Interview with Ana Raquel Aquino Smith on Guatemalan Humanism
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2023/08/17
Ana Raquel Aquino is a Guatemalan lawyer who specializes in good governance, human rights, and public policies. She has served as President of Humanistas Guatemala and Young Humanists International. Her work has been in the public sector and for several Non-Governmental/International Organizations on the right to health for Indigenous communities in Guatemala, as well as accountability, gender equality, legal empowerment, and social justice. Here she discusses some of the efforts of Secular Humanism in a Guatemalan context.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: You have served in an important capacity as the President of Young Humanists International. You have finished the term in this role. Which leads to some natural questions, but firstly, how was early life for you?
Ana Raquel Aquino Smith: My life as a child was quite happy, I have to admit. Although the economic conditions were not always the best, it made me more empathetic with the reality in which I lived, with the country where I was born: Guatemala. I had a Catholic upbringing, but quite free of orthodox and rigid dogmas and doctrines. I think it had an effect on me because he never rebuked himself for doubting what I learned. Jacobsen: How did you become interested in gender equity and secular humanism?
Smith: It was a question that came naturally to me and out of a lot of curiosity. I could not believe that my ideas were the only ones capable of existing and I always had concern about the religious subject and about God specifically. I found secular humanism in my early readings on existentialism, history, and even in religion classes themselves. Gender equality was a little more “imposed” (and I am glad they did) since the same school empowered us from a young age to be strong, independent, capable women. I will always be grateful for the non-limitation of my abilities and for making me dream big and never telling us that we were less than men.
Jacobsen: How did those interests become formally stationed as positions in professional and activist life for you?
Smith: Some time later I started volunteering in the rural part of Guatemala. It was how I realized that my vocation was social and to make a change. I chose Law as a bachelor’s degree and from there I got involved in student politics. Leadership is something that catches my attention, that I enjoy and that I have managed to perfect over time. I am now more aware of my actions as a leader. Activism on the secular issue came about 8 years ago when I joined Humanists Guatemala. My undergraduate thesis and research over time have been on the subject of secularism, secularization of states, secularism, freedom of religion and conscience as well as the human rights linked to these. I also studied several postgraduate degrees in human rights, governance and public policy, but there is nothing I am more passionate about than the practice of theory. Without that, for me, theory is a dead word.Jacobsen: How are these issues, vis-a-vis humanists, important in Guatemala? As you have informed me, the vast majority of religious affiliation in Guatemala is Christian, as with much of the Latin America countries.
Smith: Activism in secular humanism and the secularization of states is vital to ensure states and governments free of dogma, fair elections and political legitimacy, so that voting is not influenced through religion and things based on religious beliefs are promised, people’s faith is played. Evangelism and neo-Pentecostalism have advanced rapidly since the 80s in Latin America. A current that is too fanatical and uses its resources to intervene in democracies. There are cases of corruption, misrepresentation of public funds, involvement with drug trafficking, among others, by these churches. Activism in the field of religious freedom is important and that, eye, I do not mean that religion should be abolished, much less but protect the diversity of opinions, thoughts, ideas, religions and beliefs, as well as non-belief, which is widely discriminated against in the region.
Jacobsen: What seem like the greatest successes in the term as President of Young Humanists International?
Smith: I believe that maintaining the union between the Board of Directors, the staff and the regional coordinators was a great success as well as the activities that were done under YHI at the Congress in Copenhagen. The organization has grown a lot and has been established, now it has an excellent reputation and we have done a lot of networking and union with European and American organizations that also have young sections. A great success, I think, is to share opinions and perspectives of secular humanism around the world, having people from Latin America, USA, Europe and Asia.Jacobsen: What is the professional goal or set of goals professionally, now, for you?
Smith: I believe that continuing in human rights activism is a professional path that will last for me. I can’t conceive my life without it. Currently, I also have a social entrepreneurship about opportunities for Latino students abroad. An undertaking that is based on the right to access education and knowledge, a right that I am also passionate about and want to contribute. Through knowledge we free ourselves from dogmas and not only from religious ones. Also, I am back to my role of regional coordinator of Latin America in YHI.Jacobsen: What are the major gender equity issues within Guatemala?
Smith: Violence against women and LGBTIQ+ groups. In Guatemala we have high rates of femicide and violence as well as human trafficking. Likewise, domestic, social, labor discrimination against women (misogyny) is high. Machismo in the region does not help and I believe that change must be through education and public policies that favor the growth of women in the economic and professional fields. Their monetary independence is vital to get out of oppressive and violent circles. Economic empowerment can help tremendously to get out of there. Jacobsen: How can national organizations in the region share knowledge, expertise, resources, and activities, for rapport building and strengthening of the humanist movement in Guatemala? Is there a regional coalition for Latin American action? Could there be a regional coalition for Latin American action?
Smith: Currently, we have a committee that is organized every 2 years to make a Latin American Forum of free thought, but most of them are humanist organizations that are registered. We do not have any organizations that belong regionally to Humanists International, but we hope to do so soon.
Sharing experiences and perspectives at the regional level is useful and very valuable. You can learn about programs, activities, organizations that solve or share valuable information and that can be replicated in other countries. The reality of Latin America is very similar, but it also has nuances.Jacobsen: How can organizations support or become involved in Humanistas Guatemala?
Smith: They can help us by supporting our activities, sharing content, funding certain types of activism that they are interested in. They can communicate through our communication channels and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=humanistas%20guatemala
Jacobsen: Thank you for the opportunity and your time, Ana.
License
In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.in-sightpublishing.com.
Copyright
© Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing 2012-Present. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. All interviewees and authors co-copyright their material and may disseminate for their independent purposes.
In-Sight Publishing 