstacle -- the lucrative and destructive lottery scam. However, Moreno and his Government have pumped a lot of resources into efforts to eradicate the illegal practice.
"US call centres employ nearly 10,000 Jamaicans right now, if I'm not mistaken," Moreno told the Jamaica Observer in an interview two Wednesdays ago.
"We would like to double or triple that within a year, and we've taken some measures to help smooth the road for that. One of those is the arrest and extradition of some major lotto scammers who employ the same tactics that call centres use," he said.
At least one accused lottery scammer -- 28-year-old Damion Barnett of Hendon, Norwood, in St James -- has been extradited to the United States to stand trial.
Last month, two Jamaicans -- 25-year-old Sanjay Williams of Montego Bay, and 34-year-old Fabian Winston Parkinson of Margate and Homestead in Florida, were found guilty in US courts on charges relating to lottery scamming. Parkinson was sentenced to just under five years in prison, while Williams could face up to 40 years.
Since the anti-lottery scamming law was passed in Jamaica in 2013, police have arrested more than 500 persons and seized billions of dollars in assets.
The scammers usually prey on senior citizens, mostly in the United States, a fact that Moreno pointed to in the interview.
"It's not really rich, cool Americans living in Beverly Hills, sitting by a poolside and with two Jaguars in the garage who are being ripped off," he said. "It's people who are on public assistance, people who are retired, people who have problems paying medical bills. As a matter of fact, a woman committed suicide in the west a couple of weeks ago because she lost her life's savings to these scammers."
The lottery scammers, Moreno said, have been so bold as to bring people to Jamaica to open bank accounts here.
"So we are involved in an educational campaign to demonstrate to Americans, to warn them about this," he said, adding that the campaign also informs Jamaicans that the people being ripped off are "not millionaires who have money to burn".
He said he was recently in Miami speaking to US attorneys and people from the Department of Homeland Security, postal inspectors, as well as FBI agents.
"I said 'Look, we have to find people who are willing to put their face on TV and explain to people in Jamaica that hey, I'm just a normal guy who lost my entire life's savings, I might lose my house, I might lose everything because I got ripped off. I'm not a rich guy'.
"If you put a human face on that, maybe it won't convince a real hardcore scammer, who's been doing it for years, who's got it down to a science, but maybe it'll discourage that young kid who he's trying to train... So I really think we have to make an effort on that," said Moreno.
He said that Jamaicans, by virtue of their warmth and willingness to help people, are perfect for the call centre industry.
"The way I've been received here is just marvellous and sincere and open. By nature Jamaicans are just so wonderful. I mean, who would you rather speak to, someone in some country far away who really doesn't understand you, or someone here in Jamaica who is gonna honestly try to help you out. I'd rather speak to a Jamaican person who's nice, warm, open and friendly. So I think there's tremendous potential for call centres," he said.
BY VERNON DAVIDSON Executive editor -- publications davidsonv@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, June 19, 2015 18 Comments
MORENO… said lottery scammers have been so bold as to bring people to Jamaica to open bank accounts here
UNITED States Ambassador to Jamaica Luis Moreno sees call centres as a growth industry for Jamaica and, as such, wants to triple employment in the sector, hopefully within a year.
That target, though, has one obstacle -- the lucrative and destructive lottery scam. However, Moreno and his Government have pumped a lot of resources into efforts to eradicate the illegal practice.
"US call centres employ nearly 10,000 Jamaicans right now, if I'm not mistaken," Moreno told the Jamaica Observer in an interview two Wednesdays ago.
"We would like to double or triple that within a year, and we've taken some measures to help smooth the road for that. One of those is the arrest and extradition of some major lotto scammers who employ the same tactics that call centres use," he said.
At least one accused lottery scammer -- 28-year-old Damion Barnett of Hendon, Norwood, in St James -- has been extradited to the United States to stand trial.
Last month, two Jamaicans -- 25-year-old Sanjay Williams of Montego Bay, and 34-year-old Fabian Winston Parkinson of Margate and Homestead in Florida, were found guilty in US courts on charges relating to lottery scamming. Parkinson was sentenced to just under five years in prison, while Williams could face up to 40 years.
Since the anti-lottery scamming law was passed in Jamaica in 2013, police have arrested more than 500 persons and seized billions of dollars in assets.
The scammers usually prey on senior citizens, mostly in the United States, a fact that Moreno pointed to in the interview.
"It's not really rich, cool Americans living in Beverly Hills, sitting by a poolside and with two Jaguars in the garage who are being ripped off," he said. "It's people who are on public assistance, people who are retired, people who have problems paying medical bills. As a matter of fact, a woman committed suicide in the west a couple of weeks ago because she lost her life's savings to these scammers."
The lottery scammers, Moreno said, have been so bold as to bring people to Jamaica to open bank accounts here.
"So we are involved in an educational campaign to demonstrate to Americans, to warn them about this," he said, adding that the campaign also informs Jamaicans that the people being ripped off are "not millionaires who have money to burn".
He said he was recently in Miami speaking to US attorneys and people from the Department of Homeland Security, postal inspectors, as well as FBI agents.
"I said 'Look, we have to find people who are willing to put their face on TV and explain to people in Jamaica that hey, I'm just a normal guy who lost my entire life's savings, I might lose my house, I might lose everything because I got ripped off. I'm not a rich guy'.
"If you put a human face on that, maybe it won't convince a real hardcore scammer, who's been doing it for years, who's got it down to a science, but maybe it'll discourage that young kid who he's trying to train... So I really think we have to make an effort on that," said Moreno.
He said that Jamaicans, by virtue of their warmth and willingness to help people, are perfect for the call centre industry.
"The way I've been received here is just marvellous and sincere and open. By nature Jamaicans are just so wonderful. I mean, who would you rather speak to, someone in some country far away who really doesn't understand you, or someone here in Jamaica who is gonna honestly try to help you out. I'd rather speak to a Jamaican person who's nice, warm, open and friendly. So I think there's tremendous potential for call centres," he said.
US now has more Spanish speakers than Spain – only Mexico has more
- US has 41 million native speakers plus 11 million who are bilingual
- New Mexico, California, Texas and Arizona have highest concentrations
A woman holds a sign that says in Spanish, ‘You, me, we are America!’ during a rally about immigration in San Diego in February 2015. Photograph: Gregory Bull/AP
Stephen Burgen in Barcelona
Monday 29 June 2015 13.12 EDT Last modified on Monday 29 June 2015 13.36 EDT
The United States is now the world’s second largest Spanish-speaking country after Mexico, according to a new study published by the prestigious Instituto Cervantes.
The report says there are 41 million native Spanish speakers in the US plus a further 11.6 million who are bilingual, mainly the children of Spanish-speaking immigrants. This puts the US ahead of Colombia (48 million) and Spain (46 million) and second only to Mexico (121 million).
Among the sources cited in the report is the US Census Office which estimates that the US will have 138 million Spanish speakers by 2050, making it the biggest Spanish-speaking nation on Earth, with Spanish the mother tongue of almost a third of its citizens.
By state the highest concentration is in the former Spanish colonies of the south and south-west, with New Mexico top at 47%, followed by California and Texas (both 38%) and Arizona (30%). Some 18% of New Yorkers speak Spanish while only 1.3% of West Virginians do. Perhaps surprisingly, more than 6% of Alaskans are Spanish speakers.
The report, El español, una lengua viva – Spanish, a living language – estimates that there are 559 million Spanish speakers worldwide, a figure that includes 470 million native speakers and those with some command of the language.
The Instituto Cervantes was established in 1991 to promote the Spanish language abroad and last year had more than 200,000 students registered on its courses. It estimates that 21 million people are currently studying Spanish and here, too, the US leads with 7.8 million learning the language, followed by Brazil and France.
The report adds that two-thirds of Spanish-linked GDP is generated in two areas: North America (US, Canada and Mexico) and the European Union.
Between them they account for 78% while Latin America only accounts for 22%. It calculates that altogether Spanish speakers contribute 9.2% of the world’s GDP.
The Index of Human Development ranks Spanish as the second most important language on earth, behind English but ahead of Mandarin. It is also the third most widely used language on the internet, although less than 8% of internet traffic is in Spanish. The report says that Spanish is the second most used language on Twitter in London and New York. It also comes second on Facebook, a long way behind English though well ahead of Portuguese, Facebook’s third language.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/29/us-second-biggest-spanish-speaking-country
OfTheCross
Veteran
US now has more Spanish speakers than Spain – only Mexico has more
- US has 41 million native speakers plus 11 million who are bilingual
- New Mexico, California, Texas and Arizona have highest concentrations
A woman holds a sign that says in Spanish, ‘You, me, we are America!’ during a rally about immigration in San Diego in February 2015. Photograph: Gregory Bull/AP
Stephen Burgen in Barcelona
Monday 29 June 2015 13.12 EDT Last modified on Monday 29 June 2015 13.36 EDT
The United States is now the world’s second largest Spanish-speaking country after Mexico, according to a new study published by the prestigious Instituto Cervantes.
The report says there are 41 million native Spanish speakers in the US plus a further 11.6 million who are bilingual, mainly the children of Spanish-speaking immigrants. This puts the US ahead of Colombia (48 million) and Spain (46 million) and second only to Mexico (121 million).
Among the sources cited in the report is the US Census Office which estimates that the US will have 138 million Spanish speakers by 2050, making it the biggest Spanish-speaking nation on Earth, with Spanish the mother tongue of almost a third of its citizens.
By state the highest concentration is in the former Spanish colonies of the south and south-west, with New Mexico top at 47%, followed by California and Texas (both 38%) and Arizona (30%). Some 18% of New Yorkers speak Spanish while only 1.3% of West Virginians do. Perhaps surprisingly, more than 6% of Alaskans are Spanish speakers.
The report, El español, una lengua viva – Spanish, a living language – estimates that there are 559 million Spanish speakers worldwide, a figure that includes 470 million native speakers and those with some command of the language.
The Instituto Cervantes was established in 1991 to promote the Spanish language abroad and last year had more than 200,000 students registered on its courses. It estimates that 21 million people are currently studying Spanish and here, too, the US leads with 7.8 million learning the language, followed by Brazil and France.
The report adds that two-thirds of Spanish-linked GDP is generated in two areas: North America (US, Canada and Mexico) and the European Union.
Between them they account for 78% while Latin America only accounts for 22%. It calculates that altogether Spanish speakers contribute 9.2% of the world’s GDP.
The Index of Human Development ranks Spanish as the second most important language on earth, behind English but ahead of Mandarin. It is also the third most widely used language on the internet, although less than 8% of internet traffic is in Spanish. The report says that Spanish is the second most used language on Twitter in London and New York. It also comes second on Facebook, a long way behind English though well ahead of Portuguese, Facebook’s third language.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/29/us-second-biggest-spanish-speaking-country
@TheLesserEvil
