Open Veins of Latin America

Content: Eduardo Galeano illustrates the history of a continent. The English version starts with a FOREWORD by Isabell Allende, followed by a PREFACE “In Defense of the World” written from Eduardo Galeano. After the INTRODUCTION “120 Million Children in the Eye of the Hurricane” there are two three chapters.

PART I: Mankind´s Poverty as a Consequence of the Wealth of the Land
SUBCHAPTERS: Lust for Gold, Lust for Silver;
King Sugar and Other Agricultural Monarchs;
The Invisible Sources of Power

PART II: Development is a Voyage with more Shipwrecks than Navigators
SUBCHAPTERS: Tales of Premature Death;
The Contemporary Structure of Plunder

PART III, titled “Seven Years Later” shows the conclusions of the book and was written seven years afterwards.

Author: Eduardo Galeano (1940-2015) was an Uruguayan journalist, writer and novelist.

Selection: With the book, Eduardo Galeano meant to spread finding of facts which were not commonly known. It is one of Eduardo Galeano´s best-known works. First published in 1971 and reviewed several times during his life and extended throughout the course of the years. Although the underlying mechanisms outlined did not change – until they do.
The book describes the history of Latin America from a non-European / non-US-American point of view and shows the interconnectedness of actions and its implications over the course of time and across continents.

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Sebastião Salgado: The Scent of a Dream: Travels in the World of Coffee / Duft der Träume: Reise in die Welt des Kaffees

Content: More than ten years of research in Asia, Africa, Central and South America was done for creating the documentary photography on the world of coffee, starting in 2002.

The pictures tell stories of the lifes of the coffee farm workers; show methods of sustainable coffee farming; and teach about sowing, harvesting and processing, documented in ten countries: Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, India, China, Tanzania, Indonesia, Columbia, Ethiopia and El Salvador. In black and white photography, farmers, pickers, young and old people, men, women and children are portrayed along with pictures of amazing landscapes from those coffee regions. Ten different countries, in different regions of the world – but the life of coffee farmers is much alike – as Sebastião Salgado mentioned in an interview.

Photography: Sebastião Salgado, born in 1944, Airmorés, Brazil, abandoned his career as an economist and turned to photography instead. He is well known for his documentary photographies as well as his photojournalism. He has traveld in over 120 countries for his projects and most of these have appeared in press publications, books and exhibitions. Based on the idea of his wife Lélia Deluiz Wanick Salgado, together they founded Instituto Terra in order to transform a completely degraded Atlantic Forest wasteland into a functioning, restored Forest again.

Selection: The pictures show the dignity of the people growing, harvesting and processing the product although for the western wold perspective they seem to live in conditions of poverty. Also, the pictures speak of the great dedication of the photographer in order to tell their stories. Hopefully such kind of work can contribute to our choice of coffee beans in order to promote sustainable farming as well as to enjoy socially fair produced coffee.

Where to buy: follows

José Mujica EN SUS PALABRAS

Content: The book JOSÉ MUJICA EN SUS PALABRAS – Ideas, opiniones y sueños del presidente más popúlar del mundo is currently available in Spanish. After a preface of Darío Klein and a prologue of Jordi Évole, It gives insights on ideas, opinions and aspirations of the former president of Uruguay: José Mujica. There are several statements of José Mujica giving insights on his attitude towards: ecology, consumption, work, education, modernity, utopia, future, globalization, solidarity, imprisonment, liberty, austerity, democracy, politica, ideology, nature, life, youth, felicity and legacy.

Authors: Darío Klein is a journalist from Uruguay. Enrique J. Morás.

Selection: José Mujica, as a former president, introduces very different ideas in comparison to other heads of state and government of countries from around the world. He waits in line for medical treatment and drove a Volkswagen Beetle – as examples. The book gives a sound overall view on his ideas on the world we live in and shape with our actions on a daily basis.

Where to buy: follows