About 50 people attended a Latin American forum and cultural night at the Spanish Centre in Brisbane on November 2 to hear a panel of speakers discuss various aspects of Latin American politics and history. The forum was co-sponsored by Australian Solidarity with Latin America in Brisbane and the Sydney-based Latin American Social Forum.
Talks focused on issues in five countries of the continent: El Salvador, Guatemala, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay. Links to Australia were also highlighted in some presentations.
Giovanni Ortiz spoke on the achievements of the progressive FMLN-aligned government in El Salvador over the past four years, and prospects for victory for the FMLN candidate and current vice-president Salvador Sanchez Ceren in the upcoming presidential elections early next year.
Vladimir Pacheco then spoke about the campaign by Salvadorean villagers against a gold mining company destroying their land and environment, and called for Australian public support for an international solidarity campaign.
Victor Hugo Munoz then spoke about "Jacobo Arbenz Guzman: The President of the Guatemalan Democratic Spring," whose left-wing government was overthrown by CIA-backed counter-revolutionary forces in 1954. The Arbenz government oversaw a period of progressive change in Guatemala, provoking a violent response from the US as part of its Cold War offensive against popular regimes in Latin America.
Paula Sanchez addressed the involvement of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service in the 1973 coup in Chile. She outlined the findings of an investigation by SBS journalist Florencia Melgar into links between Australian secret police and the overthrow of the Allende government.
Mario Cortez spoke on the longstanding civil conflict in Colombia. He outlined the history of the Colombian crisis, and summarised the basis of the current peace negotiations in Havana between the right-wing regime in Bogota and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia).
Finally, special guest speaker from Uruguay, Isabel Izquierdo, discussed the political situation in her home country. She outlined the problems posed by the limitations of the Broad Front government of President Jose Mujica, and the formation of a New Popular Unity Leftist Party, aiming to run in the elections in Uruguay next year.
Following the talks, a broad-ranging discussion ensued on many aspects of Latin American politics, and the need to strengthen the solidarity movement in Australia with the progressive struggles in Latin America.