Newspapers in Ecuador
According to EHISTORYLIB.COM, Ecuador is a country located in North America. The daily press in Ecuador has ancient origins. There are about 25 newspapers, but the spread is modest (43 newspaper excl. Per 1,000 inv., 2000). The leading newspaper is El Comercio (edition: 160,000 copies) in Quito, founded in 1906. It is considered to have great economic and political influence. The largest edition of Ecuador’s magazines is El Universo in Guayaquil. It was founded in 1921 and has 175,000 on weekdays and 290,000 on Sundays. Both of these papers refer to themselves as politically independent.
Ecuador has nearly 300 commercial radio stations. To this are added ten stations with religious profile and ten focused on culture and education. There are five private TV channels, but no state. Two additional TV channels have only regional distribution. There are 418 radio and 218 TV receivers per 1,000 residents (2000).
Culture
According to CALCULATORINC, Ecuador’s geographical and ethnic diversity has given rise to a wealth of cultures with widely differing traditions and origins. Traces of the Inca culture live on, the Spanish colonization brought European traditions and the black coastal population contributed African influences.
You don’t know much about the Andean culture in Quito before the Inca period, but the textile handicraft that the indigenous people otavalo are known for has roots from the Inca era. Spain’s colonization of Ecuador, from the 16th century onwards, brought with it Baroque architecture. The African elements are mainly noticed in dance and music.
Ecuador’s Andean music is played with string and percussion instruments as well as with different types of pan flute. With the Spaniards also came a western music tradition to the country. A legend in more modern popular music is Julio Jaramillo (“JJ”), who became famous throughout Latin America. When he died in 1978 after a hard life at only 42 years old, he was followed to the grave by several hundred thousand people. Also well known is “Ecuador’s Bob Dylan”, Jaime Guevara. In the 2010s, a lively music scene with many rock bands has emerged mainly in Guayaquil, and at the same time a domestic film production has begun to sprout: an example is Iván Mora’s film from 2012, Sin otoño, his primavera (Without autumn, without ours), which trades about young people of today’s middle class.
Art is prominent in cultural life. Internationally renowned artists are Oswaldo Guayasamín and Oswaldo Viteri. Famous authors include Jorge Icaza, who in his book Huasipungo has portrayed the difficult living conditions of the indigenous people, and Enrique Gil Gilbert who was part of the so-called Guayaquil group with writers who portrayed life on the coast from the 1930s onwards. Benjamín Carrión is best known for the Ecuadorian cultural house he created in Quito, which bears his name. Poets include Jorge Carrera Andrade and Jorge Enrique Adoum.
2015
December
Parliament approves constitutional amendments
The National Assembly votes for a total of 15 amendments to the constitution. The opposition that requested a referendum on the changes boycotted the session. The changes mean that the president will be able to be re-elected as many times as possible. That change, which also applies to other political items, will not come into force until 2021; Correa has said that he does not intend to set up himself in 2017. Other constitutional amendments include the defense, the media and labor law. After the vote, unrest erupts outside the parliament building, where protesters clash with police.
November
Continued protests against Correa
Extensive demonstrations against the government are being held for the sixth time during the year, organized by a loose association of non-profit organizations and groups representing workers and indigenous peoples. The protests include, among other things, a planned constitutional change that they fear would allow Correa to stand for re-election.
Ecuador is ordered to pay billion in damages
An arbitration panel at the World Bank, ICSID, is said to have ordered Ecuador to pay $ 1 billion in compensation to the US oil company Occidental, for canceling a contract in 2006. This is a reduction compared to a ruling in 2012, when ICSID (International Center for Mediation in investment disputes) ordered Ecuador to pay $ 1.7 billion. Correa promises to continue to fight to further reduce the amount.
August
Growing protests against Correa
The organization Conaie calls for “an uprising” against the president and says he no longer represents the indigenous peoples. The national organization FUT announces a general strike, which partly cripples the country.
July
The Pope visits Ecuador
Pope Francis comes to Quito and begins an eight-day tour of South America. It is the first time in three decades that a pope is visiting Ecuador. Nearly one million people attend when the pope holds a mass outdoor in Quito.
June
Changed inheritance tax creates concern
Large demonstrations are held several nights in a row in Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca – for and against Correa. The reason is the president’s proposal to halve the limit on when inheritance tax is to be paid, to the equivalent of about SEK 285,000. In their places, the protesters clash with each other. After a week of protests, Correa temporarily withdraws the proposal, to prevent opponents from “causing more violence”.
March
Protests against changed labor law
Thousands of protesters around the country are protesting, among other things, planned changes in labor law. Organizers are the national organization FUT and the indigenous peoples’ organization Conaie.
