(9 Dec 2024)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Quito, Ecuador – 04 December 2024
++NIGHT SHOT++
1. Various of gigantic Christmas tree decorated with lights
2. Carolina Jijon looking at the Christmas gifts on the tree
3. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Carolina Jijon, Executive Director of the Quito Botanical Garden:
"The power outages have greatly affected the mood of the people a lot, not only for not having electricity but also due to the economic issue."
4. Christmas tree in a shopping mall turned off
5. Various of some houses decorated with Christmas lights
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Quito, Ecuador – 03 December 2024
6. Close of the baby Jesus
7. Ines Mejia arranging her Christmas nativity scene
8. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Ines Mejia, Retired:
"Because it’s not the same as before, we had the ease to turn on (the Christmas lights) when we wanted to, in our windows, our nativity, everything having to do with lighting up the home. It’s not the same as before."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Quito, Ecuador – 30 November 2024
++NIGHT SHOT++
9. Vendors with Christmas ornaments and holiday decorations as people see them
10. Carla Espinoza with her daughter looking at the Christmas trees
11. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Carla Espinoza, Parent:
"We are going to reduce the time that our Christmas tree is lit so we can in that way also help that we don’t consume too much electricity. I’ve seen some cases, no my family, that they light up all night long."
12. Christmas lights turned on as vendors try to sell their Christmas ornaments
13. Close of Christmas ornament lit
14. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Fanny Almagro, President of the Carcelen Sisterhood Association:
"Unfortunately, people, clients, tell us that since there is no light in the homes, they don’t put up the trees, they don’t put ornaments, nothing, that is to say nothing. With difficulty, buy an ornament and that has affected us a lot (in sales)."
14. Fanny Almagro next to her Christmas lights and ornaments stand
15. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Fanny Almagro, President of the Carcelen Sisterhood Association:
"We are now about 50 (percent of sales), waiting. They say that in December they are not going to cut (the electricity) and waiting for people to come and buy (products), because look, as you can see, we still have our stalls full."
16. People looking, speaking to vendors selling Christmas lights and ornaments
17. Wide of family looking at what they can buy
18. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Leonardo Pallasco, child who likes Christmas:
"I say that the colors (of the lights) are beautiful. There are some that are calm, they relax me and when it’s dark, it makes me sad and I say because why isn’t there light? Why isn’t there light to guide me."
19. Leonardo Pallasco looking at the Christmas decorations
20. Various Christmas trees, lights and ornaments in vendors’ stalls
STORYLINE:
In Ecuador’s capital Quito a 131ft (40 metre) cypress tree stands tall, decorated for Christmas.
But the multi-coloured lights illuminating the tree may not for sparkle for long due to chronic energy blackouts in the South American nation.
Ecuador’s daily power outages began earlier this year and intensified in September due to droughts; outages can last up to 14 hours.
The huge tree in the city’s botanical gardens is being powered by solar panels.
Ironically, the tree serves to distract people from Ecuador’s lack of electricity.
“The power outages have greatly affected the mood of the people a lot,” said Carolina Jijón, director of the Botanical Garden.
More than 70% of the country’s electricity production depends on water.
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News post in December 14, 2024, 6:04 pm.
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