GUATEMALA
By Logan Robertson, 09/16/2001
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The Guatemalan media have given extensive attention to the terrorist attack in the United States, as they do with any important event in the U.S. The local television stations devoted all day Tuesday to the story, taking most of their footage and commentary directly from CNN in Spanish. Five days later, articles on the destruction and the rescue efforts fill the first pages of all the major newspapers, and the United States continues to headline the evening news. National events take second place, and last week's top story, a famine in the eastern part of the country, receives little attention. Guatemalans are trying to figure out how the recent events in the United States affect their country, both economically and psychologically. The welfare of Guatemala's economy is closely linked to that of the United States, and the rate of exchange, which has jumped from 7.75 to 8.04 quetzals to the dollar, is a great concern. The Guatemalan media has also covered stories of Guatemalan families who lost relatives and friends in the destruction of the towers of the World Trade Center, and has published the e-mail address of the Guatemalan Consulate in New York City, as well as the Guatemalan Ministry of Foreign Relations, which is managing requests for information from within the country. In general, Guatemalans have tended to view this tragedy not merely as an attack on the United States, but as an event that deeply affects all of humanity. An editorial published on the day after the attacks in elPeriódico, one of the major morning papers, begins with the sentence, "Today's is a new world, but, sadly, it is not a better world." The following words are most often used to describe the authors of the attacks: fundamentalist, fanatic, terrorist, Arab, Islamic, radicals. Nevertheless, the feeling that all Arabs are not terrorists, that these people "hold the rest of Islam hostage," seems to prevail (Gonzalo de Villa, elPeriódico, September 14). Strangely, there have been no published statements by Guatemalans with Arab roots, and no attention paid to the Guatemalans who practice Islam. Like US citizens within the United States and all over the world, Guatemalans await the decision and the action of President Bush's government. With a certain amount of apprehension, another journalist declares, "We hope that President Bush responds with serenity when the time comes to pay the bill, for all of us who believe in peace and democracy, because it is worrisome to use the term war in the new millennium" (Karen Fischer, elPeriódico, September 15). As a United States citizen living in Guatemala, I have been touched by the Guatemalans' concern and sensitivity during a week that has been a trial for us all. Because their country has suffered so much over the past fifty years, Guatemalans understand how it feels to be wounded as a people, not only as individuals. Today, 15 September, Guatemala celebrated the 180th anniversary of its independence from Spain. There were parades of schoolchildren in all the towns and cities, and families took the day to spend time together. As I walked to work this morning, I saw a Guatemalan and his family walking down the street carrying umbrellas, thermoses, and a cooler, obviously on their way to watch the parades and eat a picnic lunch. And, though today is a celebration of his country, the man was wearing a T-shirt with a large American flag printed on it. Related Links Back to communications |
