Our friend, Rafael, returns this week to talk to us about his homeland and its culture. As he explains, the Mayan culture continues to thrive in Guatemala via its language, clothing, and customs.

Si*Sé brings together musical languages such as hip-hop, funk, rock, jazz and even classical violin. Singer Carol C, who grew up in a Spanish language household within an English language city, adds bilingual vocals that pull together the group’s electrifying sound.

Emiro used to live in oil-rich Maracaibo, where his father was headmaster of the school system Shell oil ran for the children of employees. (Did you know: Venezuela is the only country in the Americas that’s a member of OPEC? And a founding member at that!)

Emiro spent years crewing an oil tanker, and many more as a fisherman commanding his own lancha, so it’s no surprse to find him at the helm of his own seaside kitchen, the Pimienta Café in Adícora. Join us as we drop in to check out the menu!

José Rodriguez, the caretaker of a beautiful finca, or farm, is kind enough to show us around and tell us a bit about the area and himself. You will probably realize that pues, as José employs it, is a common muletilla (“filler” word), used to add a bit of emphasis or just as a matter of speech style, and doesn’t really always have to be translated (though it can often be thought of as akin to “well”).

De consumidor a persona means “From consumer to person,” and that’s a transformation of psyche the world may need to undertake if it’s going to survive peak ecological crises. Un Solo Mundo Produciones is a production company in Granada, Spain that produces engaging films revolving around social and environmental themes important to the planet as a whole.

Is organic farming still ecological when excessive resources are spent to ship goods halfway around the world? Why are ecologically-oriented producers more subject to government oversight than those using environmental contaminants?

Reducir, reutilizar, y reciclar: most of us have heard it in English, and here we hear it in Spanish. These women explain to us the “three R's” to combat the excessive amount of waste that we generate.

Transgenic, or genetically modified, crops are a marginal issue for most people in the United States. This is not the case in Europe, where the issue of transgénicos is very much in the forefront of the public's mind.

Comercio Justo, or “Fair Trade” products are often seen in “socially conscious” retailers like health and “whole” food shops. It presents a novel approach to doing business that takes into account social and environmental factors in its pricing to consumers and directly compensates commodity food producers, like coffee and cocoa farmers. Here proponents explain the philosophy from several different vantage points.

Can an educated public really create a kinder, gentler, consumer society? Do informed buyers make decisions more sensitive to their world? Can you have your cake and eat it too? Some activists think that voracioius consumers need not be subdued, but only that their desires be tweaked, redirected…

Do those who control the wealth in a society also dictate its desires? In this segment we’re able to listen in on the discourse of Spanish intellectuals critical of the modern consumer culture, which they see as something of a Svengali-like oppressor and manipulator of the masses.

Can a consumer-driven market be replaced by an informed system of mutual cooperation by a like-minded populace? Is the market always at odds with the well being of the planet? Is it true that otro mundo es possible? Let’s find out what some experts think…

Federico Kauffman Doig began his career at the Museo Rafael Larco Herrera as a security guard. Today he is president of that institution and one of the world’s most respected archeologists, as well as a delightful and engaging speaker! This program originally appeared on Televisión Nacional del Perú as part of the esteemed artistic series, Presencia Cultural.

Federico was something of a wanderer in his early days, and describes himself as having been a “pre-hippy.” His father, intent that his son be something other than a vagabundo, probed Federico for any hint of passion, any calling. “It’s called archeology!” he yelled upon hearing that the young man enjoyed exploring ancient ruins.