Guatemalans March Against Domestic Violence (The Guardian)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/gallery/2012/jan/27/guatemala-americas#/?picture=384951496&index=0

Around 12,000 people climbed an inactive volcano near the capital, Guatemala City, this week to protest against domestic violence in the country.Groups of people gathered in the village of Santa María de Jesús, about 50km south-west of Guatemala City to begin the five-hour ascent to the peak of Volcán de Agua (Water Volcano).

Participants scaled various heights of the 3,765m volcano to promote the campaign Rompe el Ciclo (Break the Cycle).

Volcán de Agua has been dormant since the mid-16th century, but continues to dominate the local landscape. The trail to its summit consists of a forest, coffee crops and solidified lava.

Guatemalans of all ages turned up to show their support for the movement – including disabled people.

Participants formed an 11.5km human chain – one of the longest ever worldwide – from the foothills of Volcán de Agua to the summit.

Participants gathered inside the crater on a giant heart banner and shouted: ‘No to violence’.

An estimated 700 women are murdered each year in Guatemala, and prosecutors receive more than 65,000 complaints of domestic violence annually.Guatemala’s new president, Otto Pérez Molina, arrived at the rally by helicopter. He promised to continue fighting against crime and violence in Guatemala, which has one of the highest violent crime rates in Latin America.

Lorena Rizza de Flores climbed part of the volcano with her husband and their two young children.‘We decided to take part in the event because we don’t want any more violence in Guatemala,’ she said.

The view from the summit.

Thousands of Guatemalans climb extinct volcano to protest domestic violence (Latina Lista)

http://latinalista.com/2012/01/thousands-of-guatemalans-climb-extinct-volcano-to-protest-domestic-violence

GUATEMALA — Around 12,000 Guatemalans climbed an extinct volcano on Saturday, January 21, 2012, to protest against domestic violence in the Central American country.

Participants formed what they hope is the largest ever human chain, which went from the foothills of Volcán Agua to its crater. The first group of people arrived in the village of Santa Maria de Jesus, on the outskirts of la Antigua Guatemala, at 4.30am and began the five hour ascent to the volcano’s 3,765m peak.

Amongst those taking part in the activity was Guatemala’s new president, Otto Pérez Molina, who arrived on the scene by helicopter and handed the national flag to the event’s coordinators. The flag was passed up to the top of the volcano where those at the crater sat on a giant heart banner and shouted: “No to violence.”

The event, Subida por la Vida (Climb For life), was organized to raise awareness of domestic violence and promote the campaign Rompe el Ciclo (Break the Cycle).

According to the United Nations, Guatemala has one of the highest murder rates in the world and many parts of the country are considered more dangerous now than they were during the 1960-1996 Civil War. Last year alone, nearly 700 women were murdered.

People of all ages and abilities turned up to show their support for the movement – including a group of disabled children, a 75-year-old woman and hundreds of foreigners who all made their way up the volcano.

Lorena Rizza de Flores scaled part of the volcano with her husband and their two young children:

“We decided to take part in the event because we don’t want any more violence in Guatemala,” said Rizza de Flores. “Today we only climbed seven kilometers with the children, but next year we hope to climb more.”

The second event in the series of activities organized by Rompe el Ciclo is called “Tengo algo que dar” (I have something to give) and will take place on April 28-29 to raise awareness of malnourished children across Guatemala.

Creamos: Turning Trash into Treasure (The Guardian)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/dec/23/guatemalan-women-recycling-rubbish

For most people, cereal packets are cereal packets, milk cartons are milk cartons and newspapers are newspapers. However, for the women of Creamos, old magazines and cardboard boxes are an opportunity to escape their lives of poverty in Guatemala City.

Creamos, which means “let’s believe” and “we create” in Spanish, started out as a small crafts workshop teaching women from an adult literacy programme how to make jewellery from recycled materials. Three years later, the after-school club has become a thriving, independent business, which has just started exporting to the US.

The project, focused on sustainable commerce, consists of 25 mothers who are all learning to read and write at an organisation that works with the community around Guatemala City’s rubbish dump.

The mothers, many of whom used to make a living scavenging on the dump, study at the project for two hours a day and create jewellery at home to provide flexibility in caring for their children. Once a week they come together for a meeting where they turn in their work, conduct peer reviews and receive a payout from the previous week’s sales.

“I’m always learning things here,” says Annabelle Son Hernandez, a member of Creamos. “In the past, doors have closed on us but now they are opening. I feel so happy, my self-esteem has increased and I don’t have to go back to the rubbish dump any more.”

Each unique piece of jewellery is made from recycled materials donated by local schools and businesses, or collected by the women themselves, and finished off with shop bought beads and clasps. The final products are sold at events, in participating stores and at Creamos’s own shop, which is staffed by members of the project.

With its emphasis on applied education, Creamos uses the maths and literacy the group learns in the classroom: each woman prices up their product, calculating materials used against their own labour costs.

“The women make an average of 65% more selling their jewellery than they did working on the rubbish dump,” says Emily Coffin, one of two volunteers at Creamos. “There they would start work as early as possible and finish as late as possible, or until they had earned enough money to feed their kids. But here it’s lucrative – they have flexible working hours, it’s safe, and they can work from home.”

Through the project the women also receive free day care for their children, access to a medical clinic, two meals a day, and classes on nutrition and financial planning.

Predatory lending, combined with low adult literacy, is a big problem in Guatemala and often people sign contracts without understanding them. Many of the women in Creamos have fallen victim to this fraudulent practice; co-signing on a friend’s purchase on credit and then finding themselves responsible for paying it. Bad credit ratings mean it is difficult for them to open bank accounts, making it difficult for them to save. On payday most of the members used to hide their wages in their houses, which regularly got broken in to, or spend it before neighbourhood gangs had the chance steal it.

To combat this problem, Creamos set up an internal savings scheme where members could deposit any amount of their pay cheque and draw on it when needed.

“It’s been really exciting to see. One woman was even able to save up enough money to pay off her debts and open up a real bank account,” says Coffin.

Offering more than just financial security, Creamos also supports personal development through peer reviews, where the women evaluate each other’s work and implement quality control measures.

“Almost all of these women are survivors of domestic violence and aren’t used to being able to voice their own opinions, so it’s great to see them feeling confident enough to say what they think,” says Coffin.

From a fun crafts workshop, Creamos has become a resource for entrepreneurship, which has enabled its members to escape the dangers of working in central America’s largest garbage dump. “It’s exciting to see how successful the project has become and it’s up to the women where we go from here,” insists Coffin.

Off The Beaten Track: Jalapa (Revue)

If Sacatepequez boasts La Antigua Guatemala, Alta Verapaz offers Semuc Champey and within Peten’s jungles lie the impressive ruins of Tikal, El Mirador and other ancient cities, what exactly is there to see and do in the department of Jalapa?

Answer: extreme adventure combined with biodiversity!

Just over two hours outside of Guatemala City, hidden in the subtropical mountains of Jalapa, sits Cascadas de Tatasirire, a solar-fuelled retreat in an ecological park bursting with activity. Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, the acres of beautifully preserved forest are filled with outdoor entertainment for all ages: swings, canopies, waterfalls and rappelling.

Declared a “protected area” in 2003 by Guatemala’s environmental body CONAP (Consejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas), the eco-park is a sanctuary of flora and fauna which uses its natural environment to fuse recreation with low-impact tourism. The innovative project champions rural development and gives a unique insight into the surrounding indigenous cultures of the Xinka people who co-exist alongside the Pocoman and Ladino communities.

The main attraction is the course of 12 swings spread throughout the forest, offering various levels of aerial exhilaration. Threading yourself through ropes and launching off each of the platforms, you feel like Tarzan swinging through the forest–just remember to hold on with both hands as some swings are 6-12 meters above the ground!

Next step is to brave the canopies: Strap on your harness and weave through the various types of trees on a zipline, which gives you a unique view of the nature, complete with six waterfalls and rivers that enhance the beauty of this park. There is even a mini-canopy specially designed for children. And if you still want more, try rappelling down Tatasirire’s waterfalls–be prepared to get wet!

More than just an adventure park, Cascadas de Tatasirire is a place to rest, recharge your batteries and try your hand at something new. Although you’ll need your own car or private shuttle to get there, since there’s no direct access by bus, the journey to Jalapa is serene: meandering through pueblos as you climb up through the mountains to the Natural Reserve in Cerro Miramundo.

With a five-story log cabin for lodging and plenty of ground for keen campers, it’s a haven for city dwellers or backpackers looking to escape the beaten track. Just don’t expect the Ritz–this is basic accommodation, utilizing waterfalls for showering, that puts you right at the heart of nature. While the tienda stocks basics like soup and biscuits, it’s best to bring your own food and ask for the camping stove to cook it on.

At 2,300 meters above sea level, temperatures plummet at night so bring a sleeping bag and a thick pair of socks. The communal space offers hammocks and an eating area where you can sit out late into the night and listen to the sounds of the forest. However, since the lodge runs on solar energy, it is advisable to pack some candles as it gets dark between 6 and 7 p.m.

Prices are very reasonable and vary on the type of package you choose. You can pay anywhere from Q60, which includes entrance fee and access to the swings, to Q300, which includes entrance fee, all the activities and a couple of nights’ accommodation (note payments in cash only).

Visit www.cascadasdetatasirire.com for more details.

Time’s Up For Guatemala’s Ex-President (New Internationalist)

http://www.newint.org/blog/2011/11/24/guatemala-president-portillo-extradition/

About 10 years ago, a man stole some money: US$70 million to be precise. In most countries he would have been quickly arrested and brought to trial, but Guatemala isn’t like most countries, and the man in question isn’t like most men.

Alfonso Portillo is Guatemala’s former president, but since courts in his homeland appear unable to make allegations stick on people with influence, he has so far avoided accusations of money-laundering. However, other countries are lining up with separate charges of corruption against him and it seems as though the ex-leader’s luck is running out.

Guatemala’s current president, Alvaro Colom, has agreed to extradite Portillo to the US where he stands accused of fraud and money-laundering through US banks – including one alleged instance where he deposited $1.5 million, donated by Taiwan to buy schoolbooks for Guatemalan children, in Miami and transferred it to a Paris account in the name of his then wife and daughter.

Colom revealed his decision last week, saying he had decided to allow the extradition because: ‘The president should not put his hands on the decisions of judges and magistrates.’

In a written statement, the US Embassy in Guatemala said it ‘welcomes the decision of President Alvaro Colom and the government of Guatemala to promote justice and security’.

‘The Guatemalan authorities have sent a clear message that nobody is above the law,’ the statement said.
In 2000 Portillo came to power promising a scrupulous government investigation into corruption, but many consider his four year administration to be the ‘most corrupt’ in Guatemala’s recent history and accuse him of stealing millions from Guatemala’s Defence Ministry.

Although Portillo has always denied the accusations, his behaviour suggests otherwise. When his political immunity was revoked at the end of his one-term policy, he fled to Mexico and, following a long legal battle, was extradited back to Guatemala in 2008 to face embezzlement charges at home. He was later caught trying to flee the country by boat.

Many hailed his capture as a victory for justice, seeing it as an opportunity to test the effectiveness of recent reforms to the country’s judicial system. However, the Central American nation failed to deliver, and the former president was acquitted of corruption charges – amid what many have described as damning evidence of his guilt.

In one instance, a Costa Rican prosecutor, who found two ex-presidents in his own country guilty of corruption, said the evidence against Portillo was stronger than in either of those cases.

Although a date has not yet been given for when Portillo might be sent to the north, the decision to extradite the former president has had a varied response. Some Guatemalans are pleased Portillo will be tried in a New York court, believing that US courts are more committed to punishing criminals than are their courts at home. Others say it is unconstitutional to extradite him to the US and that they would prefer that he was found guilty in a Guatemalan court and punished in a Guatemalan prison. However, so far, the country’s fractured judicial system has prevented this from happening.

Made In Guatemala (Revue Magazine)

For most people, home is where the heart is; but for Gerri and George Chester, home is where Guatemala is — whether they’re in Florida or in La Antigua Guatemala.

Tired of moving around every few years for work, the retired Foreign Service Officers decided to set up house in Florida, just over 10 years ago, and build their dream home where they could keep their boat and sail to the Bahamas and the Caribbean. However, having worked for the U.S. embassy in Guatemala City, the couple weren’t quite ready to say goodbye to the country they had called home for the previous six years.

“We fell in love with it here,” admits Gerri. “It was our last overseas assignment, our kids grew up here, and we just loved the Spanish colonial-style houses.”

Frustrated with what they could find in the U.S., the former diplomats started searching for inspiration for their dream house around the streets of Antigua.

“We went through all these magazines looking for ideas, but couldn’t find anything,” says George. “Then we went over to a friend’s house that was designed by [Guatemalan architect] Franklin Contreras; we saw it, and immediately wanted one.”

Not wishing to waste any time, the Chesters flew Contreras, who designed Casa de los Leones in Antigua, up to Florida to walk over their lot and see what he could come up with. A couple of days later, he sketched something on the back of an envelope and so the project began.

“Franklin’s unbelievable,” insists George. “He provided the spark; starting with a clear piece of paper he designed everything. We could have purchased furniture in the U.S., but we only wanted Franklin — the man’s a magician.”

Once draftsmen had translated the initial design to meet Florida’s codes, building work started on the custom built four-bedroom home and just over a year later, in Christmas 2001, it was completed.

“We prepared most of the construction details here and sent them over to the States,” says Franklin.“We shipped the two corridors (porches) with all their pieces, the wrought iron balconies and railings, the stone work for the fireplaces, old doors — even the roof tiles were quantified and sent to provide the right exterior look to the house. That was the uniqueness of the project: Gerri and George wanted the real stuff!”

With a sunken fountain, grills over the deep set, concrete, windows and gargoyles rather than guttering, this Spanish colonial style house is “pure Antigua” — seemingly plucked from the city’s cobbled streets and placed in Yulee, on the coast of Florida.

The house is not only Guatemalan from the outside, but is also filled with Guatemalan features on the inside too. After building the pieces, the
talented architect took them apart, numbered them, and then sent them over to Florida in a 40-foot long container.

The giant box also delivered custom-made beds, a Guatemalan Art Nouveau chair and five pairs of antique wooden doors, bought at Chichicastenango market.

“I think the real challenge was for the builder in the U.S. to use my design and adapt it to comply with all the regulations, codes and building processes — so that it was liveable and coherent with the Florida environment,” recalls Franklin.

“I know how difficult it is even to change an outlet in the U.S. if you don’t have the right certified electrician with his licence, insurance and so forth. We did our best to send instructions on how to put together all the pieces of the terraza española and other details but this was a totally different language for the contractor.”

With its soaring cathedral ceiling, 26-foot tall wood burning fireplace and uncovered, outdoor, swimming pool, the Chesters’ dream home is a perfect replica of a 1700s luxury Guatemalan home.

“Everybody told us we were crazy not to screen in the pool, but it’s just not the style here,” exclaims George.

With careers that have taken the couple all over the globe, it’s not just Guatemalan artefacts that decorate the Chester household. Living and working in locations from Germany to South Africa means they have accumulated an impressive collection of eclectic items along the way — including Belgian stained glass windows and a 9-foot long, 19^th century French farm table amongst many others. Their diverse array of global
purchases, which typifies their past, is so important to them that they even had certain rooms of the house designed to fit the furniture, not the other way around.

The unique abode, which is located on deep water in a secluded part of Nassau County, is surrounded by oak trees — four miles from the nearest grocery store. The Chesters are such fans of Franklin Contreras’ work that he has since designed a second home for the couple in Antigua.

Although the initial idea for a Spanish colonial residence in Florida presented them with a few challenges, this museum quality house bottles the essence of Guatemala. It is a tribute to the strength of architecture in the country and a testament to the unique way that Chapin life captures people’s hearts.

“At the end of the day it was team work and I have to admit that George and Gerri did a wonderful job of providing Florida with a flavour of Antigua,” says Franklin.

Guatemalan Women Hail Single-Sex Buses (The Guardian)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/14/guatemala-city-women-single-sex-buses?newsfeed=true

Guatemala City has introduced women-only buses aimed at reducing instances of harassment and violence against women on public transport across the Guatemalan capital.

The project came about after a congresswoman, Zury Rios Montt, started a petition to draw attention to the fact that hundreds of women were sexually harassed on buses every year.

According to the Association of Transport Users in Guatemala, of the 1,500 complaints received annually about passenger abuse, more than a third of them involve the sexual harassment of women and girls.

“Women have the right to travel in safety, as demanded by law,” said Luis Gómez, vice-president of the city’s bus service, Transurbano. “It’s a shame we had to introduce this system, but people weren’t respecting women on mixed buses.”

Roughly half of Guatemala City’s 3.5 million inhabitants use public buses every day, leaving themselves vulnerable to attacks by armed assailants
who regularly rob passengers and kill drivers.

The fleet of buses marked “for women only” has received a great deal of support. Passengers say they feel safer, and hope the project will soon extend its operation beyond rush hours. The service is for women and all children under seven.

“I feel much safer on these buses rather than the mixed ones,” said Edelmira Figueroa, a nurse who works in the capital. “I used to get harassed by male passengers and the drivers would say vulgar things and touch you as you walked past. But now I feel much more comfortable.”

The system uses pre-paid travel tickets, so drivers do not carry money, which makes the buses less of a target for thieves. Furthermore, each vehicle is equipped with panic buttons, CCTV cameras, armed guards – and some even have female drivers.

The pilot scheme was met with a mixture of enthusiasm and confusion. It created problems for women taking sons older than seven to school, and some passengers were not used to the idea of travelling without their husbands.

“We had our doubts to start with, but the project has become widely accepted,” said Gómez.

Some women’s groups are not satisfied, saying the buses are unreliable and do not yet cover enough of the city. Rios Montt, who spearheaded the campaign, is now pushing for the implementation of a women-only taxi service.

Two decades of tackling poverty with photography (The Guardian)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/gallery/2011/aug/31/fotokids-20-years-tackling-poverty-in-pictures?INTCMP=SRCH

In 1991, photojournalist Nancy McGirr hit upon the idea of inviting children living and working in the slums of Guatemala City to photograph their experiences. Twenty years later, Fotokids is still going strong. Founded by former war photographer Nancy McGirr in Guatemala City’s 40-acre rubbish dump in 1991, Fotokids is an NGO that uses photography to help break the cycle of poverty. The organisation celebrates its 20th anniversary this month.‘I first went to the dump to photograph a story for a magazine,’ says McGirr. ‘There were 3,500 people living, working and scavenging for food – and 1,500 of them were kids who followed me about wanting to see through my camera lens. The thought occurred to me: if they had the camera, what would they see through that lens?The project, originally called Out of the Dump, began with a group of six children. Armed with three cheap, plastic cameras, the students – aged between five and 12 – took photos of everything that came their way. Black and white photography was the central focus. Drugs, violence and death featured prominently.McGirr soon realised that the photographs could be used as a teaching tool, demonstrating to the children that they didn’t have to belong to a gang to be part of a group, and that cameras are a more effective weapon against poverty than guns.The project quickly expanded. By taking snapshots of their everyday lives, children from some of the poorest neighbourhoods in the city began to express themselves and gain an identity.I originally thought the project would last six months to a year, but it just took off,’ says McGirr. ‘We started in July and by September had already appeared in the Washington Post.’ By 1995, the project had entered the digital age, with manual photography supplemented by the acquisition of a computer and photo-editing software.’As news of the project spread, Konika Japan sent supplies and asked Fotokids to exhibit in Tokyo. The organisation was the cover story of various magazines and a film crew from London visited Guatemala to record episodes for a children’s television arts show.Hundreds of underprivileged Guatemalan children have graduated from the organisation’s after-school programme, which offers its students regular meals, photography classes and educational scholarships. The project now covers six distinct communities.From meeting the Dalai Lama to working on the set of Star Wars and exhibiting alongside Sebastian Salgado, the work of Fotokids has been displayed in locations all around the world.The NGO World Emergency Relief UK invited Fotokids students to photograph people in displacement camps in Uganda. Pupils say the experience has changed their lives.Many students have become teachers, working in some of Guatemala City’s most dangerous neighbourhoods. They mentor youngsters, many of whom are vulnerable to gang recruitment, showing them what can be achieved by working hard at school.

Apart from the threat of gangs, one of the main challenges Fotokids faces is convincing parents to let their children stay in the programme. Parents often fail to see the long-term benefits of keeping children in education beyond the sixth year and would rather they started contributing to the family income.

To tackle this problem, teachers have started working directly with communities. They go into some of the most dangerous barrios in Guatemala City and give classes to children, while attempting to establish a relationship with their families.

‘Of course they don’t all go on to become photographers,’ says McGirr. ‘Photography just gives them a face and a platform’.

Read more about Fotokids: http://www.fotokids.org/

I am the first to divorce for Guatemala (New Internationalist)

http://www.newint.org/sections/agenda/2011/09/01/i-am-the-first-to-divorce-for-guatemala/

In a race that has been plagued by violence, murders and unregulated campaign financing, it’s not so much a question of who is running in Guatemala’s general elections, but who is not.

Despite exorbitantly expensive campaign trails, which have consumed the country’s landscape with political propaganda, constitution entanglement has denied a number of applicants from competing for the top prize.

Originally, a religious minister, a military officer, an ex-president, a president’s wife and the daughter of a former dictator all threw their hats into the ring. However, not all of them are still contending; officials have been going back and forth on who is allowed to stand in the elections on 11 September.

Sandra Torres, wife turned ex-wife of the current president Álvaro Colom, ignited controversy back in March when she filed for divorce in order to skirt a law which prohibits relatives of the president from taking power.

Citing “love for her country” as the reason why she was seeking to dissolve her marriage, she said: “I am neither the first nor the last woman to divorce in this country. But I am the first to divorce for Guatemala.”

The divorce was granted by a judge, but her application for candidacy was repeatedly denied by the courts.

A Swiss-born candidate originally had his request rejected since he was not of ‘Guatemalan origin’, but then accepted days later. Officials were also undecided on an evangelical minister; initially dismissing him on religious grounds and then subsequently allowed.

One of the few candidates free of legal impediments is the strong favourite, Otto Pérez Molina. The former general narrowly lost out in a run-off vote to Colom in the 2007 general elections; and the curious fact remains in Guatemala that the person who came second in the previous election will win the next.

However, a number of campaign groups are petitioning for Pérez Molina to be investigated for human rights violations during Guatemala’s 30-year civil war, which ended in 1996.

In 2007 he promised an ‘iron fist’ against crime and since then the country has become far more dangerous with one of the highest murder rates in Latin America. According to the World Health Organization, Guatemala has an average of 50 deaths per 100,000 citizens – five times the world average – and in some cities it is more than 200 deaths.

After four years of a soft-spoken leader, some Guatemalans might prefer an ex-army man running the country; for others his involvement in the war is still too painful.

Among the nine presidential candidates, there is also an ex-con who started campaigning three days after being released from prison and a man who promises to take Guatemala to the FIFA World Cup if he gets elected.

Latin America’s one-term presidential policy, a safeguard against dictatorial rule, means all 158 seats of Congress are up for grabs and the presidential vote will probably go to a second round in November.

Many Guatemalans are resigned to the fact that these elections won’t bring about the change their country so desperately needs and say: “It’s not about choosing who’s best for the country, but who’s the least worst.”

Flaminia: Guatemala’s Home-grown Star (Revue Magazine)

“When I was 16 years old I entered my school choir as a piano accompanier and ended up singing,” says Guatemalan-born musician Flaminia.

A few years later the talented artist, who wrote her first song when she was five-years old, won an international singing competition in Mexico, which landed her a record deal in Miami.

However, it appears that writing, singing, producing and playing her own instruments aren’t enough; Flaminia also juggles being a doctor alongside her music career – something which she admits hasn’t always been easy:

“I did have to stop my music while I was finishing Med School, and then had to put Med School on hold when I was in Miami. But I was able to promote the album this year because of a favourable work schedule, which allowed me to concentrate on music in the afternoons,” confesses Flaminia.

After recording her first album in the US, Flaminia returned to Guatemala in 2006 and encountered various challenges: “I didn’t have a huge budget to hire studios and producers to do whatever I wanted, so that set me back a lot – until I was able to do it on my own.”

In 2009 she collaborated with Guatemalan DJ Francis Davila on his debut album “Shine”, which propelled the duo onto the number one spot on local radio stations.

The singer-come-doctor, who lists Alanis Morisette and Nine Inch Nails amongst her musical inspirations, says she can’t imagine her life without music:

“It’s what I love doing and it helps me release what I’m feeling. I don’t write songs thinking about commercial success, I write them because I’m going through something, or I like a melody in my head and want to extend it. I think the music industry’s lost that. It’s all become about how you look and how much you undress, instead of actually transmitting something and being a musician.”

Flaminia, whose single ‘Whisper’ was number one on the music station 94.9 last month, has no desire to give up her job as a doctor in Guatemala City. Instead, she eventually wants to set up an organisation to aid public hospitals in her homeland.

Flaminia’s new single ‘Wanted (Never again)’ is on sale now in music stores across the country.