A look inside the editorial office: tidy chaos.
Photo: Ezekiel Angeloni
The crisis facing daily newspapers has been foreshadowed for years by competition from the unbeatably fast Internet with its wide range of free offerings. Rising production and distribution costs in combination with the resulting rise in subscription prices have further exacerbated the crisis there. But now the print crisis also seems to be affecting monthly newspapers, the left-wing monthly magazine “Konkret”, but also the Latin America magazine »ila« from Bonn. Can the main crisis factors be identified? »ila« turn off?
In a nutshell: generational change, political shifts, changing media landscape, rising costs. Latin America is no longer the hopeful projection surface of the German left that the continent was in the 1980s, when people set off in droves to form solidarity brigades in Nicaragua. With all the crises on our doorstep, it might not be so obvious to also deal with the crises in Latin America. Authoritarianism and the climate crisis are global phenomena that affect us all, Latinxs in Latin America and the diaspora as well as the post-migrant society in Germany. The feminist movement in Germany, for example, has learned an incredible amount from the Latin American compañeras. And then today we are no longer dealing with a lack of information like in the 1980s, but with an overabundance of information; everything can be researched at any time on the Internet, of course in varying quality. We notice this when people write to us: You’re great, but I can’t keep up with reading. But things have gotten really tough since the price of life has risen in the last three years. Even long-time subscribers have canceled because they suddenly have to figure out how to get to the end of the month.
What about them? »ila«?
We have always worked with very limited financial resources. Without the huge network of volunteer editorial members, correspondents and translators, nothing would work. But right now it’s even more serious than usual: a few times last year I wasn’t able to transfer my salaries until the end of the month because there was simply no money in the account. There are only two low part-time salaries.
Interview
Galo Paguay
Mirjana Jandik studied Latin American studies, psychology and cultural anthropology in Bonn and Cuenca (Ecuador). She has been a volunteer editorial member at “ila” for eight years and a permanent editor for a year. She also works as a freelance author with a focus on feminism and gender relations.
They are trying to launch a donation and subscription campaign »ila« to counteract. What are the goals and how did it get started?
We have two goals: 200 new subscriptions and 20,000 euros in donations. Subscriptions are the most important thing for us because they finance our work sustainably. And with crowdfunding we want to fundamentally overhaul our website. Articles should be readable on mobile phones and our content should be easier to find. The medium-term vision: On this new website we want to make all “ila” articles since December 1976 accessible and thus build an archive of the solidarity movement. We also receive many of our articles in Spanish, Portuguese or English and translate them for the print edition. The original texts will also be available on a new homepage. Latinxs in Germany in particular often tell us: They think it’s great that we bring Latin American debates to Germany, but they prefer to read in Spanish or Portuguese. The campaign runs until February 14th – Ash Wednesday, after all we are in the Rhineland. But even after that, we rely on support through ongoing donations and, above all, subscriptions.
Beyond plugging holes. What topics can make a monthly magazine about Latin America sustainable when the flood of information generally reduces attention spans?
Maybe that’s a bit of self-praise, but I don’t think it’s because of our issues. Half of an issue consists of background information, current reports and culture. The other half is dedicated to one focus, the upcoming ones being reproductive justice and energy imperialism. Each issue highlights a topic that is relevant and current in both Europe and Latin America. Geopolitical power shifts cannot be explained with an Instagram post, but rather in twelve well-researched articles, some of which also represent different positions. We did that with the “Geopolitics” focus in September. Sometimes we do pioneering work because there is hardly anything about it in German, such as our focus on Mate or the Brazilian music genre Baile Funk. And sometimes we learn during the conception that the questions we ask from Germany are not the right ones. The March issue should focus on “reproductive technologies,” triggered by debates about artificial insemination, egg donation and surrogacy, which the traffic light government wants to re-regulate. This is an issue in Latin America, but we also have to deal with who is prevented from having children, for example through forced sterilization. Feminists therefore use the concept of reproductive justice introduced by black feminists in the 1990s: it demands that everyone be able to decide for themselves to terminate a pregnancy, but also to have children safely, with dignity and in a self-determined manner. Of course, we ask ourselves which formats work well today, how we can become more varied and increase reach. That’s why we’re always happy about new additions to the editorial team.
In November 2025 the “ila” 50. Are the plans for the celebration already underway, or are we just thinking from month to month and year to year?
Of course, we’re in firefighting mode a lot: there’s a fire and we put it out. But we already have our sights set on the anniversary! “ila” was founded in 1975 as a German support group for the Second Russell Tribunal, which investigated human rights violations in Latin America. Since December 1976, “ila” has been published as a regular monthly magazine. That’s why we want to tackle the urgent construction sites now – renovation, new homepage, new administrative program – and then celebrate a big anniversary in 2026. And in order for us to make it until then, we need support through new subscriptions!
What is the legacy of the founding generation?
We always say: The “ila” is the place where old white men change their gender and have no problem with vegan food. Anarchists have been working with communists for almost five decades, and our debates are super productive. Sure, some of the oldies find modern moderation methods annoying. We young people can learn a lot from the founding generation when it comes to long-term commitment and razor-sharp political analysis. Over the decades, a huge network of authors has grown that is irreplaceable. What remains is the aim of the beginning: amplifying the voices of social movements, building bridges to German activists and taking a critical look at German companies and development cooperation in Latin America.
The “ila” appeal for donations can be found here here.
#ndstays – Get active and order a promotional package
Regardless of whether it is pubs, cafés, festivals or other meeting places – we want to become more visible and reach everyone who values independent journalism with an attitude. We have put together a campaign package with stickers, flyers, posters and buttons that you can use to get active and support your newspaper.
To the promotional package