La Brega: The End Of The Promises

Latino USA

My Cultura, Futuro and iHeartPodcasts

Society & Culture

4.9 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 23 March 2021

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Puerto Rico’s relationship with the United States has long been a subject of intense debate. In 1952, Puerto Rico adopted a new status that was meant to decolonize the island. In English, we call it a “Commonwealth.” In Spanish, it’s called “Estado Libre Asociado”, or ELA. Puerto Ricans were promised for decades that this unique status meant they had a special kind of sovereignty while maintaining ties to the US. Now, a series of recent crises on the island have led many to question that promise, and to use the word “colony” more and more. In this episode, political anthropologist and El Nuevo Día columnist Yarimar Bonilla looks for those who still believe in the ELA, and asks what happens when a political project dies.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Maria Inojosa and I am Penileira Mides.
0:03.0	And on this new series, we're going to get to know the most powerful Mexican government official ever to face trial in the US for his alleged ties to the infamous drug lord El Chapo.
0:16.0	But this is not your regular narco story.
0:19.0	It's like true crime meets telenovela.
0:22.0	This is our new series, USA versus Garcia Luna.
0:27.0	Find it whatever you get your podcasts and at futuroinvestigates.org.
0:40.0	Dear listener, this month we're bringing you episodes of La Brega, a special seven part mini series presented by Futuro Studios and WNYC Studios, all about the Puerto Rican experience.
0:54.0	Today's episode, the end of the promises.
0:58.0	And if you'd like to hear any of the episodes in Espanol, visit the La Brega feed wherever you listen to your podcasts.
1:07.0	And now I'm going to hand things over to WNYC's Alana Casa Nova Burgess, the host of La Brega.
1:14.0	I've noticed that outside of Puerto Rico, many people seem uncomfortable calling the island a US colony.
1:21.0	In English, you'll hear the word territory or Commonwealth, protectorate even.
1:27.0	And that used to be the case in Puerto Rico too.
1:30.0	But not anymore.
1:31.0	There are many Puerto Rico, many, many inside of their neighborhood, which means that it's a Puerto Rico, a colony, so it's called descolonization.
1:39.0	That's a colony, completely.
1:41.0	Puerto Rico is a colony of the United States.
1:44.0	We're a colony of the United States.
1:46.0	A colony.
1:47.0	A colony.
1:48.0	I don't know a colony.
1:49.0	People would twist themselves into pretzels to avoid the seaword.
	...

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