Guatemala, a study in contrasts
To increase indigenous representation and inclusion in Guatemala, it is important to understand the political variables of the country. Throughout the history of the country, the indigenous population has suffered persistently from inequality, repression, racism, discrimination, and lack of political representation. These challenges present a complex situation for media inclusion.
Guatemala suffers from intense inequality and the life experiences of Guatemalans is divergent based on ethnicity and socioeconomic status. There exists a dichotomy of lived experiences in Guatemala with a divergence of social and economic outcomes between populations that are well-off or poor, urban or rural, Ladino or indigenous.
Guatemala’s population of roughly 18 million people is young. More than 80% of the population is below 44 years old, with a 6 million-strong labor force. This young demographic may influence the future of communications in the country. Gaining a clear picture of the ethnographic makeup of Guatemala is challenging due to the contested nature of data gathering practices. The 2001 census of Guatemala claims that around 40% of the population is made up of indigenous groups. However, this statistic is viewed as inaccurate by many experts, who place the true number to be at nearly 60% of the population.
While the country suffers from persistently high poverty, the indigenous population is more disadvantaged. In 2016, Guatemala ranked as the #1 most unequal country in Central America and was included in the world’s top ten most unequal countries. While poverty in the country is growing as a whole, the indigenous Mayan population is disproportionately poor in comparison with non-indigenous populations with over 75% of the indigenous population living in poverty.
Geographically, most of the Guatemalan indigenous population lives in the rural, mountainous areas where poverty is predominant. In fact, 81% of those living in poverty and 91% of those living in extreme poverty live in the countryside. Telecommunications networks, health infrastructures and universities are centered around the capital and urbanized areas. Consequently, indigenous peoples’ access to these services remains difficult.
At the government level, the indigenous population has never gained more than 13% of the total seats in Congress - despite making up over 40% of the population. Parties that claim to represent the indigenous population get less than 5% of the votes in the general elections. Political participation of indigenous peoples is lower than among non-indigenous populations due to challenges “including language barriers in the election process, lack of information on where the votes should be cast, political clientelism, and even violence.”
This issue of representation is not recent. It is the result of historical and institutionalized discrimination and under-representation of the indigenous population. Without adequate indigenous representation in the media, these injustices and the disproportionate suffering of indigenous people in Guatemala cannot be addressed.
