Guatemala

Guatemala’s Democratic Renewal

Image: Project Syndicate

By Carlos Alvarado Quesada

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo’s recent selection of an honest successor to a corrupt attorney general represents a decisive victory for the country’s democracy. Arévalo succeeded not because he abandoned institutions to save democracy, but because he trusted institutions enough to work through them.

After two years of fierce political battles, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo finally managed to appoint a new attorney general in May. In replacing a corrupt prosecutor with an honest one, Arévalo demonstrated that, even after years of erosion, democracy can prevail if political leadership chooses constitutionalism over confrontation.

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Sharing His Voice: A Conversation with Nestor “the Boss” Gomez

We recently sat down with Nestor “the Boss” Gomez, host of the storytelling podcast 80 Minutes Around the World and 40-time winner of the Moth Grand Slam. 

Nestor, who used to stutter, hails from Guatemala and found his voice after migrating to Chicago, enrolling in high school, and learning to navigate a new culture. Currently, he uses his platform to encourage others to tell their stories. 

“Every place, person and thing inspires a different story or poem,” he says.

This piece has been lightly edited for clarity. 

The Journey North

My childhood was a very hard childhood. I was the second of four siblings. Actually, I’m the second of six. Two of my siblings died when they were very young. We were poor and my family made Guatemalan worry dolls [small cloth figures dressed in traditional Mayan clothing] that we sold at the airport and tourist shops. 

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