Podcast: Democracy&
Inside perspectives from those who lead
In this series, prominent decision-makers from across the Americas—those who have been at the heart of democratic governance—share personal reflections and insights on the meaning, challenges, and future of democracy in the region.
In each episode, members of the WOLA team sit down with a current or former political figure from the Americas to explore democracy through different lenses: what it means to them, the challenges it faces, and why it remains essential today. Each conversation pairs democracy with a new dimension—transition, justice, leadership, and beyond.
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Democracy & Representation with Vice President Francia Márquez Mina
In our second episode, “Democracy and Representation,” Colombia’s Vice President Francia Márquez Mina—the first woman of African descent to hold the vice presidency of the country and one of the few women of African descent to have reached that position in the region—reflects on her journey from environmental and social activism to the highest levels of political power. From that perspective, she speaks candidly about what it means to exercise leadership within institutions that have historically excluded ethnic communities like hers, and what that journey reveals about representation, democracy, and equality in Colombia and Latin America more broadly.
As she nears the end of her term, she shares lessons from the first United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent, the role of women’s leadership in building more inclusive democracies, and her vision for the future of the relationship between Colombia and the United States. This episode is in Spanish. For English subtitles, please see the video below.
Watch the video of our second episode available with English subtitles!
Episode 1: Democracy & Transition with President Bernardo Arévalo of Guatemala
In our first episode, Democracy & Transitions, Guatemala’s President Bernardo Arévalo reflects on leading his country through a fragile democratic transition—defending institutions under attack, delivering on a reform mandate with minimal congressional support, and remaining committed to peaceful governance despite relentless resistance from entrenched corruption networks.
