This episode explains Peru’s recent high-stakes elections, the signing of a major EU-Mercosur trade deal, and takes a deep dive into Cuba’s ongoing energy crisis, which has made daily life on the island increasingly difficult.

We are back with LatAm Dialogues season 2! To kick off this season, we have this in focus episode on LGBTQ+, and specifically transgender, rights in Latin America. First, we speak to Tom, who is writing his thesis on the transmasculine community in Cuba, about where the region is in terms of rights for LGBTQ+ individuals. We then had the pleasure of having Liam on the podcast, a Cuban LGBTQ+ activist and the writer, director and cinematographer of the award winning documentary Mi Alma Azul (https://vimeo.com/424896529 password: LiamyAnabel). He discusses what it is like to be a trans activist in Cuba and the work he has been doing to support the community, including his documentary.

Episode notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qhmkTOUYPcRDhxEQTGTrBx4-k0GIlGoMUtQBRHb6Bak/edit?usp=sharing

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent war have dominated headlines around the world in recent weeks. In this episode, LatAm Dialogue's team looks into Latin America's historical relationship with Russia with the help of Andre Pagliarini, a professor in Latin American history. We then discuss with Bryan, a political risk analyst from Cuba, what Latin America's immediate response to the invasion was as well as some likely repercussions that the events will have on the region.

Over the past month, Ortega has arrested over 26 members of his opposition in the lead up to elections in November. In this episode, Latam Dialogue's Sonja and Isabel interview two young activists in Nicaragua who explain the context and history that has led to this blatant effort to undermine democracy.

In this episode, Sonja interviews Bryan, a Cuban freelance political risk analyst who helps explain why the protests in Cuba happened now and what it has been like in Havanna over the past few weeks. In the second half, Isabel and Sonja discuss the shocking assassination of Moise, Haiti's president on the 7th of July and the political context of one of the world's poorest countries.

This episode focuses on Latin America's mining industry and the opportunities but also the negative consequences it has brought the region. Sonja Rijnen, LatAm Dialogue's editor-in-chief, interviews Tom Gatehouse, author of soon-to-be-published book 'The Heart of Our Earth: Community resistance to mining in Latin America'.

In a few weeks, Argentina will hold mid-term legislative elections. This comes after primaries that were held in September and weeks of political crises. In this episode, LatAm Dialogue editor, Lucas, runs us through what has been happening in the country. After this, Sonja and Isabel discuss the revelations of the Pandora Papers and what this means for Latin America.

Towards the end of November 2021, both Chileans and Hondurans went to the polls to elect their new Presidents. In the first half of this episode, Isabel discusses these all-important elections in Chile with Carolina, a political activist living in Santiago. It is said that Chileans are more polarised than ever and this Sunday, the 19th of December, they will vote in the second round between two very different (or not so different depending on how you see it) candidates. After this, listen to Lucas interview Jalileh, a student from Honduras who explains who Xiomara Castro is and why her election is significant.