In 2008 I did a survey among some journalists and intellectuals in the Arab World on their image of Latin America. Revolutionary concepts and figures were very much part of that image.
When revolutions first started in Tunisia and Egypt, everyone would ask me: what are Latin Americans saying about us, now that we have become revolutionaries like them?
Not a surprise then to see women in Yemen, with their covered-up faces and heads, holding a Che Guevara portrait next to the Yemeni flag in one of their anti-government protests.
However, it was a surprise to see how Arab politicians are inspired by one of Latin America's dirtiest and oldest practices.
A video released on YouTube by Syrian opposition network Sham shows Syrians with masks on their nose and mouth inspecting what seems to be drugs, appearing to be seized by them.
The video shows that the bags full of drugs have Al Jazeera Channel's logo on them !!!!! Yes, I am not joking..
"Show the Syrian people what they are sending us", says one man holding one of those bags. The man has a clear coastal accent.
Wait a second.. so someone who smuggles an illegal substance into a country in the height of a popular revolt would actually put their logo on it?!!
I know it does not make sense. I have no idea who the people in the video are, who filmed it, nor how the video found its way to Sham. I am not even sure if it was ever aired on any Syrian channel or anywhere other than YouTube.
But whether or not it is an authentic attempt by anyone in Syria to accuse Al Jazeera of sending drugs to Syria (seriously!), the idea behind it is something that does happen in Latin America, where politicians are framed to undermine them by linking them to the infamous drug trafficking business.
Arab politicians have a wide range of options though when it comes to inspiring things from Latin American politics, such as reaching power through free elections, stepping down when people demand it, freeing resources from foreign control, forming strong regional blocs, opening national dialogue, etc.
But some choose : drugs !
But some choose : drugs !
Interestingly enough, it was Muammar Gaddafi who first talked of "hallucinogenics" being placed in "people's nescafe" in Benghazi to make them "attack state institutions". He said it over and over again in his speeches.
No one ever thought that this ridiculous account of events, made up by someone as "entertaining" as Gaddafi, would be exported to Syria, who may have gone further than Gaddafi by linking the drugs to a particular TV network, one of many reporting the protests and government crackdown.
While the above video might not have been aired on any Syrian TV, an earlier video from a Syrian channel (pro-regime Dunia TV) shows a caller-in from Latakia mentioning "bags of hallucinogenics caught in the car of a Saudi man with a passport full of Syrian visas and stamps". The person speaking says the Saudi man provided protesters with the drugs and that the protesters were from a "dodgy" area of Latakia anyway ! (some junkies)
Which leads me to another Latin American practice: manipulate media to the maximum, twist the truth, hide it, use it and abuse it to justify your political decisions and positions, or to incriminate your opponents.
If we are lucky enough, the historically inspiring Latin American struggles for freedom will turn out to be stronger than any "inspiring" dirty practices in Latin American politics.
If we are lucky enough, the historically inspiring Latin American struggles for freedom will turn out to be stronger than any "inspiring" dirty practices in Latin American politics.
