After two months working for an Argentine environmental NGO, I have mixed results. The first few weeks were super exciting: I got to put together a bike-path manifesto, meet the city’s mayor and create a climate change event for 350.org.
However, my main public diplomacy project sputtered out when it came to soliciting funds from our donor organization. Turns out (just like most PD efforts everywhere), people are reluctant to throw money at something that doesn’t allow for quantifiable evaluation within a short time frame.
Things move a little more slowly down here, especially in regards to the environment. I'll admit that choosing TV as a medium to influence Argentine attitudes about the environment probably wasn't the most cost-effective strategy. But this can still be adopted for radio which I spent the last week researching.
Turns out there is a US-based NGO that does exactly what my project for Fundacion Biosfera was trying to accomplish with Social Marketing and Entertainment-Education. Check out Media Impact as this is the majority of what they do with Radio (and some TV in Latin America) and am already in touch with them.
I'm happy to have worked for awesome boss that I will stay in contact with in order to strengthen Biosfera's PD strategies and some amazing coworkers and friends that I'll no doubt be seeing again before I leave Argentina.
Showing posts with label la plata. Show all posts
Showing posts with label la plata. Show all posts
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
129 and doin' fine
Yesterday was the birthday (129th) of the City of La Plata, which meant only one thing: TONS of music and celebration in Plaza Moreno. This is the second all-day fiesta I've seen in two months here, the other being the first day of spring.
The sweet smoke of chorizo wafting through the crowd as they sip on their fernet y colas and maté; there is something distinctly carefree and Argentine about blowing off a whole day of work just to hang in the plaza. I checked out a couple pop/rock groups who weren't really that catchy before returning later at night for the fireworks. When I came back, the night vibe had changed, as well as the crowd. There were some folk-type bands playing tributes to some of the greats like Mercedes Sosa and Victor Jara. These didn't mix well with Metalero Oscar, who was quick to label them as "yanqui hippy music." Still trying to figure out the difference between "Folk" and "Folklorica," but I'll get back to you on that...
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Metaleros de La Plata
"Freaking Yanqui Metal!" My Colombian friend Oscar yelled, "you love this stuff!" While I couldn't condone the current travesty of a "metal" band we were viewing, in truth, it was probably closer to the melodic type of stuff I do listen to.
My friend Ihintza had brought us to the North end for a metal show that goes down every couple of months. The venue was cozy and reminded me of venues I'd played during my punk rock days. The first band took the stage and was a mix of "hardcore, metal and prog." The singer couldn't sing but had an amazing penchant for the dramatic. Halfway through a song, he throws down the mike and runs off stage. The music continues to crescendo to its most epic moment, when suddenly, he appears ABOVE the crowd in the rafters, screaming down (sans microphone) onto the audience. It was a cool moment. Though the band's songwriting abilities were questionable, their stage presence was great. They won me over when the singer started a song by stomping in the middle of the crowd, who soon followed suit until the whole venue was shaking.
The second band continued some of the stage antics by having the singer jump and mosh into the crowd during their set. But they were all over the place with their songs. The guitar player, who was wearing a Misfits shirt announced "Les gustan los Misfits??" before launching into a cover of "Saturday Knight," the Misfits WORST song and Danzig's obnoxious crooner ballad. To make matters worse, this was one of two covers the band played, the second being a Limp Bizket-type version of Britney's "Hit me baby one more time" with screaming on the Choruses.
The third band was decidedly most metal on a night that didn't really have any metal but by then (3 AM), everybody had already left the venue. Ihintza and Oscar were not the only ones disappointed. About a dozen other goths and metaleros congregated in the lounge during the screamo/hardcore bands, drinking beer and complaining about the lack of "brutality." Regardless, we had a fun time and on the walk home, I even got a train to toot its horn for metal by throwing up the horns of "rawk". All in all great night, as any night with live music usually is.
My friend Ihintza had brought us to the North end for a metal show that goes down every couple of months. The venue was cozy and reminded me of venues I'd played during my punk rock days. The first band took the stage and was a mix of "hardcore, metal and prog." The singer couldn't sing but had an amazing penchant for the dramatic. Halfway through a song, he throws down the mike and runs off stage. The music continues to crescendo to its most epic moment, when suddenly, he appears ABOVE the crowd in the rafters, screaming down (sans microphone) onto the audience. It was a cool moment. Though the band's songwriting abilities were questionable, their stage presence was great. They won me over when the singer started a song by stomping in the middle of the crowd, who soon followed suit until the whole venue was shaking.
The second band continued some of the stage antics by having the singer jump and mosh into the crowd during their set. But they were all over the place with their songs. The guitar player, who was wearing a Misfits shirt announced "Les gustan los Misfits??" before launching into a cover of "Saturday Knight," the Misfits WORST song and Danzig's obnoxious crooner ballad. To make matters worse, this was one of two covers the band played, the second being a Limp Bizket-type version of Britney's "Hit me baby one more time" with screaming on the Choruses.
The third band was decidedly most metal on a night that didn't really have any metal but by then (3 AM), everybody had already left the venue. Ihintza and Oscar were not the only ones disappointed. About a dozen other goths and metaleros congregated in the lounge during the screamo/hardcore bands, drinking beer and complaining about the lack of "brutality." Regardless, we had a fun time and on the walk home, I even got a train to toot its horn for metal by throwing up the horns of "rawk". All in all great night, as any night with live music usually is.
Monday, November 9, 2009
The Train Shed, La Plata, Argentina, Planet Earth
“The railroad sharpened the umbilical destiny of Buenos Aires: progressively and irredeemably it made it into a head severed from the body. The iron ways were a dream of the metropolis, and they stretched out its predatory tentacles across the pampa.”
-Ezequiel Martinez Estrada “X Ray of the Pampa” 1933
While the Argentinean train system may have been at its peak during the 30's, privatization and poor management resulted in the miles of unused track and ghost stations that can be found across the country. There are tons of abandoned stations here in La Plata, which are in the process of being converted into cooperatives or craft stores.
The "Galpón de Tolosa" (Tolosa Train Shed) is a perfect example of the La Plata community taking things into their own hands. Abdandoned for decades, it has been a year and a half since students and neighbors have converted the old train shed into a community center hosting everything from gardening to yoga classes.
Walking towards the center Sat. night, I could see several bonfires burning around the center; the scent of youth and anarchy was in the air. We huddled around a bonfire sipping on wine before going on a tour of the center's "self-sustained" vegetable garden. I was honestly impressed with the center itself, though repainted, it still maintained a very bohemian vibe. Cheap cover and cheap drinks weren't too shabby either. The first band we was sort of a bluesy/indie type group (John Spencer Blues Explosion with better harmonies) which I dug. The second band ended up driving most of my entourage outside, as it was bad indie noise rock (anything where I can't make out the melody is rubbish!).
As we were leaving, I saw spray painted on a wall: "Galpón de Tolosa, La Plata, Argentina, Planeta Tierra" which seemed fitting for our exit, as well as the title of this post.
-Ezequiel Martinez Estrada “X Ray of the Pampa” 1933
While the Argentinean train system may have been at its peak during the 30's, privatization and poor management resulted in the miles of unused track and ghost stations that can be found across the country. There are tons of abandoned stations here in La Plata, which are in the process of being converted into cooperatives or craft stores.
The "Galpón de Tolosa" (Tolosa Train Shed) is a perfect example of the La Plata community taking things into their own hands. Abdandoned for decades, it has been a year and a half since students and neighbors have converted the old train shed into a community center hosting everything from gardening to yoga classes.
Walking towards the center Sat. night, I could see several bonfires burning around the center; the scent of youth and anarchy was in the air. We huddled around a bonfire sipping on wine before going on a tour of the center's "self-sustained" vegetable garden. I was honestly impressed with the center itself, though repainted, it still maintained a very bohemian vibe. Cheap cover and cheap drinks weren't too shabby either. The first band we was sort of a bluesy/indie type group (John Spencer Blues Explosion with better harmonies) which I dug. The second band ended up driving most of my entourage outside, as it was bad indie noise rock (anything where I can't make out the melody is rubbish!).
As we were leaving, I saw spray painted on a wall: "Galpón de Tolosa, La Plata, Argentina, Planeta Tierra" which seemed fitting for our exit, as well as the title of this post.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Masa Critica La Plata
I met Jose Maria at our 350.org event a few weeks back, and after telling him how I was a big fan of the LA Critical Mass, I had no choice but to participate in the La Plata Critical Mass, which he happens to be in charge of.
Critical Mass is a form of social protest aiming to create more awareness and concern for cyclists in metro areas. This usually involves organizing into large groups and taking up at least one or two lanes of traffic during rush hour.
"Masa Critica" La Plata, while lacking in numbers (there were only about 50 of us), has the awareness card down with their bright yellow "Bici Sendas YA!" (Bike Paths NOW!) jerseys that attracted a lot of attention. We rode from Plaza San Martin down the most frequently used streets. I resisted the temptation to yell at every other cyclist I saw to join us like I usually do in LA's Critical Mass. All in all it was a pretty subdued ride, but I still have yet to participate in the hanky panky known as Buenos Aires Critical Mass, ya veremos!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Peña La Salamanca
Tonight, while in the hunt for live music, I stumbled upon this folklore Peña. I was familiar with Peñas from my time in Peru, where most of the "legit" flute and folkorica bands would play. My friend Ali and I peered in the window and upon seeing 6 of our friends rocking out to some 4 part harmonies, we had to go in.
The first group was traditional Argentine folklorica: flutes, lots of drums, guitars and even a xylophone-type instrument. The experience was enhanced by my friends Ihintza and Narua, who broke out their songbook and launched into some folklorica from their Basque homeland. The second group looked like a family project, complete with the weird wacky uncle on bass. They were sloppy to start, but ended up rallying behind their super talented frontman who could play pan pipes, flute, guitar and every other indigenous instrument he could get his hands on.
One of my frequent criticisms of bands are the ones that try to cover too many genres within one set, which was exactly what happened here. We had Peruvian flute ballads, Mapuche Andean sonatas, Guaraní galaguetzas, you name it. The venue Salamanca had a great vibe however, very cozy; reminded me of a Native American longhouse, will definitely return before my time here is up.
The first group was traditional Argentine folklorica: flutes, lots of drums, guitars and even a xylophone-type instrument. The experience was enhanced by my friends Ihintza and Narua, who broke out their songbook and launched into some folklorica from their Basque homeland. The second group looked like a family project, complete with the weird wacky uncle on bass. They were sloppy to start, but ended up rallying behind their super talented frontman who could play pan pipes, flute, guitar and every other indigenous instrument he could get his hands on.
One of my frequent criticisms of bands are the ones that try to cover too many genres within one set, which was exactly what happened here. We had Peruvian flute ballads, Mapuche Andean sonatas, Guaraní galaguetzas, you name it. The venue Salamanca had a great vibe however, very cozy; reminded me of a Native American longhouse, will definitely return before my time here is up.
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