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La Teta Asustada

A Peruvian film arrives at the forefront of world cinema... and in Hollywood.
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The Milk of Sorrow is the first Peruvian feature film ever to win the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival (watch the video, it’s quite emotional and you can watch the leading actress Magaly Solier speak the indigenous Quechua language) and the first ever to be nominated for an Oscar, this year. Its title in English however, doesn’t quite have the same impact it does in Spanish – La Teta Asustada, which of course they could not have done, because it would then have read something ridiculous like ‘The Terrored Teat’, which just goes to show you can never translate anything literally. But The Milk of Sorrow is close enough in meaning and once you’ve seen the film you’ll realize that both translations are beautifully apt.

Directed by Claudia Llosa (niece of the esteemed Peruvian writer Mario Varga Llosa, which aficionados of Latin American politics should have heard of), the film’s protagonist is an Andean young girl called Fausta who is shown to be ill at the start of the movie. And when she is brought to the hospital by her uncle, the doctor reveals that she has a potato stuck in her vagina.

Well. It turns out that Fausta suffers from an illness contracted from her mother’s breast milk when she was a baby. But this illness is not a disease caused by bacteria or an infection; it is a psychological illness, a sociological illness said to be suffered by a whole generation of women in Peru who were tortured or raped by security forces during the uprising of the Maoist terrorist group Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) from 1980 to 1992. And this generation of women who suffered so terribly were said to pass down their ‘illness’, this fear, to their daughters. And that, in La Teta Asustada, is Fausta’s story. We come to understand that the potato inserted into her vagina acts as a sort of shield against all men and the harm she has learnt that they can unleash on women; and its extraction, accordingly, marks the start of her journey to freedom.

What’s In A Name?
When asked where the film got its name, film director Claudia Llosa replied that it was what the illness was already called by those who suffered. Authority seems to have be taken from the book Entre Prójimos by Kimberly Theidon, Associate Professor at the Department of Anthropology at Harvard University and Director of Praxis.

In an interview with Reportaje al Peru, Kimberly Theidon offers an insight into the name ‘la teta asustada‘, as translated by moi:

Terra: ¿Cuán generalizado fue el fenómeno de “la teta asustada”?
KT: Absolutamente omnipresente. Durante los años del terror surgió una y otra vez el temor de dar de mamar a los niños, pasarles la leche de rabia, la leche de preocupación. Hubo mujeres que intentaron dejar morir a sus bebés. “Mira, yo les di teta de preocupación, ¿qué va a pasar con esa criatura?, ¿cómo va a vivir así?”. Fueron mujeres que dejaron a sus bebés boca abajo, esperando que fallecieran. Se cometió infanticidio por evitarles una vida de sufrimiento. La idea de que jamás iba a ser normal un bebé que ha tomado esa leche, en el útero o en la lactancia, fue un fenómeno absolutamente generalizado.

Q: How widespread was the phenomenon of la teta asustada?
A: Absolutely ubiquitous. During the years of terror there were fears of breastfeeding children, of passing on to them “rabies milk”, “milk of fear”. There were women who tried to leave their babies to die. “Look, I gave them rabies milk, what will happen to that child? How will it live?” they would cry. There were women who left their babies face down, hoping that they would suffocate to death. Women committed infanticide to avoid causing their children a life of misery and suffering. It was widely and seriously believed that a baby who drank that milk from its mother, whether in utero or in infancy, would never be a normal baby.

Terra: ¿El nombre de “teta asustada” se lo dio usted o la enfermedad ya se llamaba así?
KT: Fue el nombre que le puse al traducirlo del quechua. Es lo que la gente dice, “leche de rabia”, “leche de miedo”. Para mí fue la mejor manera de traducir este fenómeno, y lo usé por vez primera en mi tesis y luego en varios artículos y libros. Me puse a pensar cómo se sentirá una mujer con el temor de que su propio cuerpo sea un peligro para su bebe. Que la cosa más natural que se la da a un bebe es lo que lo daña. Es terrible.

Q: Did you coin the name ‘la teta asustada’ or was it already called such?
A: It’s the name I came up with translating it from Quechua. It’s what they call it – “rabies milk”, milk of fear”. For me la teta asustada was the best way to translate this phenomenon, and I used it for the first time in my thesis and later in various articles and books. I put myself in the position of how a woman would feel with the fear that her very own body could be a danger to her baby, that the most natural thing to give to a baby is what hurts it. It’s terrible.

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Films, Peru
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Malaysia’s Perhentian Islands

Guest writer Jodi Ettenberg frolics through idylls and storms on Malaysia's Perhentian Islands and shows you, through her own words and phtoos, how you can do the same.

perhentiansunset Malaysias Perhentian Islands

Last week’s Sunsets and Storms post demonstrated just how moving it was to be on Perhentian Kecil at dusk. The storms swept in nightly and as my video shows, the thick clouds were surreal in their density. However, my days on the islands warranted no complaints either, thanks to a great sea-facing bungalow, newfound friends and fantastic snorkeling.

The Perhentians have long been a popular beach destination in Malaysia, but were originally a break in the long journey between Bangkok and Malaysia (“perhentian” in Bahasa Malaysia means “stopping point”). Though the islands were supported by fishing income early in their history, they are now part of the Pulau Redang National Marine Park and fishing is strictly prohibited. Consequently, tourism is the primary source of income, and the staggering beauty of the fine sand beaches, crystal-clear water and thriving marine life has resulted in a booming tourist trade.

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Beach Destinations, Guest Entries, Malaysia
Perhentian Islands
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Boho Mexica, London

The Malaysian boy who is eating the world sniffs out the Mexican food trail in London and finds the newest kid on the block. Article and pictures by Guan.

interior Boho Mexica, London

Judging from pre-lunch whispers of “…Burrito?” on the office floor and the relentless queue of addicts stretching along the pavement outside Chilango’s Fleet Street outfit, there would appear to be a niche for great Mexican food in the capital. But in truth, there aren’t that many good cantinas in London which go beyond the staple Tex-Mex Fajitas, Burritos and Cajun-spiced suspects. If asked, I could probably only think of two establishments worth a visit – Shoreditch’s Green & Red or Euston’s Mestizo. However, I’m pleased to report that you can now add a third star to this reclusive list – Spitalfields’ new kid on the block, Boho Mexica.

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Dining, Guest Entries, United Kingdom
London
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The Great Chinese Takeout

Coming from a Chinese background (well, Malaysian really, but in essence 3rd-generation Chinese) and having spent a year in Central America, I’ve developed a real interest in the interactions between Asian countries and Latin American countries, in particular China’s increasing role in Latin America and Africa – and hopefully, it’ll be something I will be writing more about on this blog. I’m not just interested in the Asian giant’s economic role per se (all that talk about how it’s taking over the West); I’m also interested in how through its economic presence, it may then start to wield more in terms of its soft power, it’s culture and values etc… well, that’s if it learns to use and market that effectively, as Japan does. I guess what I’m most interested in is how two countries and peoples so different from each other can and do interact, which is why this video documentary below – Chinatown, Africa – from Current.com’s Vanguard Journalism series caught my attention. It’s about China’s increasing presence in Africa, specifically in Angola where it is most omnipresent, and aside from being quite informative, it is the footage of the interactions between the Africans and the Chinese that really made me laugh. It fulfills so many stereotypes, and reminds me that as much as we disapprove of stereotyping, people can’t seem to help it and is their first, helpless grasp at understanding somebody of a different race or culture.

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Angola, China, Cultural Crossroads
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Staying in Cuba’s casas particulares

A Cubaphile runs you through the phenomenon of the casa particular and some recommended ones she stayed in.

What is a casa particular?
Your best accommodation option in Cuba is the casa particular, which is basically a private home licensed to let out rooms – and sometimes entire apartments – to tourists in return for a fee, which the homeowner gets to pocket as private income. Of course, to be able to let out his rooms in the first place (only up to two rooms legally but some casas break the rules), the homeowner has to pay the government tax, which could be anything from 150 to 300 CUC (comparable to the $USD) depending on the district, payable whether or not he receives guests. And apparently the casas aren’t allowed to close during low-tourist seasons. If you apply for a license, it’s in a place for the entire year, whether or not you have business coming in. A little onerous no?

How did this bit of private profiteering come to find its place in Cuba’s communist landscape?
Probably out of necessity. People had to make some CUC instead of the local peso to be able to afford even the most basic of necessities. But of course, these private casas also made it easier for foreign tourists to find a way out of the government’s restrictions on having Cuban guests over in their state-owned hotel rooms (there are no privately-owned hotels in Cuba).

Why were there restrictions on tourists having Cubans in their hotel room? That was due to the phenomenon called jiniteras in Cuba. The word jinitera comes from the jineta, which means horsewoman or jockey, and I suppose people regard jiniteras as sort of like ‘prostitutes’ but with a softer sell. They are women who are looking for foreign sugar-daddies with dollars, willing to trade their favours not so much for money per se but a piece of the high life – and if it leads to a marriage proposal and a flight to the United States or Europe, even better. I wouldn’t be so quick to judge though – I don’t agree with it but to be fair we don’t know how hard it is to live in Cuba (having a holiday, or even living there as a tourist expat, is different). Also this jinitera phenomenon is not particular only to Cuba, but appears in many underdeveloped and developing nations where women look for richer foreign men to marry them and whisk them away to a better life. And if you think about it, it’s not so very different from the average woman who marries for money. The only difference, I suppose, is that Cuba is a sexually permissive country, much more than any other. After all, there’s the old Cuban joke that sex is the only thing el jefe can’t ration. And the phenomenon might have started out with a female emphasis, but equally, jiniteros exist – so girls, don’t be too ready to fall in love.

This state of things eventually led to Cuba’s reputation as a hot spot for sex tourism, which incited a backlash from the Cuban government ain 1996 Cubans were barred from tourist hotels to prevent sexual relations between Cubans and foreigners. That was when the demand for casa particulares began. Christopher P. Baker, author of Moon Guidebook Cuba, noted that if a Cuban guest stayed over at your casa particular your Cuban host was obliged to record your guest’s name and ID details and send it to the Ministry of The Interior (MININT), which is responsible for the country’s internal security. The ministry would then run your Cuban partner’s name through a computer database, and if her name appeared three times with a different man, she was arrested as a ‘prostitute’ and imprisoned. It is not clear if these draconian rules (and others that police relations between Cubans and foreigners) are still in place but to play it safe, if you happen to meet a Cuban that you fancy and something develops, tread cautiously so you don’t get your partner or your hosts into trouble.

And now?
Two years ago Raul Castro lifted the ban on Cubans staying in hotels but it took time for the Cubans to be able to afford them – until now when the economic slump meant that the government had to look to local tourists to keep things going. The casa particular, however, remains the choice of accommodation for most travellers as it works like homestay and you get a closer, more intimate view of the daily lives of the Cubans you live with if you take the time to talk to them.

Here are some recommendations: Read More »

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Cuba, Homestays
blogsherpa, casas particulares
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Gian Marco’s Homage to Peru

Exploring what it feels like to belong, and maybe it doesn't matter how far you go. Maybe you'll always know where to come back.

I’ve never been to Peru myself, but I know someone who regales me with hours and hours of its stories and development, and having imagined him in his limeña childhood in all its illustriousness and his coming-of-age story of exploring the remote Amazonian villages in buses cruising on death-defying roads, I’ve come to look upon Peru fondly myself.

Hoy‘, written by Peruvian singer/songwriter Gian Marco and performed by Gloria Estefan, who is actually Cuban. It’s a love song to Peru.

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blogsherpa, Gian Marco, Gloria Estefan
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The Best Salsa Nights-Out in London

A budding salsera's recommendations to the best salsa venues in London. There's something for everyone - serious salseros and people just wanting to hop onto the bandwagon for a good Latin night out!

salsafloridita The Best Salsa Nights Out in London

* All venues offer salsa classes except Floridita. Always ask for student discounts for entry and class fees.

Floridita (100 Wardour St, Sohomap)
Floridita consists of a main dining area upstairs and a bar downstairs, where you can also order food. The bar – & dance floor – downstairs is my favourite salsa hangout in Central London. Born from the same historic tradition as its eponymous ancestor in Old Havana, it apparently serves its Daiquiri’s from the same original recipe (at least we’d all like to believe it), so famously favoured by the Pulitzer Prize- & Nobel Prize-winning American writer Ernest Hemingway, or as he was known in Cuba, ‘Papa’. The London outpost may not cloak you in the old-world sensation that its Cuban counterpart does but its music is as local as they come: Floridita’s live musicians, who play every night from about 7 – 11 p.m. followed by DJ music till 2 a.m. (3.am. on Thursdays & Fridays), are auditioned and flown in directly from Cuba. Open and playing Latin music every night of the week (except Sundays), my favourite nights are Friday and Saturdays nights for dancing. Other nights of the week are much quieter, and perhaps better for a lingering conversation over a drink/snack with a friend or colleague – and of course, if you so choose, you’ll have the lamentably small dance floor to yourselves. For a while there used to be a monthly salsa event called ‘Salsa Contigo’ held on a Tuesday, which would offer up a professional salsa performance and a freestyle competition partaken by the audience before following on with the usual club night, but looking at its Facebook group (join to be notified of upcoming events), Salsa Contigo now seems to be taking place at Studio Valbonne (62 Kingly St, Soho) – next dates are 10th September and 8th October, and 27th October at Cafe de Paris (3-4 Coventry St, Piccadilly Circus). On Salsa Contigo nights ladies usually get in for free before 10pm and men have to pay £5-8. Otherwise, on a usual night it usually costs about £10 to enter Floridita so it isn’t the cheapest place to go dancing, but mostly it’s worth it. Floridita is also a good place to bring non-salsa fans because it is usually peppered by a good mix of people – not just gung-ho salseros :P – who are there to drink and chill like in any other bar in London.

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Night Life, Salsa, United Kingdom
blogsherpa, England, London
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A taste of Maná

A foreigner's introduction to Latin rock music.

YouTube Preview ImageArde del Cielo, Mana’s latest

Not so long ago, I was introduced to the Mexican rock band Maná by a Latino friend of mine, who told me that if I played Maná at a house party where there were Latinos that they would love it. I got the feeling that it wouldn’t be so much that Maná is a popular contemporary band but rather that Maná’s songs would remind them of their younger days, as Maná has been around for about three decades. So I guess you could kind of liken them to Nirvana or Pearl Jam, not in terms of music style but in terms of the slightly aged sensation and the nostalgia their songs cloak you in… except they’re still together and seem to be going strong.

So. Mana’s music is a combination of classic rock, pop and reggae, and here are my top tracks (note: I prefer ballady types). Enjoy.

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Latin American rock
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Cayo Coco: virgin beaches, rookie motorists and the all-powerful Fidel

Emily Ding writes about Cuba's third most popular tourist destination and shares a funny anecdote - unique to the communist island - of staying at the simulated campesino village Sitio La Güira.

cayococopalms Cayo Coco: virgin beaches, rookie motorists and the all powerful Fidel

Cayo Coco, located in the Jardines del Rey (Gardens of the King) archipelago, was my first glimpse of a virgin beach in Cuba – all white sand and crystal clear waters… and here I’ll refrain from describing it any further because you know I’m going to say “Oh the water was so clear I could see right through it,” and I have no wish to sound like a broken record.

There is an alternative jump-off point to Cayo Coco besides Ciego de Avila: Morón. The distance from both these points to Cayo Coco is roughly the same and the taxi fare for both will be about 50-60 CUC. What will make your decision is the availability of buses from where you are.

The key is separated from the mainland of Cuba by the Bahía de Perros (Bay of Dogs) linked only by a stone road causeway, and it hadn’t been the easiest to get to. My travel buddy E and I had been in Trinidad, and we’d had to take the morning’s Viazul bus to Ciego de Avila, from where we then hired a state taxi to Cayo Coco (about 50-60 CUC) because there was no other way to get there. Private (and therefore illegal – we’re in Cuba!) taxis may charge you cheaper fares but are likely to be hauled up at the security checkpoint at the entrance to the bridge which paves the road to the key, unless of course they know the checkpoint officer pretty well and already have some sort of ‘arrangement’ brokered. And no, you won’t get into any trouble if you and your taxi driver are caught red-handed in ‘anti-revolutionary’ activities – it’s your taxi driver who will pay (as punishment – a fine, or state confiscation of his car), but the dreary consequence for you is that you are likely to get stuck with no way of getting back to Point A or going on further to Point B because you won’t find another taxi hovering around the place – they’re rather sparse once you get out of the mainland provinces. Anyway at the checkpoint Cuban state security will ask your driver to prove that he is licensed to transport tourists, and you will be asked to show your passport at the checkpoint… and if all goes well, you pay a toll fee (2 or 3 CUC) and you’re on your way. The security checkpoint also marks out unauthorised Cubans who are not allowed into the key – only Cubans employed by the state (the only kind of legal employment there is) in Cayo Coco can enter, or those upon whom the Fidelista government has bestowed ‘benefits’ for being a good communist. There’s still something of the ‘apartheid’ going on in Cuba, but more about that another day.

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Beach Destinations, Budget Accommodation, Cuba, Transportation
blogsherpa, Cayo Coco
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When I grow up, I want to be a …

Guest writer Lyn-ni Lee writes about her experience teaching English in the migrant community of Hei Qiao in China with the NGO Compassion for Migrant Children (CMC). Photographs also by Lyn-ni Lee.

Beijing, June 13 2009 –

“If you want a candy prize, come to the front of class and tell us what your dream is.” This boy wants to be a ship captain, the most popular amongst the children after policeman/woman.

“If you want a candy prize, come to the front of class and tell us what your dream is.” This boy wants to be a ship captain, the most popular amongst the children after policeman/woman.

Every Saturday, I regain a sense of what is worth fighting for in this world. At Hong Qi (Red Flag) Primary School in the migrant community of Hei Qiao, I teach English and Art to 8-12 year olds who live on the margins of Beijing, and I don’t just mean literally. They are the children of Chinese migrants from outside Beijing who have no Beijing residence cards, the “hukou“, and who therefore are not eligible to attend the better-resourced public schools, to access the local governments’ health benefits, etc. Their community – a dusty, haphazard shantytown where many different fangyuan (dialects) can be heard – sits just outside the northeast corner of the fourth ring road of Beijing, only 20 minutes away from Dazhongsi, where tourists flock regularly to check out the nation’s avant-garde art scene at 798 Space. And yet Hong Qi, where the resources are few and the students rowdy, seems a world away, so the teachers and volunteers like me have to make up for what’s lacking with our creativity.

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China, Guest Entries, Volunteering
Teaching English
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