"Colonial situations are completely outdated" - U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

Secretary-General SG/SM/13412  GA/COL/3216

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

"Completing decolonization will require concerted efforts on the part of of all concerned."

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the opening of the 2011 session of the Special Committee on Decolonization, in New York, 24 February:

I am pleased to join the Special Committee as it begins its work for 2011.

This year marks the beginning of the Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism.  Let us focus our attention on accomplishing concrete results with the involvement of all concerned:  the Special Committee, the administering Powers and the Non-Self-Governing Territories.

Last December, we commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, adopted by the General Assembly.  On that occasion, I appealed to the international community to realize the full spirit of the Declaration, which called for “the immediate and complete elimination of the colonial system in all its forms and manifestations”, in keeping with the principles of the United Nations Charter.  The Special Committee has a crucial role to play as the intergovernmental body exclusively devoted to advancing the United Nations decolonization agenda.

Today, 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories remain on the list, awaiting constructive, results-oriented initiatives.  On a case-by-case basis, those Territories have to be given the opportunity to exercise their right to self-determination in order to take the interests of their peoples fully into account.  Colonial situations are completely outdated and must be addressed with renewed vigour and creativity.

Last year, in my report to the General Assembly on the “Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism”, I recalled that the Assembly had requested the Special Committee to continue to seek suitable means for the immediate and full implementation of the Decolonization Declaration.  In practice, this would mean that the Committee could assess its past work and achievements in order to chart a way forward, together with the administering Powers, for the ultimate benefit of the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories.

Your current work on devising a plan of action for the Third International Decade, and the forthcoming 2011 Caribbean Seminar on Decolonization, might prove instrumental in that regard.  It is my hope that difficulties encountered in the recent past will gradually be overcome, thereby strengthening the Committee’s determination to develop effective formal and informal modalities that would help it accomplish its mandate.

The completion of the process of decolonization will require the concerted efforts of all concerned:  first and foremost, the Special Committee, the administering Powers, and the peoples in the Non-Self-Governing Territories.  Dialogue aimed at improving cooperation between the Special Committee and the administering Powers continues to be of utmost importance.

The Secretariat will spare no effort to assist the Committee in its work.  But this can be no substitute for the choices, decisions and actions expected of the Special Committee.

I wish you every success in your important endeavour.

____________________________________________________________________________

Electing New Chair in Unprecedented Secret Ballot, U.N. Decolonisation Committee Members also Approve Timetable, Organization of Work

Addressing the first meeting of the 2011 substantive session of the Special Committee on Decolonization, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called today for “concrete results” in the quest for self-determination by the world’s 16 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories.

Those results could only be achieved through the concerted efforts of all stakeholders, including the Special Committee, the administering Powers and the peoples of the Territories, he said.  “On a case-by-case basis, those Territories have to be given the opportunity to exercise their right to self-determination,” Mr. Ban added, emphasizing that dialogue aimed at improving cooperation between the Special Committee and the administering Powers continued to be “of utmost importance”.

In an unprecedented action this morning, the Special Committee (on Decolonisation) held a secret ballot to elect a new Chair.  Out of 25 recorded votes, Francisco Carrion-Mena ( Ecuador) received 15 to become the new Chair, replacing Donatus Keith St. Aimee ( Saint Lucia), who won 10 votes.

The Special Committee also elected, by acclamation, the following Bureau members:  Pedro Núñez Mosquera (Cuba) and Rupert Davies (Sierra Leone), Vice-Chairs; and Bashar Ja’afari (Syria), Rapporteur.

Speaking after the elections, Mr. Carrion-Mena called for “reinvigorated multilateralism” in global decolonization efforts.  “Decolonization is a tough challenge, but not one that should be impossible,” he said, noting that the United Nations membership had swelled by 93 Member States in the last 50 years.  Pledging to push for the decolonization of the remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories, he described his election as a positive testament to the “liveliness” of the Special Committee and its search for a higher profile.

Delegations then took the floor in support of the Special Committee’s work, with Cuba’s representative emphasizing that Puerto Rico, which was not on the list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, also needed the Special Committee’s support.

Papua New Guinea’s representative said it was through the Special Committee that many nations had been born, something of which all its members could be proud.  However, the administering Powers could and should be more proactive in helping the Territories under their jurisdiction realize their rights, he added.

Syria’s representative, speaking in his national capacity, congratulated the new Chair, saying his election “breathed new life” into the Special Committee’s efforts.  Despite its good work in recent years, however, it was shameful that there was still a need to liberate non-self-governing peoples, he said, appealing for an end to that chapter of history.

The Special Committee also heard brief statements by representatives of India, Indonesia, Congo and Saint Lucia.

In other business, the Special Committee approved, by consensus as orally amended, resolutions and decisions relevant to its work, as contained in a note by the Secretary-General (document A/AC.109/2011/L.1); and the organization of its work, programme of work and timetable (document A/AC.109/2011/L.2).

It also invited the delegations of Argentina, Spain and Tajikistan to participate in its deliberations as observers.

The Special Committee, also known informally as the Committee of 24, is the focal point for the implementation of the Decolonization Declaration.  Its current 29 members are:  Antigua and Barbuda; Bolivia; Chile; China; Congo; Côte d’Ivoire; Cuba; Dominica; Ecuador; Ethiopia; Fiji; Grenada; India; Indonesia; Iran; Iraq; Mali; Nicaragua; Papua New Guinea; Russian Federation; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Sierra Leone; Syria; Timor-Leste; Tunisia; United Republic of Tanzania; and Venezuela.

Remaining on the list of Non-Self-Governing Territories are Western Sahara, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Montserrat, St. Helena, Turks and Caicos, United States Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, American Samoa, Guam, New Caledonia, Pitcairn and Tokelau.

The Special Committee will reconvene at a date and time to be announced.

External Experts Endorse Anguilla 2011 Budget

No Lay-Offs, No Salary Cuts Announced

The Anguillan

The two independent financial experts, John Wiggins and Ved Gandhi, recruited by the British Government to review Anguilla’s 2011 budget with local technocrats, have completed their work on a positive note. They reported to the Government and people of the island at the Rodney McArthur Rey Auditorium on Monday evening, February 21.

Mr. John Wiggins discussing 2011 budget at Forum They recognised, in the words of Mr. Wiggins, that the Anguilla Government, and its technocrats, had “pursued a very careful and rigorous constrained policy in expenditure” in the budget, suggested some ways of improving taxes, and declared that “the budget stands.” “You’ve got to maintain discipline, but the way that the fiscal picture looks now, and if you do the things we are suggesting, we think you can deliver on the commitment made to the British Government that you would come back to overall budget balance in 2013,” Wiggins said. The 2011 budget was calculated by the Anguilla Government officials at just over 177 million in revenue and over 188 million in expenditure. “The budget, as presented, included three new taxes,” Wiggins commented, in looking at the revenue measures. "[There was] a 7% tax on telecommunications which was actually implemented from November; an additional tax on petroleum portrayed in the budget as a 7% levy at the pumps; and the 6% Stabilisation Levy…We looked at all the forecasts for all the elements of revenue and we conclude that ..., the taxes that were enforced up to 2010 and the modest increase in the 2011, were pretty reasonable. But this required an extra 21 million from the new taxes and you were a bit behind the game [of collecting] and the position was not as straightforward as it initially looked. “We also have to bear in mind that Anguilla actually is a very small administration; that the number of people around to administer taxes is very small, and a new tax on petroleum at the pumps is quite complicated. It soon became clear that there isn’t really an administrative apparatus here ready to collect it so we need to re-think that. When we looked at the revenue from the Stabilisation Levy, we realised that we were going to be some significant amount short from what was originally envisaged, so we had to look at ways of making up that shortfall. Applause from audience “On petroleum, it is fairly clear that the easiest way to collect that tax is at the port. All the petroleum you are using comes in through the port and there is a duty of two dollars, at the moment, on gasoline and forty cents on diesel. If you want revenue from petroleum, we think the simplest thing to do is just to put up the duty rate from two to four dollars. That would not be any conciliation to you but, even at four dollars, it would still be less than what most of the other islands around here are paying. And because electricity is already subject to the Environment Levy, it wouldn’t be sensible to put two dollars on each gallon of diesel. So the proposal is only to put ten cents on that, bringing it up from forty cents to fifty cents. We think that should give you five or six million dollars.” On the Stabilisation Levy, requiring employees and employers to pay three percent of salaries, he explained that there would still be a small shortfall of the target of 177 million dollars in revenue. Mr. Wiggins said he and his colleague recommended that one of the ways in which the shortfall could be met, was by increasing the current customs surcharge from three to six percent. “Those are our proposals on the revenue side which would generate the revenue that the British Foreign Office was questioning whether you would actually get,” he stated. “On the expenditure side, and I wonder whether there won’t some unrealistic expectations in London that people here would magically be able to find reductions in public expenditure which could be easily implemented and cause no trouble. It doesn’t seem to be, that it is like that, and you already adopted a very severe discipline in public expenditure. And so, personally, I would not be looking for further arbitrary reductions, but I do think that the Government here needs to get a better grip on its budgetary plans.” Mr. Wiggins made no mention in the report on any reductions in the number of civil servants or cuts in salaries. This was a fear expressed by civil servants and a claim made by the Anguilla Government that the British Government wanted the civil service to be reduced by 300 members. Another section of the audience Rather than speaking about reductions of employees, or cuts in pay, Mr. Wiggins said the Government should budgetary plan the development of public services over a period of two to three years ahead. He supported the work of the Department of Public Administration to find a better way to manage civil servants. “Look at their performance. Try to see that people with the right capabilities are placed in the right jobs and get people to be accountable for their performance each year,” he said. “There is a scheme, which is being developed, and which would require people, from the beginning of next year, to be accountable for their performances instead of, as people tell me, some civil servants say ‘now that we passed our probation, we don’t have to make any further efforts and the Government can be relied on to pay us.' You can’t afford that attitude.” Mr. Wiggins noted that Chief Minister, Hubert Hughes, had asked him whether he could do a general review of the public service. “This is something which can only be done if you look carefully at the tasks, organisation and staffing, of each of the 35 departments that are in your budget, and that can only be done over a period of time,” he pointed out. The other expert, Ved Gandhi, who mainly answered questions about revenue matters, said their work was geared towards ensuring that the 2011 budget, approved in the House of Assembly, “can withstand the pressures from all kinds of partners.” He added: “I can say, now, with a great deal of confidence that this budget stands.” Earlier, Chief Minister Hughes was grateful to the two experts for their assistance. He joined Jerome Roberts, who chaired the proceedings, in commending all the Anguillian technical officers in the Ministry of Finance for their hard work which the experts found to have been well done. Mr. Hughes went on: “The exercise, now, could very well have taken place with the budget being signed because we would have been able to collect the taxes that we have implemented…Because we were not able to collect those monies, because our budget was not approved, we lost significant revenue.” The question and answer period which followed, took the meeting to its conclusion to about 9.15 p.m. – about one hour and forty-five minutes after it began.

Cayman Islands University to Convene Conference on Leadership, Governance and Empowerment

University President Roy Bodden to bring together an array of regional scholars and experts for discussions on governance

The University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI) is hosting its 2nd Annual Caribbean Conference next month on Leadership, Governance and Empowerment, which the university president said was the perfect backdrop to discuss today’s issues on education, economic development, and nation-building. With many issues facing the community Roy Bodden said there was no better time to discuss collectively, how Cayman developed as a nation in these areas, to let us know that we can succeed in the future. Everyone is welcome to attend the conference which will host an interesting line up of local and regional speakers.

“When we speak of Leadership, Governance and Empowerment in the Caribbean, we cover every aspect from the simplest to the most sophisticated,” UCCI President Roy Bodden and author of Patronage, Personalities and Parties, Caymanian Politics from 1950-2000 said.

He explained how individually, residents contribute daily to the principles of leadership, governance and empowerment whenever one volunteers for community projects, manages their personal affairs or supports charities.

“The upcoming conference .. is open to every person residing in the Cayman Islands. It presents a wonderful opportunity for persons across the society to become involved because these issues are relevant to every person in the community. That’s why we encourage community-wide involvement,” Bodden added.

History shows how Cayman’s merchant class demonstrated leadership as they sought to move the country from its 1863 designation as a dependent territory to greater self government. On July 4, 1959, Cayman adopted its first constitution, with the assistance of Jamaica, its colonial administrator. In terms of governance, the right to vote and run for political office was won by women and Caymanian residents of colour and Jamaican descent during the 1950s and 60s, as political parties emerged out of a system that initially excluded them as equal citizens.

Caymanians continue to empower themselves, as they participate in ongoing debates on issues that confront them today. Also of particular note is the dynamic evolution of Cayman’s communities, which have become a great cultural mix. Although no one knew at the time how these developments would impact the nation, each era has contributed to Cayman achieving one of the top per capita incomes in the Caribbean.

Just as before, Cayman must continue to address issues, especially so that our young people with have the brightest future possible, and the upcoming UCCI International Conference provides that opportunity to further a community wide conversation, the president added.

James ‘Jamo’ Myles, member of the Planning Committee said the Youth Services Unit was committed to empower the nation, one youth at a time. “That’s why we implore all young people and their families to attend the UCCI conference which aims to energize and invigorate the spirit of leadership. So make your best effort to be there, it could change your life,” he said.

Upcoming Elections among Critical Tests of Timor-Leste’s Resiliency,

Timor Leste was the only territory to achieve full self-government during the first or second International Decade(s) for the Eradication of Colonialism (1991-2000, 2001-2010)

United Nations Press Release

Security Council

6485^th Meeting (AM)

UN Special Representative Paints Calm Security Picture,

Outlines Preparations for National Police to Assume Greater Responsibility

With Timor-Leste’s broad transition strategy showing solid progress on security- and judicial-sector reforms, the top United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today that upcoming elections and the transformation of the world body’s mission there would be important political tests for the resiliency of the Timorese Government and the durability of the institutions built since the military crisis of 2006.

“All institutions and leaders will need to show that progress to date results from measures, processes and commitments that can be sustained in the long term,” said Ameerah Haq, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), in a cautiously optimistic briefing to the Council.  She highlighted, among other things, the calm security and political situation, reinvigorated national development initiatives, preparations for presidential and parliamentary elections to be held in 2012 and the eventual drawdown of UNMIT following those polls.

Much of her assessment focused on the gradually increasing responsibilities of Timor-Leste’s national police forces, and she expressed confidence that the process could be finalized in the coming months, with the Policiá Nacional de Timor-Leste taking over all districts.  During the initial period, overall crime rates had remained low and there had been no indication of any politics-related violence, reflecting a general desire for peace, stability and unity at all levels of society.  While the Government coalition and opposition parties still had their differences, they continued to channel them through established democratic institutions and processes.  “Timorese leaders at the national, district and community levels and across the political spectrum, while recognizing that there are still challenges ahead, including presidential and parliamentary elections planned for 2012, are optimistic that the current peaceful situation can be maintained through the end of 2010 and beyond,” she said.

Ms. Haq shared the optimism that such progress could hold if all political leaders and the wider public continued to act in a responsible manner and the security situation remained stable.  “Investment in human capital, particularly for the youth, will improve the lives of the population and provide increased economic dividends down the road,” she said, emphasizing also the importance of investing in rural areas — home to some 80 per cent of the Timorese population — and of providing more employment opportunities for young people.

The Government was aware of such expanding challenges, and hopefully, ongoing initiatives and programmes focused on district-level development would further efforts to guarantee responsible spending, she said.  An increased focus on social and rural initiatives would help facilitate the realization of the Millennium Development Goals, she said, noting Timor-Leste’s significant progress in that regard.  The country had already met the Goals for reducing infant mortality and ensuring antenatal coverage, she said.

In his address to the Council, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, Prime Minister and Minister for Defence and Security of Timor-Leste, outlined the achievements made in various sectors by the five-party Coalition Government since its entry into office in August 2007.  He described the restoration of peace and stability following the crisis of 2006 as primarily a result of the reforms started in the national police and defence forces, which had finally overcome their “petty differences” by 2008.

He said he was attending today’s meeting in order to correct some reports about Timor-Leste that “tend to sound more like verdicts”, without underestimating the difficulties and challenges ahead.  In becoming gradually stronger, Timor-Leste was taking its due place in the region, he said, pointing out that the Government was currently formalizing its application for membership in the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), while also cooperating with other friends in Asia and the Pacific region, as well as the Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) community.

He went on to note that the transfer of executive responsibility from the United Nations police to the national force should be completed by 27 March and from that point on the latter would be responsible for conducting, leading and controlling all police operations.  He underlined the Government’s commitment to strengthening command-and-control and to applying disciplinary procedures in a serious manner, so as to ensure the integrity of the police force.

Expressing confidence that the upcoming elections would take place in tranquillity, as in 2007 and despite challenges, the Prime Minister noted, however, that the national police force would continue to require advisory and capacity-building assistance from the United Nations police.  It would be ideal if advisers to the national force had technical and professional skills in legislation, training, administration, discipline and operations, he said, adding that, if possible, he would like to see advisers already cooperating in those areas remain there until the end of their mandates.

The post-UNMIT period following the elections, when the Mission might start to withdraw, would remain under consideration by the Government, in consultation with all partners, he said.  The United Nations had been present from the moment that Timor-Leste had started to be built, he recalled.  “As such, I urge you to remain with us in solidarity so we may fulfil the dreams of our people,” he said.  “Today, those dreams are about peace and development.”

When Council members took the floor, most speakers generally praised UNMIT, describing its work in assisting Timor-Leste’s transition towards lasting stability and democracy as a major United Nations success story.  However, they cautioned against resting on such achievements, with the representative of France among those who stressed that long-term stability could only hold if more progress was made in the fight against impunity.  On that subject, Colombia’s representative emphasized the results of the concluding conference of the National Dialogue on Truth and Reconciliation, especially regarding reparations for victims of human rights violations committed between 1974 and 1999.

Among Timor-Leste’s main bilateral partners attending the meeting, Australia’s representative said significant challenges remained for the Timorese Government and people, pointing out that, while there had been some progress in reducing poverty, increasing school enrolment and improving immunization programmes, the country was off track to meeting more than half of the Millennium Development Goals.  Poverty levels remained high, especially in rural areas, while health and education sectors remained underdeveloped.  “None of this is easy — for any Government,” he said.  “Acknowledging the problems is not to criticize but really to state the enormity of what needs to be done.  And this is a task where the international community continues to have a critical role to play,” he said.

The representative of New Zealand, another key bilateral partner, cautioned that the next 18 months would test the extent to which the current political and security climate could withstand the heat of competitive democratic elections.  They would also test the readiness of core State institutions to sustain themselves with reduced international support.  “This period also represents a window of opportunity for consolidating and extending recent achievements, and for preparing for significant changes to the international presence post-2012,” he said.  It was also necessary to consider Timor-Leste’s needs beyond 2012, he said, adding that the international community must consider its role in helping the country address its longer-term socio-economic challenges, including the 41 per cent of the population still living below the poverty line.

Other speakers today included representatives of India, United States, Russian Federation, Bosnia and Herzegovina, South Africa, Nigeria, United Kingdom, Portugal, Gabon, China, Colombia, Lebanon, Germany, Brazil, Japan and the Philippines.

Also delivering a statement was the Acting Head of the European Union Delegation to the United Nations.

The meeting began at 10:30 a.m. and ended at 1:30 p.m.

The full press release can be read at: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2011/sc10179.doc.htm

Edouard Glissant, Martinican Freedom Fighter, Joins the Ancestors

"The celebrated Martinican poet, academic and writer Edouard Glissant, whose work illuminated the complexities of the colonial condition in the Caribbean and elsewhere, has died aged 82; an event that has passed relatively unnoticed in the English-speaking Caribbean. In his youth, Glissant had campaigned for Martinican independence within a Caribbean federation."  -  Norman Girvan - Caribbean Political Economy

by Celia Britton
guardian.co.uk 




Edouard Glissant at the Saint Malo book fair in 2009. Photograph: Ulf Andersen/Getty Images Europe Edouard Glissant, who has died aged 82, was one of the most important writers of the French Caribbean. His novels, with their combination of textual complexity and emotional intensity, first brought him to public attention. More recently, he had become better known for collections of essays such as Poétique de la Relation (Poetics of Relation, 1990), Traité du Tout-Monde (Treatise On the Whole World, 1996) and Philosophie de la Relation (Philosophy of Relation, 2009). Glissant's body of work, comprising eight novels, nine volumes of poetry, one play and 15 collections of essays, constitutes not only a profound reflection on colonialism, slavery and racism, but also a powerful vision of a world where cultural diversity flourishes. He was shortlisted for the Nobel prize for literature in 1992.

Born on the island of Martinique, Glissant was shaped by his experience as a colonised subject whose African ancestors had been transported to the Caribbean and whose lives as slaves were largely unrecorded. This loss of history and the marginalisation some Martinicans feel, as inhabitants of a tiny island on the fringes of the French-speaking world, weighed heavily on his early writing. Martinique's accession to the status of French overseas department in the late 1940s merely, in his eyes, reinforced this sense of alienation.

As a young man he campaigned for Martinique's independence within a federation of Caribbean states. But in the 1980s he abandoned this project as unrealisable and broadened his focus to what he called the "tout-monde": a view of the whole world as a network of interacting communities whose contacts result in constantly changing cultural formations. The concept of "relation", earlier presented as a goal to which the isolated society of Martinique aspired, now became a worldwide reality: we are all in relation with each other and we all have a chance of making our voices heard.

Glissant attended the Lycée Victor Schoelcher in the capital, Fort-de-France, where his fellow students included Frantz Fanon, whose analyses of colonial psychology would later be a significant influence, and where the poet Aimé Césaire taught. When Césaire stood as a communist candidate for the French parliament in the 1945 election, Glissant, despite being too young to vote, helped organise his campaign. These events are reflected in Glissant's first novel, La Lézarde (The Ripening, 1958).

The following year he went to study philosophy at the Sorbonne, and then ethnology at the Musée de l'Homme. During these years in Paris, Glissant moved in avant-garde literary circles, writing reviews for Les Lettres Nouvelles and publishing his first volume of poetry, Un Champ d'Iles (A Field of Islands, 1953), and his first collection of essays, Soleil de la Conscience (The Sun of Consciousness, 1956), which expressed his ambiguous feeling of both belonging and not belonging to France.

Towards the end of the 1950s he became involved in anti-colonial political movements. He supported the Front de Libération Nationale during the Algerian war; and with his friend Paul Niger, founded the Front Antillo-Guyanais in 1959 to campaign for independence for the French overseas departments – from which he was therefore banned by the French president, Charles de Gaulle, until 1965.

Returning that year to Martinique, he set up the Institut Martiniquais d'Etudes and the journal Acoma in order to counteract the overwhelmingly French emphasis in the island's educational and cultural life. Here he wrote two forcefully despairing novels set in Martinique, Malemort (Violent Death, 1975), which tracks three penniless odd-jobmen through the 1930s and 40s against a background of political corruption and a murky political assassination, and La Case du Commandeur (The Overseer's Hut, 1981) which within a broad historical sweep focuses mainly on his principal and recurring female character Mycéa and her eventual descent into madness. He also wrote the articles on Caribbean society that were published as Le Discours Antillais (Caribbean Discourse, 1981).

In 1980 he went to Paris again to work as editor of Unesco's multilingual magazine. He met Sylvie Sémavoine, a student, and they married in 1987. In 1989 he accepted a post as distinguished professor at Louisiana State University: intellectually this was a productive move, in so far as the American south rekindled his longstanding interest in William Faulkner and allowed him to explore further his sense that all ex-plantation societies, whether in the US or the Caribbean, share a common culture. As a mixed-race family the Glissants found life difficult in Louisiana, and it was with relief that in 1995 he left for the City University of New York where, despite eventually settling in Paris, he gave graduate classes almost up to the time of his death.

Glissant was always politically involved – whether in ecological campaigns in Martinique; the International Writers' Parliament, which he and Wole Soyinka created in the 1990s; and his high-profile opposition to Nicolas Sarkozy's immigration policies. He is survived by Sylvie and their son, Mathieu, and by his children from two previous marriages, Pascal, Jérôme, Barbara and Olivier.

• Edouard Glissant, writer, born 21 September 1928; died 3 February 2011

Rapa Nui Crisis Reaches US Congress

A very busy week for Rapa Nui Human Rights Defenders

Amer. Samoa Delegate Calls for Peaceful Solution to Rapa Nui Crisis in Adress to US Congress



By DCRapaNui

On February 3rd Senator Daniel Akaka of Hawaii and Congressman Eni H. Falemavenga of Samoa, wrote strong letters in support of Rapa Nui to Hillary Clinton and to President Pinera. Congressman Falemavenga put his concerns about Chile’s abuses against Rapa Nui on the Congressional record.

Last Sunday morning February 6th, Chilean police forcibly and illegally removed the Hitorangi clan from Hotel Hanga Roa. During the 6 months the Hitorangi Clan was in possession of the property there was no physical damage to the site. On Feb. 6th three women were locked into the hotel lobby waiting for their attorney to arrive from the airport when the police smashed the window and window frame, and violently evicted the women. They also arrested and beat anyone who tried to take pictures.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has granted precautionary measures to immediately stop the violent use of armed forces against the Rapa Nui clans and to begin an investigation on recent events. The precautionary measures were requested by the Indian Law Resource Center on behalf of the Rapa Nui Nation. The IACHR will more than likely moderate negotiations between the Rapa Nui and the Chilean government to seek peaceful solutions.

On Feb, 8th, the newly assigned judge ruled that the police acted improperly in removing the Clan, and did not criminally charge the Hitorangi clan. She held that neither the Scheiss’ nor the Hitorangi’s can remain on the property until it is judicially determined who are the rightful owners. The next court date is scheduled for early April. We are very grateful for the individual contributions and for the emergency grant we received from Frontline to retain a legal counsel.

In the meantime, we are concerned and watchful that the Schiess are prevented from using financial pressures to get access to hotel from the Chilean police force.

We thank all our friends throughout the world who have been amazingly supportive through this difficult time.
We are hopeful that there will be a peaceful resolution and that the rights of Rapa Nui will be restore

Also see Rapanui Seek U.N. Intervention

Statement of American Samoa Congressional Delegate Eni Faleomavaega

Congressional Record

112th Congress (2011-2012)

CALLING FOR A PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO THE EASTER ISLAND CRISIS

(House of Representatives - February 16, 2011)

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) for 5 minutes.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I'm not wanting to detract from today's spirited discussion or debate on H.R. 1, which I will discuss at a later point of time in the day, but I want to discuss with my colleagues and the American people the current crisis now happening between the government of Chile and the people of Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui among its native people.

Easter Island was settled by Polynesian voyagers about 700 AD. The island is famous for some 887 monumental statues carved out of stones weighing tens of tons. These statues are known throughout the world for their archeological wonder and mystery in terms of how these ancient Polynesians were able to carve and move these tremendous statues to different locations on the island. Less well-known is that Easter Island is home to roughly 2,500 indigenous people, known as the Rapa Nui Nation. The people of Easter Island carry a vibrant culture dating back centuries before the arrival of Europeans.

Like many other islands in the Pacific, Easter Island has had its sovereignty determined by more powerful outside influences. In 1888, the Rapa Nui Nation entered into a disputed treaty with the government of Chile. The Chilean government used the treaty as a license to treat the island and the indigenous people as property of the State. Chile confined the people to a small area, about 1 square mile, believe this, Mr. Speaker, today known as Hanga Roa. To this day, the validity of the 1888 agreement is contested by most of the Rapa Nui people.

Chile then annexed Easter Island in 1933 without the consent of or even consultation with the Rapa Nui people. The government of Chile unilaterally leased the majority of the island to private sheepherding enterprises, without the Rapa Nui Nation's consent.

The lands that were wrongfully taken from the Rapa Nui people have not been restored. Instead of returning the lands to their rightful owners, the Chilean government continues to favor private enterprises interested in exploiting the Rapa Nui culture for private gain.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, to the serious land rights disputes, several other issues threaten the livelihood of the people of Rapa Nui. For example, roughly 50,000 tourists each year flock to Easter Island to view these huge Moai statues. Yet the Chilean policies prevent the Rapa Nui people from benefiting from the tourism industry. Non-indigenous individuals and corporations possess most of the land, while jobs related to tourism often go to continental Chileans. Uncontrolled migration to the island has caused widespread unemployment among the native people, exploitation of natural resources and increased pollution.

Within this context, Mr. Speaker, the Rapa Nui Nation began taking a stand. In July and August of last year, the Rapa Nui people wrote several letters to the President of Chile, Sebastian Pinera, to negotiate a peaceful solution to the underlying problems of Chile's relationship with the people of Easter Island. The Rapa Nui people also began to peacefully reoccupy their ancestral lands, including the Hotel Hanga Roa, a five-star hotel supposedly being built by the Schiess family, a non-indigenous family, on ancestral Rapa Nui lands.

[Time: 11:10]

Mr. Speaker, while the Government of Chile attempted to initiate a dialogue with Rapa Nui individuals, the problem is that the Chilean Government also sent military police to this little island which is 2,300 miles from Chile. I can't believe, Mr. Speaker--we have 17 million people, good people, living in Chile--sending police forces to take control of this little island with some 2,500 Rapa Nuians and they have not even been given any consultation or even an opportunity to conduct consultations, serious consultations, with the Government of Chile.

Mr. Speaker, I sincerely hope that the Government of Chile can begin a dialogue for ways to help the Rapa Nui people achieve a greater sense of self-determination and self-governance in their lands. I ask President Pinera to advocate for a more positive approach for partnership and dialogue with the indigenous people of Easter Island. It is my honest belief that the indigenous people of Easter Island do not wish any harm to the good people of Chile. Nor is there a possibility that the people of Easter Island will ever pose a threat to the military and strategic or national security interests of the people and the Government of Chile.

Mr. Speaker, I also hope that the White House and the State Department and Assistant Secretary Valenzuela will take a stand against these violent

[Page: H948]

evictions and express solidarity with the Rapa Nui nation, especially in light of President Obama's planned visit to Chile next month and Assistant Secretary Valenzuela's recent testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday. I sincerely hope that even our international community will build pressure on President Pinera and the Government of Chile. Let's treat these poor people with justice and give them an opportunity to live in peace in this area. I ask that the good people of America make this appeal and that the Government of Chile be responsive to this request.

_________________________________________________________________________________

University of Puerto Rico Autonomy massacred

by Leandro Maceo Leyva

GRANMA

The University of Puerto Rico’s Río Piedras campus has been occupied by police and is under curfew. The first semester ended marked by fresh strikes and student demonstrations against the increase in tuition fees, and the beginning of the second semester indicates that this situation is not going to change.

In the face of a spirit of struggle and university fervor, San Juan’s streets have witnessed repression and abuse. The students have raised their banners in protest at neoliberal maneuvers against university autonomy by the Luis Fortuño government, but this brave demonstration was met by shock troops with brutal force.

Without giving any explanation, agents are indiscriminately arresting students, who are being treated like criminals, when their only crime is the defense of their right to further education.

The protests are being organized by the Student Representation Committee (CRE), a coalition which is maintaining firm resistance against the increase in tuition fees to $800 at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). Preliminary estimates indicate that approximately 10,000 students would have to abandon their educational aspirations on account of the announced increase.

But, according to some, the university students’ conflict has turned into a battle to determine the educational future of Puerto Rico.

UPR Professor Raúl Cotto has called on sectors opposing the government to take action in the face of these abuses, because that is their responsibility. People cannot remain indifferent to outrages committed against the students and their protests, he stated.

Meanwhile, a number of social organizations have condemned acts of torture and sexual aggression on the part of the police and the shock force unit.

"It is unacceptable that an administration which presumes to defend law and order, should allow the torture of young people with their arms handcuffed behind their backs, and the humiliation of detained students in front of everybody, and flaunting their impunity," a release from these movements stated.

Other organizations have described these acts of repression as "crass violation of civil and human rights," and have demanded an immediate response to the situation from Fortuño and José Figueroa Sancha, chief of police, as well as an investigation in order to bring charges against the perpetrators.

Although Ana R. Guadalupe, UPR rector, has banned student demonstrations or gatherings on campus, young Puerto Ricans are determined to exercise their right to protest the tuition increases, while condemning the presence of the security forces who evicted them by force. But the conflict does not appear to be close to a resolution.

The university authorities are feigning a disposition to dialogue, but in real terms they are trying to wear down, divide and de-legitimize the student mobilizations, and proceed with plans to increase the cost of university tuition in the face of virtually unanimous opposition from students and professors.

The conflict taking place on at the university campus is not confined to high tuition fees. The budget outrage unleashed by the Fortuño-PNP administration against the UPR is intended to inflict damage on the University by countering its prospects for growth and social inclusion, either through its privatization or its gradual dissolution.

The current administration of the U.S. colony is violently opposed to the spirit of participation, diversity and social commitment in the country, and which is flourishing as genuine autonomy.

See also:   Massive Turnout Against Police Occupation of University of Puerto Rico

Student Strike at Univ. of Puerto Rico rocks island and sparks political crisis

Student protesters are detained, injured by police at the University of Puerto Rico on Tuesday.

by Juan Gonzalez
jgonzalez@nydailynews.com
New York Daily News

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/02/16/2011-02-16_its_a_fight_for_affordable_ed_in_puerto_rico.html


A student strike at the University of Puerto Rico has forced the resignation of its president and sparked the second political crisis in a year for the island's rulers. José Ramón de la Torre, head of the 60,000-student system, resigned Friday after a series of violent clashes between students and riot police.

Some 200 people have been arrested and scores of students injured, prompting professors and university workers to walk out for two days last week in sympathy with the students.

On Monday, conservative Gov. Luis Fortuño finally relented and pulled back the hundreds of riot police that had been occupying the system's 11 campuses for weeks. It was the first police occupation of the university in more than 30 years.

Students began boycotting classes in early December to protest a special $800 annual fee Fortuño imposed this semester to reduce a huge government deficit. That fee - equal to more than 50% of annual tuition - stunned the university community, given that more than 60% of UPR students have family incomes of less than $20,000 a year.

Student leaders persuaded the trustees to reject similar tuition hikes Fortuño proposed last spring. They did so by conducting massive sit-ins and barricading themselves in buildings on all the campuses for two months, and by running a sophisticated Internet and media campaign that garnered much public support.

Fortuño's pro-statehood New Progressive Party, which controls both houses of the Puerto Rico legislature, responded by packing the board of trustees with new appointees, guaranteeing him complete control this time around. Local courts cooperated by banning student protests on university grounds.

Most experts expected the students would be too exhausted from last spring to challenge the governor again.
Those experts were wrong.

Inspired by the youth revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, the students refused to simply go home. They presented more than 200 pages of proposals to university officials on ways to trim budget costs without huge tuition increases. Under Puerto Rico law, the commonwealth government must spend 9.6% of its budget on the university's operation.

The Fortuño administration, which recently pushed through the biggest corporate and individual tax cuts in Puerto Rico's history, has laid off thousands of government workers and wants even greater privatization of public services. To underscore his message, Fortuño was a featured speaker this weekend at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.

The striking students at UPR know this is not simply a conflict with their trustees. They are up against the forces of the entire Fortuño administration. The way they see it, the future of a great public university, one that has educated generations of low-income citizens in Puerto Rico, is at stake.

See also: Ugly showdown seems probable in Puerto Rico as student strike paralyzes university

              Democracy in Eygpt, Repression in Puerto Rico

Abuse of Protesting Univ. of Puerto Rico Students Reaches floor of U.S. Congress

Congressman from Illinois, USA brings the "human rights and civil rights crisis in Puerto Rico" to the attention of the U.S. House of Representatives.

REMARKS BY REP. LUIS V. GUTIERREZ

MEMBER OF CONGRESS

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 16, 2011

I rise today to bring the urgent attention of the U.S House of Representatives to a human rights and civil rights crisis.

I want to talk to you today about a part of the world where the right of citizens of all walks of life to protest and speak their minds is being denied with clubs and pepper spray.

A part of the world where a student strike led the university to ban student protests on campus and where students protesting the crackdown on free speech were violently attacked by heavily armed police.

A place where a newspaper editorial stated “the indiscriminate aggression of police riot squads against students, who are exercising their constitutional rights in public areas without interfering with any academic or administrative activity, is a gross violation of their rights and an act comparable only to the acts of the dictatorships we all denounce and reject.”

A place where the same government has closed public access to some legislative sessions.

I ask this Congress to look at a part of the world where the bar association has been dismantled by the legislature because it takes stands in opposition to the government, and its leader has been jailed for fighting a politically-motivated lawsuit.

And where is this part of the world?

Egypt? No. Protesters, exercising freedom of speech, brought down a dictator in Cairo.

What far-away land has seen student protest banned, union protesters beaten and free speech advocates jailed?   The United States of America’s colony of Puerto Rico.

Sound outrageous? It is. But true, and well-documented. I ask my colleagues in U.S. House of Representatives to turn their eyes to Puerto Rico. The doors to the U.S. Congress are open. Our proceedings are public – in fact, the public is our boss. That’s how it works in a democracy.

Across America today, I am sure, there were or will be protests at college campuses. Across America, workers will go on strike. And there will be marches and protests against a mayor or governor and derogatory things may be said about President Obama.

In Madison, Wisconsin -- as we speak -- protests over employment policies and budget cuts at the University of Wisconsin are taking place. College and even high school students have been joined by unions and other allies in peaceful protest.

Will we see pepper spray and beatings? Not likely. The protesters are protected by our First Amendment.
And that’s the way it works in a democracy. It is their right to say whatever they want, and say it without fear of pepper spray or clubs or a legislature that limits and restricts the peoples' rights.

In the fifty States, we have lots of organizations, not unlike the Puerto Rico Bar Association, an organization under attack by the Puerto Rican government. And we don’t tolerate leaders being sent to jail because they exercise their rights and they stand up for what they believe in.

But that’s the reality in Puerto Rico.

Just last week – Judge Fuste, a federal judge with close political ties to the ruling party and a personal history of opposing the Puerto Rico bar association – a federal judge whose salary is paid for by American taxpayers – ordered Osvaldo Toledo, the President of the Puerto Rico Bar Association, to jail.

What was Osvaldo Toledo’s crime? Educating his members about how to opt out of a politically motivated lawsuit designed to destroy the organization.

For me, this attack was the final straw and brought me to the floor to speak out.

So in solidarity with Osvaldo Toledo, jailed for doing his job as the leader of the Puerto Rico Bar Association – I will enter into the Congressional record today the instructions for his members on how to opt out of the class action suit that is threatening their organization.

I will say to those who would pass laws to stifle public protest, to those who would authorize use of force against peaceful protesters and try to stifle the words and actions of their enemies: Attacking free speech doesn’t work in a democracy.

Here is a fact that most of us learned long ago. Here is a lesson the people of Egypt taught the world last week:

Brutal laws and secret meetings and armed enforcers don’t extinguish the flame of justice – they are the spark that makes it burn brighter.

You may, with your armed guards and your restrictive laws try to slow down protests of the people. You may harass the Puerto Rico Bar Association and make their life uncomfortable for a while. But every time you turn police on students, and jail an opponent, you guarantee that the good people of Puerto Rico and this Congress will speak out for justice.

Mr. Speaker, I say to the people of Puerto Rico that there are some places that this crusade to end free speech cannot reach. Not today. Not ever. I stand with you.

Mr. Speaker, I will return to this well to speak on this important matter again and particularly on the federal judge at the heart of this matter.

I yield the balance of my time.

No new UK Aid for Montserrat, Government Salaries Delayed

Still recovering from the economic impacts of the natural disaster, Montserrat to receive no new financial support.



BRADES, Montserrat (GIU) -- “Montserrat must live within its means,” said Andrew Mitchell, Britain’s Secretary of State for International Development, who was on a one-day visit to the island on Thursday.

Accompanying the UK official was Susan Wardell, DFID Director for SHMECOT (Security, Humanitarian, Middle East, Caribbean and Overseas Territories), and Mitchell’s Assistant Private Secretary Amanda McLoughlin.

During the short visit, Mitchell held meetings with Chief Minister of Montserrat Reuben Meade, Governor Peter Waterworth, Financial Secretary John Skerritt, Minister of Communications & Works Charles Kirnon, Parliamentary Secretary Jermaine Wade, and Permanent Secretary Angela Greenaway.

He also visited the Montserrat Volcano Observatory and took a helicopter tour of the Exclusion Zone to view the devastation caused by the Soufriere Hills Volcano. The tour ended in Little Bay where there was an onsite presentation from members of the project team working on the new town development at Little Bay.

The secretary of state said during a press conference that he was quite “moved” by his first hand look at the Exclusion Zone. Adding, the scale of the devastation is something that you have to see to really believe. However, he said his government was already providing more than 50 percent of Montserrat’s recurrent budget and were unwilling to increase the subsidy.

“It is the wrong approach to wait for the mother bird to bring food to the nest. What we want to see is a real partnership and see Montserrat begin to stand on its own two feet,” said Mitchell. “As a former banker I can acknowledge Montserrat’s successful past prior to the volcano. There are new opportunities that should be embraced and we want to move rapidly to a partnership approach, which will move the island forward to greater success.”

The secretary of state said he considered his government’s stance of no additional aid for the island as “absolutely fair” as it relates to the treatment given to the Overseas Territories. He said the UK government has had to make extremely tough decisions to curtail its spending and expected Montserrat would do the same. “Tough decisions are never popular but in the end people will respect you for it.”

He commended Chief Minister Meade’s willingness to do just that and said his government embraced the vision of the Road Map and its request for the UK to assist in helping the island access development funds from other international donor agencies. “We will do every possible to support this request,” Mitchell told the media.

The official said history has shown that the surest way to economic sustainability was not from receiving continued aid but for a vibrant private sector, which encourages trade and job creation.

The government of Montserrat’s recurrent budget for 2010/2011 is EC$98,015,100, with UK grant subsidy of EC$52,920,000. An estimated $45,095,100 was to be raised from local tax revenue but the Ministry of Finance has said it still needs to raise about $9,000,000 to close out the financial year by March 31, 2011.

Meade has called for government departments to curb spending and prioritize programmes to utilise the available resources.

Meanwhile,

Low revenues in recurrent expenditure cause delay in government monthly salaries and payments

Public servants and welfare recipients wait on edge for late payments


by B. Roach
Montserrat Reporter

Following another month end scare of non-receipt of salary payments public servants eventually received their payments, while unconfirmed reports claim that between 90 to 100 of them may eventually lose their permanent jobs with the government not long from now.

While most persons with very few exceptions in the Ministry of Health, most public servants eventually received their pay, while some heads of departments advanced payment to some of their staff from their pocket.

Late in the day on February 1, 2011, The Montserrat Reporter editor assisted a little old lady who said she was just told she could go and collect her pay at Government Headquarters. That little lady expressed gratitude, but also annoyance that she had to wait for the opportunity to be able to pay her bills.

Up to Tuesday morning there was still some uncertainty before the government began the payment of social welfare benefits. Following the delay the Minister with responsibility for Community Services the Hon. Collin Riley explained in a ZJB report, “I don’t know if its lack of funds or the timing of the flow of funds….”

He said, “I think that the better definition for what is happing right is the timing of flow of funds.” He said the funding is available but there is a timing issue and it’s being worked on.

The Hon. Financial Secretary (FS), John Skerritt admitted: “revenues are flat, expenditures are increasing, so we do have a fiscal problem.”

He explained that “…the case for this month, it was simply that the departments did not have sufficient money in their vote…” adding, “…because we are issuing the general warrants by the quarter, we’re not giving the full year’s allocations so they did not have sufficiency in their vote – we have since addressed that… the recurrent budget is done quarterly and the budgetary aid comes in quarterly.”

He explained further, that government, because we had the storm damage expenditure. “We have had to try and fix those, so we used quite a bit of revenue,” he said, while adding that there was delay, “…as we needed to justify what we have spent …”

Meanwhile the Community Services Minister Riley believes, “…overtime, we’ll catch up because there is a big project about to break, those will generate tax revenue, and we will see a better 2011, I know.”

INICIA XXXIV FESTIVAL DE TEATRO DEL ATENEO

   

                                                         COMUNICADO DE PRENSA

                                15 de febrero de 2011

En Homenaje al Primer Intelectual Puertorriqueño Negro

                     DON ELEUTERIO DERKES MARTIN

Festival enfatiza en el teatro puertorriqueño del siglo XIX

y en obras nacionales contemporáneas de cruda actualidad

El señor Presidente del Ateneo Puertorriqueño, el Dr. José Milton Soltero Ramírez, el Presidente de la Sección de Teatro del Ateneo, el Dr. Edgar Quiles Ferrer, y el Rector del Conservatorio de Arte Dramático del Ateneo, el Prof. Roberto Ramos-Perea, anuncian la apertura de la 34ta edición del tradicional Festival de Teatro del Ateneo, que cuenta en esta ocasión, con 15 producciones, teatrales, 11 de ellas producidas por el Ateneo y 4 compañías profesionales invitadas.

Este año, el máximo evento cultural del Ateneo se le dedica al Primer Intelectual Puertorriqueño Negro, Don Eleuterio Derkes Martinó, en recuerdo de su vida y obra.

Don Eleuterio Derkes Martinó nació en el pueblo de Guayama, Puerto Rico en el año de 1836 y murió en la ciudad de Ponce en el año de 1883. Derkes, hijo de esclavos libertos, se licenció de maestro de primeras letras, y al igual que el Maestro Rafael Cordero, se dedicó a la enseñanza de niños pudientes y pobres de Guayama. Junto a su labor pedagógica, se dedicó con apasionada vocación a la literatura. Publicó obras de teatro, novelas, libros educativos e innumerables poesías, en las que plasmó su visión, amarga a veces y optimista las más, del futuro de Puerto Rico. Pensador activo, consuetudinario colaborador de la prensa liberal, ferviente espiritista cristiano, fue modelo del pensamiento humanista, hombre de moral y conducta sin tacha que fue modelo de los primeros grupos de organización artesana y obrera del país.

Acusado de separatismo, le fue cerrada su escuela por la dictadura de Laureano y Sanz en 1874 y fue exilado a Ponce, donde continuó una exitosa carrera en el periodismo y la dramaturgia. Es el autor de una de las piezas teatrales puertorriqueñas más importantes y revolucionarias del siglo XIX, Ernesto Lefebre o el triunfo del talento, estrenada en 1872 en el Teatro de Guayama. Amigo de Alejandro Tapia y de los círculos literarios capitalinos, Derkes, como intelectual y escritor negro, se ganó el respeto y la admiración de un mundo cultural dominado por los blancos. La hazaña de haber realizado una carrera intelectual y de haber dejado tantos escritos sobre su pensamiento reformador, cristiano y socialista, en un mundo de agrias diferencias y prejuicios raciales, le hace digno merecedor de que se le dedique el Festival del Ateneo, donde su Archivo Nacional de Teatro y Cine acaba de recopilar y publicar sus Obras Completas.

El Homenaje y los Actos de Apertura del 34to Festival de Teatro del Ateneo se llevarán a cabo la noche del viernes, 18 de febrero de 2011, a las 7:30 p.m. en el Ateneo Puertorriqueño, con una ceremonia de dedicación y semblanzas a cargo del Director de la Sección de Teatro del Ateneo, el Dr. Edgar Quiles Ferrer y del Director del Archivo Nacional de Teatro y Cine del Ateneo, el dramaturgo Roberto Ramos-Perea.

Esa noche los productores del Festival darán a conocer detalles sobre las presentaciones que a continuación se anuncian.

El XXXIV Festival da comienzo ese mismo viernes, 18 de febrero, con el estreno de la parodia furiosa y colectiva PUERTO RICO ¡URGENTE!con libreto y dirección de Roberto Ramos-Perea, escrita con la colaboración del Taller Superior del Conservatorio de Arte Dramático del Ateneo.

PROGRAMA

XXXIV FESTIVAL DE TEATRO DEL ATENEO PUERTORRIQUEÑO  DEDICADO AL PRIMER INTELECTUAL PUERTORRIQUEÑO NEGRO, EL DRAMATURGO ELEUTERIO DERKES MARTINÓ.

18 DE FEBRERO 2011
INAUGURACION Y DEDICATORIA delXXXIV FESTIVAL DE TEATRO DEL ATENEO PUERTORRIQUEÑO


18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 de FEBRERO de 2011
¡PUERTO RICO URGENTE!
CREACIÓN COLECTIVA DEL TALLER SUPERIOR DEL CONSERVATORIO DE ARTE DRAMÁTICO DEL ATENEO

4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13 de MARZO de 2011
LOS "EX: NUESTRA HISTORIA DEL DESAMOR" ESCRITA Y DIRIGIDA POR CARLOS VEGA
PRODUCCIONES C3

18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 de MARZO de 2011
LA CRUZ DE EL MORRO (1862)
DE MARIA BIBIANA BENITEZ
CONSERVATORIO DE ARTE DRAMATICO DEL ATENEO
DIRECCIÓN DE BENIGNA OJEDA

1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10 de ABRIL de 2011
MAMERTO
Zarzuela cómica contemporánea de WILLIAM ORTIZ
basada en "Don MAMERTO" (1886) de SOTERO FIGUEROA LA SECCIÓN DE MUSICA
y el CONSERVATORIO DE ARTE DRAMÁTICO del ATENEO MÚSICA Y LIBRETO DE WILLIAM ORTIZ
DIRECCION ESCÉNICA DE EDGAR QUILES FERRER

15, 16, 17 de ABRIL de 2011
R.U.R. de Carel Capek
COMPAÑÍA DE ADOLESCENTES del
CONSERVATORIO DE ARTE DRAMÁTICO DEL ATENEO
DIRECCIÓN DE ROBERTO RAMOS-PEREA

22, 23, 24, 29, 30 de ABRIL y 1ero de MAYO de 2011
MUCÉN O EL TRIUNFO DEL PATRIOTISMO (1833)
(Primera obra de teatro puertorriqueña)
DE CELEDONIO LUIS NEBOT DE PADILLA
COMPAÑÍA NACIONAL DE TEATRO DEL ATENEO
DIRECCIÓN DE ROBERTO RAMOS-PEREA

6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, de MAYO de 2011
SANGRE EN VINO
DE JESUS AGUAD
TALLER DE DRAMATURGIA
CONSERVATORIO DE ARTE DRAMATICO DEL ATENEO
DIRECCION DE EDGAR QUILES FERRER

20, 21, 22. 27. 28. 29 de MAYO de 2011
ERNESTO LEFEVRE o el triunfo del talento (1872)
DE ELEUTERIO DERKES MARTINÓ
CONSERVATORIO DE ARTE DRAMATICO DEL ATENEO: LABORATORIO
DIRECCIÓN DE ROBERTO RAMOS PEREA

3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12 DE JUNIO de 2011
AGUEYBANÁ EL BRAVO
DE RICARDO MAGRIÑÁ
TALLER DE DRAMATURGIA
CONSERVATORIO DE ARTE DRAMATICO DEL ATENEO
DIRECCIÓN DE LUIS JAVIER LÓPEZ

17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 DE JUNIO de 2011
HAY UN GRITO EN MIS HUELLAS
DE PEDRO JUAN AVILA
CONSERVATORIO DE ARTE DRAMÁTICO: LABORATORIO
DIRECCION EDGAR QUILES FERRER

8, 9, 10 de JULIO de 2011
SOLO EL TIEMPO DIRÁ
DE IVONNE GODERICH
PRODUCCCIONES XAVIER CIFRE

15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24 de julio de 2011
Carlos Canales
Producciones Ceiba

19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 de AGOSTO de 2011
LAS MANOS DE DIOS
DE CARLOS SOLÓRZANO
CONSERVATORIO DE ARTE DRAMATICO DEL ATENEO
DIRECCIÓN DE EDGAR QUILES FERRER

23, 24, 25, 30 DE SEPTIEMBRE, 1 y 2 de OCTUBRE de 2011
ILUMINADO NEGRO: HISTORIA DE UN ANONIMATO
(Biodrama sobre Manuel Alonso Pizarro: anarquista puertorriqueño negro)
ESCRITA Y DIRIGIDA POR ROBERTO RAMOS-PEREA
CONSERVATORIO DE ARTE DRAMÁTICO: LABORATORIO

21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30 de OCTUBRE de 2011
PALOMA GUTIERREZ
PRODUCCCIONES LAZOS SUELTOS

4, 5, 6, 7, 11,12, 13 de NOVIEMBRE de 2011
CUEVA DE LADRONES (Premio René Marqués del Ateneo en 1983)
ESCRITA Y DIRIGIDA POR ROBERTO RAMOS-PEREA
PRODUCCIONES EN BOCA

ACTIVIDADES PARALELAS AL FESTIVAL:

(Algunas fechas se anunciarán próximamente)

FOROS DE DISCUSIÓN:
Con distinguidos invitados de diversos sectores políticos y culturales:

7 AL 11 DE NOVIEMBRE DE 2011
•LA INTOLERANCIA RELIGIOSA Y LA CULTURA PUERTORRIQUEÑA.
•LA INTOLERANCIA RELIGIOSA Y LA COMUNIDAD LGBTT.
•LA INTOLERANCIA RELIGIOSA Y LA POLÍTICA.

24 DE MARZO DE 2011
•LA CULTURA COMO FORMA DE REVOLUCIÓN.


CONFERENCIA:
11 DE MAYO DE 2011
ELEUTERIO DERKES: primer intelectual puertorriqueño negro.
A cargo del Prof. Roberto Ramos-Perea

RECITAL POÉTICO:
12 DE MAYO DE 2011
La VIA POÉTICA de ELEUTERIO DERKES MARTINÓ:
primer intelectual puertorriqueño negro.
A cargo del Dr. Edgar Quiles Ferrer

PRESENTACIONES DE LIBROS y AUDIO LIBROS de TEATRO Y LITERATURA PUERTORRIQUEÑADE RECIENTE PUBLICACIÓN.


ATENEO PUERTORRIQUEÑO

P.O. BOX 9021180

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO 00902-1180

TEL. 721-3877, 787-977-2307