In recent years several countries have experienced the erosion of democracy and the establishment of authoritarian forms of rule. In this way, Venezuela, Nicaragua and El Salvador have joined Cuba as regimes that repress civil society. This workshop will convene independent journalists, writers, and artists to discuss their experiences in resisting authoritarianism. Seeking to open a space for analytical and critical reflection from the humanities on the current authoritarian regimes, we propose a one-day workshop that brings together eight presenters (journalists, activists, artists and writers) to discuss their works and experiences with the Notre Dame community. We will pursue two objectives. First, we will update Notre Dame audiences about the situation on the ground in those countries. Second, we will extract common lessons about actions in defense of democracy in order to promote solidarity with Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Venezuela ́s civil societies and facilitate democratic outcomes for these countries.
Thursday, April 3
DeBartolo Hall Room 129
7:00pm - Screening of the Nicaraguan film Patrol (Camilo de Castro Belli, 2023)
Friday, April 4
Hesburgh Center
9:00am - Opening Comments
• Aníbal Pérez-Liñán, Director of the Kellogg Institute
9:10-10:30am - Panel 1: Journalism and Resistance
Chair: Juan Sebastián Chamorro, Kellogg Visiting Fellow
- 9:10-9:40 - Erick Lemus, Salvadoran Journalist and Kellogg Visiting Fellow (Spanish)
- 9:40-10:10 - Luz Mely Reyes, Venezuelan Journalist (English)
- 10:10-10:30 - Questions
10:30-10:45am - Refreshment Break
10:45am-12:05pm - Panel 2: Struggle for Freedom
Chair: Abby Córdova, Kellogg Faculty Fellow
- 10:45-11:15 - Tamara Dávila, Nicaraguan Activist (Spanish)
- 11:15- 11:45 - Victoria Cárdenas, Nicaraguan Activist (English)
- 11:45-12:05 - Questions
12:05-1:05pm - Lunch Break
1:05-2:25pm - Panel 3: Preserving Human Rights
Chair: Magdalena López, Kellogg Faculty Fellow (Latin America Working Group)
- 2:25-2:55 - Cristian García, Guatemalan Journalist and Kellogg Visiting Fellow (Spanish)
- 2:55-3:25 - Verónica Reyna, Salvadoran Activist (Spanish)
- 3:25-3:45 - Questions
3:45-4:00 pm - Refreshment Break
4:00-5:20pm - Panel 4: Art and Social Change
Chair: Vanesa Miseres, Kellogg Faculty Fellow (Latin America Working Group)
- 4:00-4:30 - Camilo de Castro, Nicaraguan Director (English)
- 4:30-5:00 - Tania Bruguera, Cuban Artivist (English)
- 5:00-5:20 - Questions
5:20-5:50pm - Closing Comments and Discussion
Tania Bruguera is a Cuban artist and activist whose performances and installations have interrogated and re-presented events in Cuban history. Tania explores both the promise and failings of the Cuban Revolution through performances that provoke viewers to consider political realities masked by government propaganda and mass-media interpretation. Her work has been represented in leading collections of MoMA and Tate Modern among other places. In 2015 she founded the Institute of Artivism/Instituto de Artivismo Hannah Arendt (INSTAR) in order to “foster civic literacy and policy change.” After having been arrested and interrogated several times, in 2021 she agreed to leave Cuba to assume the position of senior lecturer in media and performance at Harvard University in exchange for the release of 25 political prisoners.
Victoria Cárdenas is a Nicaraguan activist and the wife of Juan Sebastian Chamorro, a prominent economist and political figure. She gained international recognition for advocating the release of her husband and other political prisoners detained by the Nicaraguan government under President Daniel Ortega. After her husband's arrest in 2021, Victoria fled to the U.S. and organized an international campaign for their liberation. Her efforts contributed to the release of 222 political prisoners, including her husband, in February 2023. Victoria's advocacy has made her a significant voice in the struggle against political repression in Nicaragua.
Tamara Davila is a Nicaraguan sociologist, feminist and political activist. She is a member of Union for Democratic Renewal (Unamos); the Political Council of the National Unity Blue and White opposition group; and the executive committee of the unified opposition front, the National Coalition. On June 13, 2021, she was part of a wave of arrests of opposition figures by the government of Daniel Ortega. After almost two years of imprisonment, she was released and banished to the United States on February 9th, 2023. She is currently a Human Rights Fellow at Kalamazoo College, Michigan.
Camilo de Castro Belli is a Nicaraguan investigative journalist, filmmaker, and environmental activist renowned for his work on socio-economic justice, indigenous rights, and conservation. He produced over 180 investigative pieces during his tenure with Esta Semana, earning him two Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Prizes for exposés on illegal logging and corruption. De Castro co-founded Misión Bosawas to protect Nicaragua's forests and indigenous communities, and his documentaries, such as Songs from Bosawas and Patrol, have garnered significant attention. Forced into exile after being stripped of his citizenship by the Ortega regime in 2023, he continues to advocate for environmental justice and indigenous rights through impactful storytelling.
Eric Lemus is a Salvadoran journalist with a PhD in social communication from the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. His work combines academic and journalistic research about the consequences of autocracy and the erosion of democracy in Central America. He has published five books, including one, published by the University Pompeu Fabra, about the language used in Central America media against gangs, and one about El Salvador’s handling of health data during the COVID19 pandemic. During his time at Notre Dame, he is creating an anti-corruption and transparency observatory to monitor and communicate patterns of opacity and government corruption in El Salvador.
Luz Mely Reyes is a Venezuelan multimedia journalist. She was the first woman to be editor-in-chief of a Venezuelan newspaper, Diario 2001, from 2005 until 2012. The next year, the national attorney general’s office launched an investigation into the paper, alleging it had published false information and demanding to see Reyes’ sources. Reyes quit the paper and co-founded the independent news website Efecto Cocuyo which she has directed since its foundation in 2015. She also founded Venezuela Migrante, which is devoted to cover the mobility of Venezuelans around the world. Reyes has contributed to renowned publications such as The Washington Post and El País (Spain). Her contributions to journalism have garnered widespread recognition, including prestigious awards such as the CPJ Award and The German-French Award for Human Rights. In 2018, she won the Gabo Foundation Award for her coverage of the Venezuelan exodus. That year, Time Magazine named her one of the Guardians of Truth in its Person of the Year feature. Her various other recognitions include the Freedom of Expression Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists, the LASA Media Award from the Latin American Studies Association, the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights, and the WOLA Human Rights Award.
Verónica Reyna is a Salvadoran activist. She is the deputy director of the Human Rights Observatory of the Passionist Social Service, a nongovernmental organization focused on local violence prevention and support of human rights. She focuses on police violence and gender discrimination in El Salvador. Reyna has completed studies on impunity against children and adolescents in the municipality of Mejicanos. She draws public attention femicide and excessive use of police force against women through interviews and social media.
Cristian Franquel Velix García is a Guatemalan investigative journalist who has worked in that country’s most influential newspapers. Velix García's work focuses on democracy, the rule of law, corruption, justice, and violence. While at Notre Dame, he is continuing his investigative research and capacity exchange with Guatemalan actors to strengthen a culture of accountability. The projects he is working on include developing training materials for indigenous and community journalists so they can research corruption, and a study about the impact of access to community radio.
This workshop is cosponsored by Latin American Critical Cultural Studies Working Group