SustainAbleChiapas

Con la memoria los pueblos construimos justicia

2011-03-22T20:49:00.000-07:00

Bishop Tatik Samuel Ruiz Garcia (1924-2011)

2011-03-04T07:59:00.000-08:00

Samuel Ruiz García (3 November 1924 – 24 January 2011), called also Tatik (padre, father) served as bishop of the Diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, from 1959 until 2000. His pastoral work and leadership in favor of poor and indigenous marginalized people of Chiapas has made a sustainable and systemic impact in the communities, life, dignity adn struggle for indigenous rights.

Samuel Ruiz, who was one of the founder of liberation theology in Latin American along with his friend Mons. Romero in El Salvador, contributed largely to dialogue between Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (Zapatista Army of National Liberation) and the Mexican Government. He also presided over the funeral of 45 members of the civil society group Las Abejas after the 1997 massacre in Acteal.

In 1996, Ruiz was awarded the Pacem in Terris Award and the Simón Bolívar International Prize from UNESCO in 2000 due to his efforts to fight poverty, exclusion, corruption, violence and for his help in the mutual understanding of Latin Americans.

Here is a nice Memoriam (in spanish) summarizing the impact that Tatic Samuel Ruiz had in Chiapas, the Catholic Church and the inspiration that he gave all of us who work for human rights and indigenous dignity. Samuel, like the martires of Acteal is still alive in the work of the Fray Bartolome de Las Casas Human Rights center and in the many lives and leaders her has inspired in his work and presence. Thank you, gracias, kolabal Tatik!!!

Keepers of the Earth in Chiapas

2010-08-24T12:13:00.001-07:00

The Maya indigenous people of Chiapas, Mexico are "pueblos de Mais", peoples of the corn. Their existence, struggle for a life with dignity and their ancient message to balance our communities with Mather Earth is clearly linked to their land. The economic, political, social and cultural rights as indigenous people cannot be recognized or fully understood without the recognition of their rights to their land.

Watch this clip for the work in progress documentary Keepers of the Earth. Keepers of the Earth is an inside look at the battle over transforming the earth’s dwindling biodiversity into sustainable development. As the threat of environmental catastrophe mounts, biodiversity gains more and more traction as a hot commodity. Mexico is a mega-diverse country and keenly aware of the potential to turn green plants into green dollars.

Keepers of the Earth uncovers the battle between environmentalists and indigenous tribes for Mexico's greatest natural wonder, the Lacandon Jungle. At the upcoming 2010 UN Climate Talks, will the rainforest be saved or will people fighting for survival win back their land.

Read more here http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1674707503/keepers-of-the-earth-a-feature-documentary

Refocus on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

2010-08-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

There has been lots of speculations, research, achievements and setbacks in the Millennium Campaign and the MDGs. These simple goals and their specific targets are a simple road map for poverty reduction and sustainable development worldwide.

They are a reminder that this generation can (and should) end poverty. We know what it works. We have the technical capacity, intellectual knowledge and the financial resources to make it possible having a world without extreme poverty. We need to realize that, as U2’s Bono observes “The destinies of the halves are intrinsically linked to the fates of the have-nothing-at-alls.” Dr. Jeffrey Sachs reminds us that our generation can choose to end extreme poverty by 2025. Every year, eight million people die because they are too poor to survive. Every morning, more than 20,000 people perish because of extreme poverty.1 Every three seconds a child dies of extreme poverty. The poor themselves can create a poverty-free world – all be have to do is to free them from the chains that we put around them and create partnerships for global solidarity. The MDGs are one of those concrete steps that we can talk to make a difference for the future of our world.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has been very active in the promotion of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the most broadly supported, comprehensive and specific development goals the world has ever agreed upon. These eight time-bound goals provide concrete, numerical benchmarks for tackling extreme poverty in its many dimensions. They include goals and targets on income poverty, hunger, maternal and child mortality, disease, inadequate shelter, gender inequality, environmental degradation and the Global Partnership for Development.

"Adopted by world leaders in the year 2000 and set to be achieved by 2015, the MDGs are both global and local, tailored by each country to suit specific development needs. They provide a framework for the entire international community to work together towards a common end – making sure that human development reaches everyone, everywhere. If these goals are achieved, world poverty will be cut by half, tens of millions of lives will be saved, and billions more people will have the opportunity to benefit from the global economy." (UNDP)

The eight MDGs break down into 21 quantifiable targets that are measured by 60 indicators.

GET INVOLVED HERE:

United Nations Millennium Campaign | Facebook
Millennium Campaign - White Bands
STAND UP 2010 | Stand Against Poverty
Millennium Campaign - White Bands
DePaul University and the MDGs

Useful International Development Links

2010-08-19T05:42:00.001-07:00

Sorted alphabetically

Action Without Borders (Idealist.org)

Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)

Arab Gulf Programs for UN Development Organizations (AGFUND)

Asian Development Bank

Associates for International Resources and Development (AIRD)

Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)

Black Sea Trade and Development Bank

Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)

CARE

Carter Center

Center for Global Development

CIA World Factbook

Computers & Networks in International Development

Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP)

Country Studies / Country Profiles (Library of Congress)

Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA)

Demography & Population Studies

Devex - News and Analysis

Development Economics

Development Links by Topics/Subject Area

Development Research Reporting Service (ID21)

Directory of Development Organizations

ECHO Humanitarian Aid Office

Eldis

Electronic Embassy

Enterprise Development Website (ENTERWeb)

European Human Rights Centre

Finland Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

French Agency for Development (Agence française de développement)

Frontline of Digital Development

Gender Resources

Geneva International Forum: Development

German Technical Cooperation (GTZ)

Global Development Gateway

Global Volunteer Network

Glossary of International Development Terms

Grameen Bank

Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA)

Information Systems for International Development

Institute of Development Studies

InterAction - Coalition of Relief, Development & Refugee Agencies

Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

International Agencies and Information on the Web

International Center for Research on Women

International Executive Service Corps (IESC)

International Food Policy Research Institute

International Institute for Sustainable Development

International Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs)

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

International Organization and NGO Web Sites

International Service Agencies

Islamic Development Bank

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

Journal of Humanitarian Assistance

Latin America Development Resources

Latin America Development Statistics

Least Developed Countries

Luxembourg Agency for Development Cooperation

Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders)

Millennium Development Goals (MDG)

Millennium Development Goals Indicators

New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID)

NGO Cafe

NGO and International Cooperation Resources

NGO Research Guide

NGO Worldline

Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD)

Official Sites of Foreign Governments

Oneworld.net - Guides, Topics and Regions

Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD)

Overseas Development Institute

Palestinian Refugee ResearchNet

Peace Corps

PovertyNet

PRAXIS: Resources for Social & Economic Development

Relief Web

Robinson Rojas Archive - Globalization, Poverty, Development, Sustainability

Saudi Fund for Development

Society for International Development (SID)

Sustainable Development Gateway

Swedish International Development Coorperation Agency (SIDA)

Swiss Alliance of Development Organizations (Alliance Sud)

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

U.S. State Department Background Notes

U.S. Trade and Development Agency

UK Department for International Development (DFID)

UNICEF

U.N. Pulse

U.N. Wire News Briefings

United Nations System

U.S. PVO Registry

Virtual Library on International Development

VSO Canada

Women in Development Network (WIDNET)

World Bank

World Bank Development Forum

World Bank Development Topics

World Bank Foreign Direct Investment (FDI.net)

World Health Organization

Yahoo! Global Development Organizations

The Mistery of Capital among Indigenous People

2010-07-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

The Mystery of Capital among the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon from ILD on Vimeo.

This documentary follows the well known thesis of economist Hernando de Soto that ordinary, mostly poor property owners and entrepreneurs remain marginalized as long as they are deprived of three legal institutions essential for the creation of wealth:

* Fungible property rights to maximize the economic use of assets.
* Organizational forms to increase the productivity of enterprises.
* Identity devices to allow entrepreneurs to operate in expanded markets.

The ILD provides technical assistance to help governments furnish their citizens with these fundamental legal tools to participate in both local and international markets.

Read more at http://www.ild.org.pe

Chiapanecan Women Struggle for Equality and Dignity

2010-05-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

While in Chiapas I became deeply aware of the notions of respect and dignity. The indigenous concept of "making one's soul arrive," meaning to learn the value of hard work, of being humble and respectful, while complementing one's spouse, and serving the community, resonated with me. (Eber, 10, 12). Ideally, this focus on respect would also lead to harmonious relationships that emphasize equality between the sexes. However, complex socio-political, legal, and economic dynamics have created a reality that is far from ideal.

In this reality, women in Chiapas suffer high rates of maternal death, and experience domestic violence at extremely high levels. The ongoing political violence adds to their suffering, as highlighted by the massacre in Acteal, Chenalho, on December 22, 1997, by members of the "Red Mask" paramilitary force. Of the 45 slain people, 18 were women, 5 of whom were pregnant, and 15 were children.

Indigenous women in Chiapas are incorporating gender into their analyses of oppression, and demanding that not only the state, but also their communities give them the right to preserve their identity, and their distinct cultural heritage, while simultaneously changing those aspects of the culture or traditions that oppresses or excludes them. (Eber, 16). This courageous stand for respect and self-determination has propelled women's leadership in Chiapas, and has the ability to transform communities, as evidenced in particular by women's participation and leadership within the Zapatista movement.

While visiting women-led cooperatives, meeting with experts, and by observing the positions women in communities that we visited, I was struck by what Paul Farmer refers to as "hopeful resistance in the face of struggles of biblical proportions." The women in Chiapas realize that they must work in a unified manner with the men in their communities against the economic and political forces that continue to subjugate, and pillage from them. Yet, before they get to this point, they must first demand respect and equality within their homes, and communities. Without this level of self-determination, they cannot fully participate in shaping the collective destinies of their communities.

It was exciting to observe this process, and all that has been achieved thus far, despite the historical context of multiple oppressions. Indigenous communities in Mexico and elsewhere, have a rich history of resistance, fuelled by their convictions, strong traditions, and culture, and as Christine Eber points out, because of the emphasis placed on "complementarity," in Chiapaneco cultures, women and men traditionally have fairly equal status.

Gender equality is a key component of sustainable development because the concepts of freedom, justice, and equitable power sharing are important not only for social development but for political and economic development as well. Collectivist, people-centered societies like the ones in Chiapas, with existing democratic ideas of power sharing, respect and dignity, have the ability to transform themselves.

Sources:

Amartya Sen, "Development as Freedom." Random House, 1999

Christine Eber, Indigenous Women's Power and Autonomy in San Pedro, Chenalho, Chiapas (1980-1998), Sage Publications, 1999

http://www.ddhhmujerchiapas.org

Posted by Neha Gill

INTERNATIONAL SERVICE LEARNING

2010-05-11T07:24:00.001-07:00

While visiting the Zapatista Caracol of Roberto Barrios in March 2004, DePaul University students learned something very important. As we were waiting for the security guards and the Junta de Buen Gobierno to receive us, we noticed how our letters of presentations were all well organized in a folder. While a few students were intimidated by their ski masks and initial diffidence, they were also very surprised of the friendly and honorific reception we receive at the end of our meeting. As masked man and women representatives of the Junta were expressing the growing poverty levels in their communities and the reasons of their Zapatista resistance, they asked us “not to leave them alone.” From their simple and clear words, students realized of their own international social responsibility in sharing what they have heard and observed in Chiapas. They realized that their best way to “help” the poor of Chiapas was to commit to a socially responsible personal and professional life as global citizens back in Chicago. They discovered something similar to what five century before Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas, the notorious defender of the “indios” and the first Bishop of Chiapas, realized: that to defend the rights of indigenous people in the New World, his main work was back in his motherland Spain (Casas & Varela, 1999). Fray Bartolomé stayed in Chiapas only about six months; our students only about ten days, but we all realize how political and economic decisions in the United States affect the life of indigenous people in Chiapas.

International service learning for adult and professional students must go beyond “doing something for the poor” and realize the social responsibility for investing knowledge for the common good. Realizing international social injustices, one of the learning goals of the SPS Chiapas Program, should orient participants to become conscious that reducing poverty can be achieved only through a comprehensive strategy for achieving financial sustainability, increasing organizational capacity and social development and promoting-monitoring good governance (Lustig and Deutsch, 1998). The Vincentian values of our higher education institutions invites us to focus on a fourth dimension in poverty reduction: the faith-based view that we a moral responsibility to end poverty, promote justice and respect human dignity. The example of Saint Vincent de Paul, who, in-spite his dedicated support to foreign missions, invested almost all his life in Paris and France, reminds us of the importance of “thinking globally and act locally.” And even more, the rapid and intense interconnections of our flattening word suggest that international and professional service learning programs should invite participants think and act glocally. Chicago is the hub for numerous NGOs working in solidarity with Chiapas. The successfulness of a program is measured also by alumni engagement in organizations and issues related to the socio-economic, political and identity struggle represented by Chiapas indigenous organizations in resistance. The SPS Chiapas Program alumni have created organizations such as ChiapanECHO and solidarity initiatives like the Another World is Possible Conference that express their learning on the importance of building relations of reciprocity and raising consciousness of global interdependency.

Often professionals join the School of Public Service with the primary objective of obtaining a Master degree and advancing their career. They often do not think that a program would actually make them change entirely their perspectives on the meaning of learning (Cross, 1981). The Chiapas experience makes them rethink the opportunities and responsibilities that come with their education, expertise and leadership as professionals. They rediscover the importance of applying theory and analyzing reality of socially complex context and organizations for the goal of making this world a better place (Usher, Bryant & Johnston, 1997). The personal and professional leadership examples like Marina Patricia Jimenez and several other indigenous, Mexican and international leaders, makes them realize that a life entirely dedicated to the cause of the poor is not only an alternative lifestyle, it can also become their professional career as well.

TEACHING AND LEARNING IN CHIAPAS

2010-05-11T07:12:00.000-07:00

The Chiapas exposure challenges students to not make assumptions about the current system while at the same time inviting them to think anew. Rather than only exposing students to alternative ideologies such as those expressed by the utopian realities of Zapatista autonomous community and NGOs clearly motivated by their Zapatista agenda, the preparation readings, program orientations, visit of organizations and activities during the immersion week in Chiapas are carefully designed to demonstrate the complexity of problems but also the variety of possible solutions. Since March 2004, the first year of the SPS Chiapas Program, alumni and coordinators have recognized eight elements that make this program a “best practice” in professional and adult service learning.

1. Chiapas Coordinators: A local coordinator, in dialogue with the instructor, does the coordination and adaptation of the program itinerary, selected organizations and other adjustments. Through this, the “service” emphasis of the program and its relevance for the current context of the Chiapas process is guaranteed. The coordinator, Marina Patricia, does more than “coordinating”. She is actually an invaluable presence for her expertise and personal commitment to the work with indigenous people. Her leadership and knowledge blend with the role of the director and instructor of the program, Marco Tavanti, who has been conducting collaborative research projects and leading delegations to Chiapas since 1997.
2. Global Learning: Chiapas is a unique place for the study of globalization from above (free trade agreements and development programs such as NAFTA, FTAA, CAFTA, PPP) and globalization from below (Zapatista movement, Mexican and international NGOs, indigenous civil society). In addition, as the southernmost state of Mexico bordering Guatemala, Chiapas also provides an excellent context for understanding border issues, cultural diversity and indigenous rights. As the poorest state in Mexico, Chiapas appeals to DePaul University to continue developing a transformative educational presence in this state. Every year, about four students decide to go back to Chiapas to work as volunteers and interns in local NGOs. Other initiatives organized by the students include inviting a delegation of indigenous women and leaders in the United States for speaking tours and presentations in academic conferences.

3. International Service Learning: Due to the professional engagement of the instructor and coordinator, the SPS Chiapas program is all but “cross-cultural tourism.” Students get to know organization and encounter situations that they would not be able without the trust and connections of the instructor and coordinator. They acknowledge the privilege of participating in such a unique experience and they reflect and act on their social and professional responsibility to make a difference and to return some of what they received. Instead of “doing something for them,” students are required to invest their energies in what is more useful to the process of Chiapas: listening, observing, learning and then action once they go back into the United States.

4. Facing Poverty and Suffering: Although every participant comes to the program with their own unique background and sensitivity to people in poverty, the Chiapas program challenge students to actually see, meet and, even for a short time, experience poverty first-hand. In the 2006 program students spend a night in precarious conditions of two internal displacement camps in the Highlands region. In addition, hearing the testimony of survivors of the December 22, 1997 Acteal massacre deeply impacts our students. The emotional intensity of these testimonies did not preclude students from recognizing the courage of indigenous people belonging to the Civil Society Las Abejas.

5. Beyond Borders: Latino and Chicano students in particular, recognize how the struggle for the recognition and rights of indigenous communities in Chiapas is not so different from the struggle of Latino immigrants in the United States. The program helps participants go beyond Cancun and stereotypes of Mexicans; rather, it helps them recognize the ethnic diversity and indigenous dignity of Mexicans and Central America. In addition, immigration is viewed not only as a pull factor to the American dream, but as a push factor for economic instability, lack of opportunities, violence and discrimination, particularly visible in the Southern border of Mexico.

6. Ngo Visits And Panels: The program offers students the opportunity to visit several NGOs in their work places. It also promotes dialogue among NGOs, who were, until recently, more focused and isolated in their own projects. It also fosters professional dialogue between Chiapas NGO leaders and our NGO/Nonprofit professional students. Through these panels, the SPS Chiapas Program encourages Chiapas-based NGO representatives to listen to each other experiences, sharing best practices and foster more inter-organizational collaborations. What distinguishes this program from other Chiapas delegations is that Chiapas NGO professionals get to engage in a dialogue with our students, professional managers in nonprofit organizations in the United States and other countries.

7. Organizational Missions: The Program benefits from the support of the Vincentian mission of DePaul University. Because of its Vincentian and Catholic dimensions, the University is support the program in its academic quality and self-sustainability. It encourages the relation with the San Cristobal de Las Casas Diocese and with other religious based organizations working in line with the evangelical and Vincentian option of the poor. In addition to the historically affirmed presence of Jesuits and Dominicans in Chiapas, the connection with the Vincentian family is represented by the work of the Daughters of Charity with their San Carlos Hospital in Ocosingo, in the Lacandon Forest of Chiapas. Their service to the indigenous poor, also members or sympathizers of the EZLN made them a target in the counterinsurgency operations following the 1994 uprising.

8. Institutional Relations: The program has established good collaborations with academic institutions. This generated the organization of an annual conference that includes the participation of university scholars and administrators that would be otherwise insolated and in competition. During the 2007 conference on development at the Universidad de la Tierra, about 200 participants received a certificate from DePaul University. The partnerships and collaborative relations are purposely maintained with very diverse institutions that reflects diverse political perspectives. The ultimate objective in promoting institutional relations is to highlight the values of participating institutions while promoting programs and initiatives empowering local, indigenous and impoverished communities of Chiapas.

9. Holistic Education: Contrary to other programs in Chiapas, our academic program offers students the opportunity to taste the complexity of Chiapas. Rather than looking at one side, the program attempts to offer an education to the complex interception between sectors, political positions and organizational constituencies across conflicting sides. This best practice could not be possible without the active collaboration of students in their preparatory readings.
10. Unique Experience: Even though the experience of previous participants is incorporated into the program, each year the trips to Chiapas have unique features and experiences. In addition to the improvements made in logistics and the learning experiences, each program is purposely designed to have something different that can make alumni of the program foster collaborative group dynamics based on the sharing of unique experiences as opposed to seniority. Yearly experiences, organizations, and itinerary require more work from the part of the coordinators, but it has the advantage of keeping up with the constantly changing organizational landscapes of Chiapas.

Why is Fair Trade Important?

2010-05-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

By Rose M. Boras

I recently discovered that most soccer balls are made in India or Pakistan with child labor. Even when adults are involved in production, they are rarely paid a decent living wage. Fair Trade Sports was created in Seattle, Washington to reconcile this complex issue. The non-profit ensures that all of their sports balls are made by adults paid under Fair Trade certified wages and healthy working conditions.

Now you are probably wondering what sports balls have to do with Chiapas. And I would say everything. Most consumers are unaware of where and how the goods they purchase are created - from soccer balls to coffee. Everyday millions of Americans get their morning caffeine fix at home from Folger’s or on their way to work at Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts. While Fair Trade awareness among coffee consumers doubled from 12% in 2004 to 27% in 2007, these numbers are still too small(Taylor). Also, they only refer to awareness, not a conscious decision to purchase Fair Trade coffee all the time.

So then, why is Fair Trade important? Isn’t capitalism working? In his opus,Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith (2004) refers to the invisible hand that naturally guides a society through self-interest. In other words, if I have something to sell and you have the means to buy it, we should reach an equitable agreement. Therefore, if green coffee is being sold on the stock exchange at a dollar a pound,coffee farmers are able to pay for their production costs and earn a small income. How is it then that millions of farmers worldwide receive less than fifty cents a pound for their coffee beans after the middlemen take their cut? This seems to be in no one’s self interest.

According to Amartya Sen (1999), the reason this poverty continues to exist is because “there are unequal advantages in converting income into capabilities.” In other words, prevailing market prices for the goods produced in developing countries are too low for farmers to reap a living wage reflecting their dignity. Hence, the reason, organizations such as Fair Trade Labeling (FLO), Transfair and coffee co-coperatives such as Maya Vinic and Union Majomut are so vital to the economic lifeblood of coffee farmers. These organizations take on the responsibility of buying coffee at super competitive prices in order to alleviate poverty.

My trip to Chiapas was full of excitement because of my own coffee background. I was thrilled at the prospect of visiting coffee co-operatives and learning how they were practicing sustainability and surviving the global market. We first visited Maya Vinic where we learned about the coffee production process,basically turning green beans into the coffee beans we love to drink. At UnionMajomut, we were given an insiders’ perspective into running a co-operative. Union Majomut believes their most important struggle is for land and coffee production. They feel it is their duty to empower the indigenous coffee farmers by helping them grow quality beans and providing micro credit. They also keep profits out of the hands of middlemen or coyotes.

Interestingly enough, both Maya Vinic and Union Majomut complained about the cost of maintaining a Fair Trade label. FLO comes out yearly for 2 or 3 days to certify the co-operatives. The cost to both is $35,000 Mexican dollars or 2,300 Euro annually. However Fair Trade is still the best answer to balancing the volatile global coffee market. It is also less confusing to consumers. Many coffee retailers, large (Starbucks) and small (Intelligentsia) have converted to direct trade. Thereby, eliminating Fair Trade as the middleman and claiming they would rather the $3,000 branding fee go toward the coffee farmers. However, stressed out consumers do not have the time or inclination to review every single coffee retailer to see whether they are paying a fair wage to farmers. Since, most corporate contracts are proprietary, consumers have to take the word of coffee retailers. Fair Trade, by its very nature is not only fair, but transparent. And that is why Fair Trade is important to consumers and coffee farmers.

References

Fair Trade Sports. http://fairtradesports.com/

Sen, Amartya. 1999. Development as Freedom. New York: Anchor Books.

Smith, Adam. 2004. The Wealth of Nations. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Taylor, David A. 2007. “Certified Coffee: Does the Premium Pay Off?” Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 115, No.9: 456-459.

Transfair USA. http://transfairusa.org

Union Majomut. http://www.majomut.org/

Chiapas: Complicado y Frustrado

2010-04-25T22:17:00.000-07:00

When asked the question of what I learned about sustainable development during my stay in Chiapas, it led me to become completely confused and angered. So many responses come to mind, the concept itself is complicated, and typecasts images of bottom of the pyramid poverty. Below are some rants and ravings on my stay in Chiapas.

Sustainable Development, as described by the United Nation’s Brundtland Report is "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs[1]." This description creates more frustration than clarity because it is so vague. If I were to tell someone that they should live by what they need, so that their grandchildren will be able to live by their needs, I would get a few blank stares and calls to clarify. As Castro also finds, scholars cannot agree on the perfect definition.[2]

Now back to Chiapas, I feel that sustainable development was/is there in the concept of culture and identity. The Zapatista Rebellions of1994, brought international attention, and with it came international tourism. Tourists come from all over the world to see the Modern Mayas, the ancient Mayan ruins, consume the best coffee in the world, and see how the indigenous communities live. This led to many foreigners staying and bringing their version of community into San Cristobal. In one block, you can have Lebanese falafels, Argentine steak, or if you miss American fast food, then have a Whopper from Burger King. But the gentrification has created tension. There is graffiti that states “Putos Hippies” and “Los terroristas son los turistas.” San Cristobal becomes two very different cities; one that is still colonial and you can get great coffee, while looking at local art, and one where the Tzotzil people hold mid-night market to sell their produce.

Upon arrival to San Cristobal de Las Casas, you see bright colors and gorgeous patterns abound, from the Tzotzil women selling their shawls, scarves, and Zapatista woolen dolls. Of course, you feel obliged to buy, and the products that they are selling just draw you in. I personally bought three shawls, a Zapatista doll, a woolen monkey, and the warmest purple pullover. The introduction of the Maya culture via textiles brings income to these women, but it also creates a new obstacle. While selling the shawls, income is being brought to the indigenous textile; it also creates a frozen state on development. What I mean to say is that in my time in Chiapas, there are only so many varieties in patterned scarves that a community can sell. The shawls bring income, they preserve culture, and they bring development, for example the women in Kinal Ansetik are taught how to weave and how to become independent, but these shawls do not bring further development. They are just a starting point for development.

Sustainable development in Chiapas has multiple obstacles: gentrification, tourism, and the largest obstacle, the Molotov Chiapaneco. The Molotov Chiapaneco consists of poverty, corrupt government, and narco-trafficking mafias, this cocktail is the hardest obstacle for development in Chiapas. It is one of the reasons that I am frustrated because there is so little that I can do to stop narco-trafficking, there is nothing I can do to stop corrupt government, just look at what happened in Arizona, but I can help in someway alleviate poverty. This leads me to more frustration because I do not know how I can help to do so. Therefore my final thought, is that I want to help, I just need assistance to find my calling to do so, I want to start hosing down the damage caused by the Molotov Chiapaneco.

[1] Castro, Carlos J. “Sustainable Development: Mainstream and Critical Perspectives.” Organization & Environment. Jun 2004 p. 195-225

[2] Ibid.

Please feel free to comment, i would love an open discussion.

A World in Which Many Worlds Fit

2010-04-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

A familiar slogan used by the Zapatisa communites and their supporters is “Un mundo en que quepan muchos mundos” (A world in which many worlds fit). The slogan adorns the top of a brightly colored poster with images of people hand in hand, accepting and celebrating their diversity. Aside from the call for universal peace and harmony, I believe this slogan also serves as the foundation for a Zapatista (and overall indigenous) critique of the western development perspective and where it’s leading us. As Gustavo Castro Soto, the representative from a Mexican civil society organization called Otros Mundos Chiapas, told us “if every country on earth reached the lifestyle and consumption level of the US it would take 6 planets worth of resources to meet the need.” In other words, the development of the west (US, western Europe, Japan etc.) has created a world in which not even one earth can fit! This is the antithesis of sustainable. If the world continues to hold the paradigm of development as aspiring to be at the level of the west where will this lead us.

As pointed out in John Bamba’s article Indigenous Peoples: Development with Culture and Identity, true sustainable development embraces the indigenous perspective of a relationship with the earth over the western perspective. The manipulation and domination of nature present in the western monoculture production, commercialization and privatization practices run counter to traditional indigenous views, which see the earth as an extension of humanity. While in Chiapas we learned that the Mayan cross was originally the symbol for a sacred tree, rooted in the ground of “Mother Earth,” representing humanity’s familial relationship with her. From this perspective, land, air and sea are not “assets” to be exploited, but family to be cared for and deeply respected.

One of the many lessons I learned through the Chiapas experience is the importance of understanding the differences of development perspectives and how to communicate them to others. If we in the west wish to show solidarity with the oppressed of the world, such as the indigenous peoples of Chiapas, we must start to integrate new ideas in our economic theories and shift our policies of domination towards cooperation. Sustainability has become a big buzzword for international developers, but how do we implement these practices? Not by idealizing indigenous cultures, there are oppressive systems at work there too (just ask members of Ki’nal Ansetik), but taking the spiritual/emotional wisdom of how to relate to the earth as an extension of humanity should help inform sustainable development efforts.

A reoccurring theme from discussion sessions in Chiapas is framing sustainable development as a human rights issue. No environmental, economic or political situation is sustainable if human beings’ basic rights to exist and subsist off of their own land are violated. Organized resistance to unjust economic systems can slowly help restore the integrity of the land and dignity of the people in some areas, but our job, as beneficiaries of economic dominance, is to help change the system from within. A human rights approach may prove useful for starting a dialogue on how sustainability is interwoven with systemic change.¹ I purchased a few copies of this poster along with many other Zapatista items at their community store in Oventik. Yes, even in the Zapatista communities my capitalist consumer habits were taken advantage of, but this time is was to support the struggle against injustice, so it’s ok right?² Ki’nal Ansetik is one of the most impressive organizations we visited in Chiapas. Most of their work revolves around empowering indigenous women. One of their main strategies is allowing young women to live in community at their center while they finish their high school or college educations with the goal of going back to their communities.³ For example the neo-liberal policies of NAFTA which benefit the already dominant economic powers at the expense of the “underdeveloped.”

By Dan Pasquini

From Colorful to Black and White

2010-04-24T23:32:00.000-07:00

The first impression received when arriving in a new place is the airport. Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital of Chiapas, has a white, beautiful and modern airport. The second impression is the people. Talking and observing the Chipanecos you can find, right the way, the amazing culture they have, warm and cordial, make you feel in home. I took a cab to San Cristobal de las Casas, located one hour to the south of Tuxtla Gutierrez, and the view from the ride is gorgeous. Mountains, waterfalls and a beautiful valley with a blue river is the welcoming crew. San Cristobal de las Casas is a beautiful town with colonial architecture that is becoming more touristic in the past years. The natural resources, the diversity of the people, culture and food make this town an excellent vacation destination. However, this beautiful scene changed from colorful to black and white once I started looking through the eyes of the Chiapenecos.

Chiapas needs to be seen by its own reality of oppression that came from years of isolation and poverty. The southern most state in Mexico, about one quarter of its population are of Mayan descendant. Chiapas a poor state with rich natural resources, in other words a rich land with poor people. The population has grown enormously, from one million in 1940 to two million in 1980 to four million in 2005. Ironically it has one of the highest gross birthrates at 22%,but also takes the first place in child mortality at 25%. The economy is based in agriculture and minerals. They produce 13% of country's maize, 54% of its hydroelectric, power, 5% of the nation's timber, 4% of its beans, 13% of its gas, and 4% of its oil, Despite its richness of natural resources, Chiapas is an economically underdeveloped state. Highest rate of unemployment, below average literacy, and a high infant mortality rate. Only 11 percent of adults earn what the government calls moderate income of at least $3,450 per year (versus 24 percent nationally); less than 50 percent of households have running water (versus 67% nationally); and only 14 percent have (versus 45% nationally). It seems that Chiapas has become, over the years, the trash yard of Mexico. Amazingly, the region is making it’s own attempt at overcoming the corruption of the government and its own oppression. Starting, in 1994, the same year that NAFTA was signed, an uprising led by the Zapatista movement reminded the world that indigenous people are still struggling for their rights-even 500 years after the Spain conquest. Today, the struggle for indigenous autonomy and to create peaceful communities free from poverty and oppression continues.

The indigenous communities have create different sustainable projects, with the help of the international community, that is aiding in the development of economic, social and cultural autonomy. The international community is playing a huge role in training and maintaining these communities. There is still a lot to accomplish, for example in education, health issues, poverty, land rights.But the one most disturbing is the violence that this people are exposed to, just because they are human beings that want to fight for the right to live a descent life in the land that belongs to them. It was very shocking to see how many of them have been victims of violence and massacres.

Even worse, the paramilitary groups who supported by the government and who are the authors of these crimes, were recently released from jail and set free of charges. Although, the people from this small part of the world, keep struggling for their rights, the beauty of their transparent hearts brings a hope that one day “Father God and Mother God” will do justice in this land that once were forgotten but now is in the interests of many for the natural resources.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/chiapas/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiapas#Major_communities

http://www.blythe.org/nytransfer-subs/99ca/In_a_Mexican_War_Zone,_Indians_Fight_to_Harvest_Organic_Coffee_

The Past and the Future of Chiapas

2010-04-23T15:13:00.000-07:00

When you arrive in San Cristobal de Las Casas you are immediately greeted by a picturesque colonial town full of architectural beauty, commerce, and history. You are also immediately greeted by an obvious disparity of wealth. There is great wealth visible in Chiapas, as well as great poverty. The colonial facades of San Cristobal speak of both the past and the future of the region. The grandiose architecture in San Cristobal reminds you of the colonial significance of the city. It also reminds you of how that importance was achieved thanks to the blood and sweet of a population that still remains. Mexico is a country that embraces their colonial past by conserving what the Mestizo majority considers appropriate traditions, and denying those that are considered other. Having Mexican parents, I know too well that most Mexicans tend to think of indigenous peoples as a part of the past; relics that must be remembered as such rather than a population that has contributed significantly to modern Mexico. This attitude has lead to a dangerous indifference and denial of Indigenous peoples in Mexico.

The awareness of how environmental, economic, gender, religion, and political issues affect everyday life in Chiapas is essential to addressing the root causes of the economic poverty my colleagues and I witnessed a few weeks ago in Chiapas. Aid alone will not alleviate problems in Chiapas. The problem is not just the economic poverty that is visible to all those who visit Chiapas. Instead, poverty is a terrible symptom of greater issues. There are rights and freedoms that are being denied to the indigenous Chiapanecos in the name of development. Education is denied, land is denied, cultural freedom is denied, and even the right to worship is denied. Denial of these rights is at the center of economic poverty and the rebellion that occurred in Chiapas January 1st 1994.

Still, all is not lost in Chiapas. I saw many signs of hope and optimism for the future. In fact, these are the most memorable images of Chiapas in mind. Organizations and communities are creating new models of development based on different metrics of success. Amartya Sen reminds us that income deficiency is often connected to a deficiency of capabilities. In fact, it is only when people have substantive freedoms that they are on a path toward true development. This is a point I found particularly significant while in Chiapas because it was repeated by all organizations in one way or another. The organizations and communities we met, especially the EZLN community, mentioned rights and dignity as necessary elements for development.

Organizations like the women’s cooperative K’inal Anzetik are working toward the empowerment of women by creating new job and educational opportunities for them. Melel Xojoban is another organization planting the seeds of progress and empowerment for the future. Melel Xojoban is a human rights organization that focuses on indigenous children’s rights and participation. Both organizations are providing the tools and support for the indigenous people of Chiapas to define their own futures. Knowledge is something that no government, multinational corporation, or paramilitary can take from a person.

For more information:

Melel Xojobal
http://melelxojobal.org.mx/

K'inal Antzetik
http://kinal.laneta.apc.org/maskinal.htm

Sen, Amartya. Development as Freedom. New York, 2000. 14

The Struggle: A Personal Reflection of the Chiapas Experience

2010-04-23T10:45:00.001-07:00

I have learned one key concept from Amartya Sen when he recently spoke at the Ritz in Chicago, he said, “we need someone to force us to think about issues.” What a simple concept to consider, yet so true and straight to the point. How often do we get consumed within our own lives and forget about others?

When I think of Sen’s comment, it takes me back to Chiapas. I think of sustainable development and our own purpose within the concept. What did we gain from this trip? The influence of our own society is taking its toll on the traditional culture, or even just changing it to cater to the new “revised” culture. The overwhelming influence of Coca-Cola in Chamula (as well as the State in general) represents more than just “pop” culture (no pun intended); it represents an international phenomenon so deeply woven into the indigenous culture that it has become a way of life most of us can not compare to. The use of Cola-Cola (and the bottles themselves) for everyday drinking, for weddings, for religious ceremonies, for medicinal purposes, and to venerate the dead, has led to a society that has become dependent on it but now is it finally seeing the adverse health affects of not drinking water (www.ciepac.org).

Did it take a few thousand empty bottles carefully placed on graves for me to “think about the issues?” It creates a sadness inside my heart. How can this feeling be changed?

My experience in Chiapas is one that I struggle with. While learning a lot about sustainable development in many different ways, I had positive experiences throughout the trip, but I struggled, and continue to struggle internally with my perspective on what is going on there. I don’t know how to make it right, and maybe I never will. Maybe another trip is necessary to help solve the confusion I feel after spending time in communities that make little progress in their struggle, visiting cooperatives where women learn to carry on traditions of the past while integrating the future into their weave of life, listening to the stories of a tamale seller at 630Am in the town square, and seeing children, who walk from hours away, go to school to learn without a single book to look at.

As outsiders, how can we help be a part of the change? Can we help them sustain their indigenous culture and integrated lifestyles by supporting those students that are not supported by their own government? A government that supports internationalism to the extreme, yet within these communities is unwilling to help their own future (children) be educated. Instead they knowingly (or not) contribute to the failure of their own future generations.

Can we support a library in these communities that will encourage them to be educated in the basic knowledge that will help them to lead superior lives, supporting their fight for the right to have a voice. Voices that understand the history of their own past, present, and future so that they will either have a voice in their future, or will be left behind to suffer as they continue to be denied their human right to a better life. Can we make a difference without being one of those “international” groups just wanting to help the poor voiceless people?

Now that we are back, we need to rethink what we’ve learned, and decide what we really want to get out of the trip. I want to say that we did something that makes a difference in the life of at least one person in Chiapas. Amartya Sen says it best, “ We, women and men must take responsibility for doing things or not doing them. It makes a difference, and we have to take note of that difference. This elementary acknowledgement, through simple enough in principle, can be exacting in its implications, both for social analysis and for practical reason and action” (Sen 1999, 190).

Who or what does it take for you to think and become active about the issues we are learning about? A teacher, volunteering, seeing homeless people sleep on the sidewalk, or a trip a few thousand miles away to see a disadvantaged community? For me, it was empty Coca-cola bottles on a grave. It was seeing “the future” wrapped in a shawl on a woman’s back, it was seeing hundreds of children lined up, sweating in the sun as some gringos exchange curious glances with them. Which would you rather do, use our degrees and get to work, or forget about it now and go back to our everyday lives of being “better off.” Choose wisely, because: 1. Children are the future, and 2. Someone might be listening to you as you talk about the issues.

http://www.ciepac.org/boletines/chiapas_en.php?id=437

By Elizabeth Hall

Self-Determined Development and Fair Trade in Chiapas

2010-04-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

Zinacatan: The Land of Bats

When we arrived in Zinacatan, we were met by several Tzotzil women whose small informal business it is to invite tourists to their homes for lunch. We split up in groups of five, and when we arrived at our host’s home, there were huipiles and skirts and other back-strap loom weavings displayed for sale. We sat by the wood fire in their kitchen and ate tortillas with crumbled cheese and egg, and spicy ground roasted pumpkin seed.

We asked the women about their work as weavers and the wages they received. After a cursory calculation, we concluded that they were making approximately $0.15/hour for their labor. This included the material costs of thread, which we were told have doubled in the past two years making their earnings even less. Having worked in the fair trade business with weavers in Guatemala, and from the quantity and diversity of their work, I would venture to say that some of the weavings were also purchased from other women in the community. If that is the case, it would mean even lower wages for the women they purchase from. We asked about the competition in town our host explained with frustration that one family in the community had more or less cornered the tourist market. When large tour busses arrive, tour guides receive a commission for bringing tourists to this family’s home.

The urgency and competition of textile sales is not unique to Zinacatan. I sometimes wonder in this age of mass-produced textile production, with designs mimicking the work of weavers and textile artisans around the world, how their work can be valued fairly for the art and tradition that they represent. I also question if the concept of fair trade is on the radar of many of these women, especially since fair trade is still a predominately northern concept of U.S., Canadian, and European buyers and the relatively small number of “southern producer groups” partnering with them. Many Maya women weave because they can work from home and it is a skill they have mastered and a way for them to earn additional income to contribute to the family economy but what other options exist for the future?

Jolom Mayaenik: Fair Trade Weaving Cooperative:

When we visited Kinal Azentik we learned about the fair trade women’s weaving cooperative Jolom Mayaenik. Their high quality and unique weavings are produced primarily for export and the prices were clearly more than you would find in the market or in Zinacatan. In fact, in doing another rough calculation we determined that the women were making approximately $1/hour. During our lunch, I sat next to Kinal Azentik’s Program Director, Ricardo Iglesias and asked him more about the weaving cooperative. I was impressed by the focus on collective ownership, self-determined development, relationship building, emphasis on political awareness, workshops focusing on themes of indigenous and women’s rights and perspectives, and business capacity building workshops. Jolom Mayaetik incorporates a holistic vision of personal and collective development founded on an indigenous and gender perspective. This struck me as an organization poised for sustainable success because of their focus on continuously challenging their individual and collective potential, their unique and competitive product mix, their network with well established fair trade buyers, and their self-determined leadership model. It is easy, however, to romanticize about an organization like Jolom and in our readings we are reminded that, “the economic profitability of cooperative work has been minimal. The crafts do not make the women who produce them rich, but they do give them the possibility of a certain sense of economic independence, for example, of being able to contribute something to their household.”[1] Aside from being able to earn their own income the non-financial benefits of being a member of Jolom are many. The emphasis on capacity building and leadership training can only lead to more freedom and opportunities within the fair trade marketplace, or in other business ventures, and is promising in building better futures for themselves and their families. Jolom has a “Training Center for Indigenous Women, a physical, social, political, and cultural space where they can reproduce what they have learned, and train themselves in new areas, as well as make new openings for the younger generations that are experiencing important changes in their communities.”[2]

With all of the positive aspects of Jolom, I personally still question how economically sustainable initiatives are that depends primarily on foreign purchases in order to exist. What alternative locally-based economic development opportunities exist for these women?

However, more than the financial benefit, they are finding new spaces where their voices can be heard. I think that Amartya Sen puts it nicely in his book Development as Freedom: “Development has to be more concerned with enhancing the lives we lead and the freedoms we enjoy. Expanding the freedoms that we have reason to value not only makes our lives richer and more unfettered, but also allows us to be fuller social persons, exercising our own volitions and interacting with – and influencing – the world in which we live.”[3]

_______________________
[1] Castro Apreza, Yolanda. Women of Chiapas. J’pas Joloviletik-Jolom Mayaetik, K’inal Antzetik, An Organizational Experience of Indigenous and Mestiza Women. 216

[2] Castro Apreza, Yolanda. Women of Chiapas. J’pas Joloviletik-Jolom Mayaetik, K’inal Antzetik, An Organizational Experience of Indigenous and Mestiza Women. 214

[3] Sen, Amartya. Development as Freedom. New York, 2000. 14

Indigenous Women’s Identity in the Marketplace

2010-04-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

Within the first day of my stay in San Cristobal de las Casas I was drawn to the number of indigenous women selling items from common trinkets to unique weavings along the streets or in the square or marketplace. They seemed to be on every street we ventured down. As soon as they would see us, they would gather up their items and come, with open arms to offer their products for sale. At first, this seemed slightly annoying, but throughout the week, their persistence made me take particular notice of them. What surprised me most was how every woman seemed to be selling the exact same items. I wondered to myself why individuals did not diversify or specialize to create a unique market niche within a highly touristic town?
As we continued to study various indigenous groups in the area, especially the role of women, I realized the answer to my question had far less to do with the individual than with the community. Visiting various women’s cooperatives, we could see how important weaving is to shaping identity for indigenous women. It is a skill that strengthens family bonds as mothers teach their daughters and is a skill that revolves around the home. Weaving is a part of daily activities and household chores for women formally involved in cooperatives like Jolom Mayaetik and Kinal Antsetic. As Greenfield, Maynard and Childs also documented in their article about indigenous culture and learning, weaving is connected to identity in that which tribe a woman belongs to also influences what she weaves as different groups have different traditional patterns and colors. What they make is completely wrapped up in who they are. Therefore, it is only natural that they all sell similar products as it is so ingrained within their communal identity.

In addition to the same products in the market and along the streets, I was also struck at how many women were selling items. However, there presence is evidence of their social progress after the 1994 Zapatista uprising. According to Collier and Quaratiello, and as explained on our walking tour, the culture is more tolerant to an increased indigenous presence since the uprising. This is most likely due to the indigenous community taking a stand and the international interest and subsequent tourism that followed. There was also a financial incentive for the rest of Chiapan society to tolerate the growing indigenous presence from the new interest in Chiapas. So while it seems like there is significant competition among indigenous women to sell their products, their increased attendance in the market and along the streets is a sign of development. There is still discrimination, but this shows how their community activism is taking steps toward social justice, which is a significant step for sustainable development.
Even though at first glance indigenous women selling in the market may seem like a poor thought-out economic strategy, it really goes deeper than just a means to making a living. It is a strong reminder that different cultural nuances and practices have layers and reasons to why they exist. A woman’s identity in her products and the political undertones to the number of vendors are only two components to the indigenous market vendors in San Cristobal, and the indigenous women’s role is just one aspect of Chiapan culture that we were able to glimpse during the trip.

Sources and Further Reading

Collier, George A., and Elizabeth Lowery Quaratiello. 1999. Chiapas and Mexico. Pp. 15-36 (Chap. 1) in Basta!: Land and the Zapatista Rebellion in Chiapas. Oakland, CA: Food First Books.

Greenfield, Patricia, Ashley E. Maynard, and Carla P. Childs. 2000. History, Culture, Learning, and Development. Cross-Cultural Research 34 (4): 351-374.

Jolom Mayaetik website http://www.jolom-mayaetik.org/

Kinal Antsetic website http://kinal.laneta.apc.org/kinal.htm

By Jamelyn Lederhouse

Bioprospecting & Indigenous Identity in Chiapas

2010-04-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

Concepts of identity are difficult to convey to an outsider. Words are often not enough. Sometimes it takes an image to communicate the complexities of the self or the group. It was a painted mural that changed my understanding of the identity of the indigenous Mayan communities of Chiapas. Prior to visiting the region, I had read that many of the communities were dependent upon corn for their survival. It did not occur to me how much meaning a crop could hold for a community until I visited Caracol de Oventic, an autonomous Zapatista community in the cloud-covered mountains of Chiapas. There I saw many murals in which the Zapatistas were represented by their most important crop –corn . In image after image, powerful messages were being communicated about this self-sustaining, resistant community.

This idea was at first startling to me. The idea that a plant could represent a person or people was very foreign to me. But as I thought further about this concept, I realized how rational it was to associate your identity with your primary source of energy. The murals of Caracol de Oventic revealed that for the Zapatistas, corn had many complex meanings. Their art revealed ideas of solidarity, self-reliance, power, and the importance of anonymity.

The more I embraced this concept of identity, the better I understood the emotional backlash to bioprospecting in Chiapas. In 1999, eleven indigenous community organizations, known as Consejo Estatal de Parteras y M dicos Ind genas Tradicionales de Chiapas (Council of Indigenous Traditional Midwives and Healers of Chiapas), came together to oppose a $2.5 million dollar bioprospecting program initiated by the University of Georgia. The scope of the program was to collect and analyze thousands of medicinal plants from Mayan communities over a period of five years. The primary purpose of the bioprospecting was to isolate compounds from medicinal plants that could be developed for private use by pharmaceutical companies. The method for identifying which of the 6,000 plus plants growing in the region had medicinal purpose, and for which ailments, was entirely dependent on the existing body of Mayan knowledge and the communities’ healers willingness to share it.

The University of Georgia attempted to develop a comprehensive botanical survey of the Central Chiapas Highland in an effort to identify which plants had the greatest potential for generating profit for the university’s commercial partner, Molecular Nature, Ltd., based in the United Kingdom. In response to this project, many local organizations began leveraging the claim that their knowledge and resources were being stolen. The Council called into question the ethical standards of the researchers, who had not received prior consent from local communities before they began collecting hundreds of samples from the mountainside. They also attacked the project’s organizers for trying to skirt the issue of obtaining consent from the indigenous Mayan communities by developing a non-profit organization called PROMAYA (Protection of Mayan Intellectual Property Rights) to advance their political agenda. University of Georgia and Molecular Nature, Inc. essentially created their own civil society organization, PROMAYA, for the sole purpose of obtaining bioprospecting rights from this supposedly indigenous, Mayan organization. After two years of a heavy resistance and intense lobbying of the Mexican and US governments to recognize indigenous communities rights to their own knowledge and resources, the Council was successful. The University of Georgia project was terminated in 2001.

Bioprospecting projects often seek to gain prior consent from communities by offering limited benefits-sharing programs for any plant or organization that produces profit. In the case of Chiapas, the benefits-sharing contracts offered were so miniscule that they only averaged 0.3 to 0.5% of the total profit. Moreover, once a pharmaceutical company isolates a chemical compound from a plant specimen they are able to patent the compound under US Patent Laws. Ironically, only private, for-profit entities are able to able to seek patents for compounds. An indigenous tribe or community, according to patent law, has no legal right to its own local resources.

Understanding the indigenous communities’ connection to the plants that sustain them has caused me to become highly critical of bioprospecting. One of the strongest challenges that the Council made against bioprospecting in Chiapas was that organisms cannot and should not be taken from communities, where they are freely shared, for the purpose of limiting access to only those who are willing and able to pay. Seen from their perspective, I am able to recognize how brutal and alien American culture must seem to communities for whom hunger and disease are a very real aspect of daily life.

As I look at the murals from Caracol de Oventic, I cannot help but think that the smiling faces in the corn share a secret that we in the global north are unwilling to acknowledge. We may come from highly developed nations, but we are no less dependent on the earth and one another for our own survival. Our identities are entwined through the world we inhabit and the resources it provides.

References and Further Reading

“Biopiracy, Bioprospecting, and Resistance: Four Cases in Mexico” by Andres Barreda

The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan Random House, New York 2001

Etc Group websites:

http://www.etcgroup.org/en/node/348

http://www.etcgroup.org/en/node/232

Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) website http://www.rag.org.au/baa/biopiracy.htm

Chiapas and a Struggle for Recognition

2010-04-22T23:18:00.001-07:00

Chiapas is a place where one gets the opportunity to further analyze words such as justice, liberty, equality, and dignity. Outsiders like me are also given the chance to explore the different meanings development and underdevelopment. These terms have no meaning if one does not place man at the center of our complex society. In the case of Chiapas, Indigenous Peoples are at the center of a world that has marginalized, oppressed, and exploited their place and relationship with the Earth. How to progress? How to create an environment that respects people of all nations?

Development is a kaleidoscope with many shapes, colors, and dimensions. At the social level, groups that are able to create peaceful relationships internally and externally are said to be progressing. Also, developed are those that have the capability to safeguard their independent position and live harmoniously. Populations are considered to be economically progressive when its members are able to effectively interact with the environment. Development ideas like these have prevailed since the Spanish first set foot in Mexico. For colonizers advancement included an increase in production. If the production of a particular society was not up to par with the dominant standard, there would be a change in the quality or character of its people. In Chiapas Indigenous Peoples were and still are targeted. Religious beliefs and political ideologies included. The presence of capitalism in a place like Chiapas has created tensions amongst its people, increased poverty, and deteriorated its environment.

Production and wealth are measurement tools of underdevelopment. The poor countries of the global South are considered to be “backwards” because of their unfortunate economic positions. However, one may ask who is really underdeveloped? Those that work hard to make a living on a day to day basis and fight for their dignity, or those that exploit, oppress, and massacre? The material wealth of a nation in having things such as social services, schools, hospitals, etc. have nothing to do with the level of “development” of a given community. Take into consideration the political structure of some indigenous groups in Chiapas, for example, Las Abejas. The members of this group have been able to organize themselves in a way that perhaps people in more economically stable countries would not be able to do so, and they have less resources. Furthermore, the Indigenous Peoples of Chiapas are living in a paradox of underdevelopment where, for instance, their own material production is landing in the hands of foreigners and they are not attaining the profits they deserve.

Developed or underdeveloped, Zapatismo in Chiapas emerged. Indigenous Peoples are ready to be heard. Article 39 of the Mexican constitution says that any public power derives from the people and is instituted for their benefit, and that at any time the people have the inalienable right to alter or to modify their form of government. The Mexican government failed its people and even signed the NAFTA, which only benefits about ten percent of the Mexican population and forgets about the “others.” Therefore, the EZLN with the use their words and not necessarily weapons want to put a halt to the genocide that has killed Tzotzil, Tzeltal, Tojolabal, and Chontal people in places like Acteal. Members of the EZLN want to work their land, feed their people, and put an end to curable diseases in their villages. The EZLN teaches us that one of the most important steps towards a more sustainable future is the recognition of those that are not necessarily like us. From the EZLN we also learn that we must have the ability to decolonize our minds, move away from our set political and social conditions, and have the ability to understand the system that oppresses us and eventually work for its removal from power. It will be perhaps then that we will be able to achieve justice, liberty, equality, and dignity.

REFERENCES

(subcomandante.), Marcos, Simon J. Ortiz, Elena Poniatowska, and David Romo.

Questions & swords. Cinco Puntos Press, 2001.

Farmer, Paul. Pathologies of power. University of California Press, 2004.

Rodney, Walter. How Europe underdeveloped Africa. Howard University Press, 1982.

Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. Decolonizing methodologies. Zed Books, 1999.

On Syncreticism, Inculturation and Cultural Sustainability: A Reflection from a visit to Chiapas, Mexico

2010-04-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

“How far does the Catholic Church in Chiapas allows inculturation of Mayan indigenous?” I asked this question to Fr. Pedro Arriaga, a Jesuit priest who spent years with Tzotzil Mayan indigenous communities. However, his answers did not suffice my critical mind and my curiosity. Thus, I write this reflection to dig deeper to the issue. This article deals on questions on syncreticism, inculturation and cultural sustainability and to try objectively in finding some answers (or more questions?) to these issues.

Observation: Seeing with eyes of an outsider
It is undeniable that every foreigner visiting certain indigenous communities brings his/her own cultural and personal background in his/her observations. I am not excuse to it. Although I lived and worked for a number of years with indigenous communities in Taiwan, trying to understand and help inculturate some of their indigenous culture to present Christian beliefs, I still look at myself as an outsider to a community I learned to embrace and understand. Doing inculturation is a complex process for it calls for a “creative and dynamic relationship between Christian message and indigenous culture”. Inculturation puts emphasis on creativity and dynamism of relationship. The question is: How far? The things I saw in the church of Chamula made me asked that question.

The Case of Chamula: Syncretism or Inculturation?
The church in Chamula is run and manage independently by the indigenous community. According to a story, on the height of liberation theology in Chiapas, the indigenous community of Chamula expelled the parish priest who wanted to implement some revolutionary changes in the parish. Since then, the Catholic Church was prohibited from doing sacramental services, which only recently have gained access to do a monthly Sacrament of the Eucharist inside the church.

Indigenous people who seek physical or spiritual healing for themselves or for others frequently visit the church. Mayan priests are there ready to do rituals using herbs, chickens, candles, wooden sticks, soft drinks (Coca-cola or Pepsi) and chants. Smoke from burning candles fill the church; while cacophonies from mayan priests’ prayers surround the church’s solemn atmosphere. Catholic symbols are everywhere – crosses, images of saints, rosary beads and the likes. The church building is an everyday witness of how indigenous beliefs are intertwined with the beliefs brought by Catholicism.

The rituals in the church of Chamula are the epitome of syncretic practices and beliefs of Mayans and Catholicism but not inculturated forms. It is just a case of indigenous people combining traditional practices and beliefs with Catholicism. Theirs has not yet reached the stage of cleansing beliefs and practices that are incompatible for both indigenous Mayans and Catholicism. When that stage occurs, then inculturation begins to happen.

Inculturation: Syncretism of goodness and beauty of both cultures
Inculturation must pass certain criteria to be authentic. There are a number of schemas use in evaluating the authenticity of inculturation, but most of them consist of basic elements namely, the Christian message, the cultural situations, and the pastoral agents.

Is the element being inculturated faithful to the Christian message? Does it shows universal goodness? Are the people themselves with the help of church leaders and scholars doing the process of inculturation? If these three elements are present, then authentic inculturation may happen. This process of authenticating inculturation may sound easy in this article, but it is a complicated matter that needs thorough understanding.

For us who are not so familiar with inculturation, let us just simply say that inculturation is done collaboratively by the indigenous community and church leaders in syncretizing the goodness and beauty of both indigenous culture and Catholicism.

Inculturation: A way for cultural sustainability
In the light of sustainable development, does inculturation helps in cultural sustainability? Inculturation is not changing of culture over another; it is rather preserving and developing the good elements of culture and adds Christian meaning to them. Some elements of both indigenous and Catholicism may lose in the process, but these elements may not be essential to both parties. An authentic inculturated element of indigenous culture shows values and goodness of its culture with deeper and relevant meaning because of integration of Christian meaning.

Inculturation is not an imposition of Christian practices and beliefs to certain culture, rather giving Christian message to already established values. The people themselves with the help of church leaders will discern which elements are to be inculturated. This kind of process is in consonance with the process on cultural sustainability that calls for decision from below.

For more readings on Inculturation and Syncretism kindly click:
www.loyolajesuit.org/peter_schineller/resources/SYNCRET1.doc
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14383c.htm
http://www.caribbeantheology.net/Inculturation.htm

Reference:
Schineller, Peter, S.J. Inculturation and the Issue of Syncretism: What is the Real Issue? www.loyolajesuit.org/peter_schineller/resources/SYNCRET1.doc [accessed April 1, 2010]
Shorter, Aylward. Inculturation of African Traditional Religious Values in Christianity – How Far? http://www.afrikaworld.net/afrel/shorter.htm [accessed March 31, 2010]

La Jornada en Internet

2009-11-17T15:41:00.001-08:00

La Jornada en Internet

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Las Abejas

2009-08-07T13:01:00.000-07:00

The Civil Society Organization called "Las Abejas", or "The Bees," is a Christian pacifist group of indigenous Tztotzil Mayan people. It was founded in the locality of Tzajalchen, Chenalho, in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico in 1992 following a familial property dispute that left one person killed. When members of the community took the injured man to the nearest town for medical attention, they were accused of attacking him themselves and jailed. When family members realized what had happened, they began a pilgrimage on foot to San Cristóbal de Las Casas. Along the way, Christian pacifists in other villages joined the group, which is dedicated to peace, justice, and anti-neoliberalism. Las Abejas freed their companions and grew as an organization.

When the Zapatista Army of National Liberation uprising took place in 1994, Las Abejas stood in solidarity with the demands for justice, democracy, education, health, land and dignity for the indigenous people as expressed by the Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional (EZLN). However they separated themselves from their violent means of achieving change and proclaimed themselves as "active nonviolent" civil society organization.

They paid a high price for their support however, when on December 22nd, 1997, forty-five of their members were massacred while praying in a church, in what's come to be known as the Acteal Massacre.

The Las Abejas logo, often used in the press communiques, symbolizes the sufferings and hope from Acteal (and its "Columna de la Infamia" or 'Pillar of Shame' at the center of the world.

Today, Las Abejas is a civil society movement represented by the civil society leadership in Acteal representing their demands for justice, reparation and human rights after the massacre and ongoing situations of paramilitary presence. Las Abejas of Acteal plays an important symbolic role for the catholic Church and oppressed indigenous groups in resistance.

Las Abejas is also represented by the "returned" displaced people in Nuevo Yibeljoj, organized as a Las Abejas Mexico civil association (A.C.) and seeking the government cooperation to recuperate their lost properties.

Tzajalchen remains also important for The Abejas as the founders remain quite active in the monitoring of the integrity of the organization, its national presence and international relations. They also play a vital role for helping young leaders elected in the yearly renewed "mesa directiva" (board of directors) and other service-leadership roles (cargos) of the organizations.

Please read the Acteal Blog of Las Abejas for updated news and communications.

Read the Las Abejas website for additional information on the Civil Society Las Abejas.

If you are interested to learn more about the identity and formation of Las Abejas consult this book: Tavanti, Marco. Las Abejas: Pacifist Resistance

and Syncretic Identities in a Globalizing Chiapas. New York: Routledge, 2003.

If you would like to understand the struggle, conflict and suffering of Las Abejas in Chiapas, see this video: The Victims of the War In Chiapas

Indigenous women of San Cristobal: In search for a place in the globalized world and the local society.

2009-07-19T15:24:00.000-07:00

The following is the result of various conversatiobs with indigenous men and women struggling for their subsistence in San Cristobal de las Casas

To be Indigenous and female in the American continent (also known as Cemanahuac Tewatzinsuyo) equals to be vulnerable to all the prejudices of society, the historical ones and contemporary, to not be seen and to be the victim of choice. The presence of indigenous women in San Cristobal de las Casas in the state of Chiapas Mexico is connected to many peoples lifestyle factors and some contemporary issues. Traditionally the city was the place to go and sell their products, attend religious festivities and take care of legal matters. nowadays this is only partially true.

Many of the women living in the town are displaced due to the violence in their communities, the political tensions, religious differences and because as women they were unable to make a living back in their communities; The reason most common for this being displacement of their whole families, their husbands, and migration of them and their male sons to Mexico city or the US, this also makes it harder for them to survive in a traditional manner. This forced relocation, creates Indian ghettos, just like the ones created by the BIA in the US. these sprout in the outskirts of the city of San Cristobal and lack the most basic services and urban planning. The women that inhabit these improvised neighborhoods have to find a way to earn a living that is different from the one they had in their communities of origin.

The indigenous women of San Cristobal are in a constant struggle for their subsistence and the one of their families. They sell candy and food, weavings, entertain, prostitute themselves, baby sit, clean houses, wash clothes, pour drinks, pose for pictures, etc. among this hectic situation they also try to find a place where they can claim belonging, however the rest of the society is not willing to recognize them as people that matter. People often chase them away from public spaces; these people are not inspectors or police officers, they are citizens concerned with the "good" appearances of the town. This gives room to a now common trend among indigenous women in San Cristobal that is spreading all over Mexico, the guerrilla marketing of their products. This consists of carrying whatever you trying to sell, cigarettes, fruit, weavings, etc. and pick a corner, then try to sell as much of it as you can for a period no longer than 40 minutes, hopefully before an inspector shows up or a concerned citizen removes you.

The city is pretty "relaxed" in allowing people to sell their goods in front of the main cathedral with one condition, set up is only allowed after 9:30pm, when only the party goers are out. The women are also discriminated by the hippies, ladinos and foreigner craft sellers and street performers that abound in the town and who fight for them for the public spaces where these various groups attempt to earn a living. Its is ironic how the concerned citizens are demanding and abusive towards the indigenous people, yet they turn docile and willing to serve those who are foreign, light skinned, or with European physical traits. Its stunning to witness this transformation.

The question that many pose is, where are the men? they can't all be victims of violence or migration. The answer is complex. Many point out to the shortcomings of men or try to portray them as alcoholics or lazy. No matter how true some of these assumptions may be at times, it is also truth is that is harder to market yourself as a dark, non Spanish-speaking indigenous male to a foreign tourist clientele, which is what dominates the work industry in the town. The tourists want to see the friendly sirvienta (servant), not the face of their gardener or construction worker back at home selling them crafts of pouring their coffee. Just like in any other part of the world, many men, old and young that try to be supportive succumb to the pressures of providing for a family and bail out or simply cannot make ends meet. added to this there's a hard reality added to the mix, right now Mexico has the lowest development rate in the whole continent.

San Cristobal relies on the labor of the indigenous people for its survival, they produce the majority of the products in the markets, being meat the only industry that is fully controlled by foreigners and wealthy Mexican ranchers. These are careful to hire nice mestizos that are not revolt prone like the Indians. The agriculture of the region still produces, yet this is too far from being something that really provides a significant income for the people that work the fields. The cause for this is the absence of proper remuneration for the products of their labor. The production of the peasants is usually purchased at a low price and resells at a much higher one. There are Fair-trade efforts, however these are still a minority in the commodities market. The effort of gaining a fair payment for their products is one of historical proportions in Mexico, and one has to consider that Chiapas is one of the states that was never stage of any part of the 1910's revolution that attempted to achieve justice for those who work the land.

The people that visit Chiapas get to see a romanticized or clean version of the town, this manifestation of gentrification is the same one that shows trendy neighborhoods in other parts of the world. They find the stereotypical margaritas, flowery shawls, cuisine that is passed as authentic in order to match their knowledge of Mexican dishes back at home. people get a culture in a package at cool places, these do not cater to the indigenous they are not allowed unless they work there. every night, when the performance of the day is over, the indigenous women go back to the outskirts of the city, to spend the night in make shift houses that are not seen by the people that visit the town.

Ironically there's a mystified image of Maya people, yet individuals fail to recognize the people in front of them as such or of value. The real people are too far away from the Hollywood imagery and new age books and workshops. While a tourist buys an expensive amber medallion with a pseudo Mayan calendar sign on it, the last midwives in the area are selling underpaid weavings, cleaning houses and dying of old age, their knowledge in their heads, the one that the tourist glamourizes about, is lost forever. The harsh truth that few want to acknowledge is that the indigenous population has been robbed of their cultural meanings and icons, these belong now to anthropologists in ivy league universities and to spiritual gurus that are not Mayan or indigenous. added to this bio piracy has taken its toll on indigenous women in San Cristobal, oftentimes a much willing curandera living in the city, shares hers and her culture's knowledge only to have it literally stolen by an educational institution of pharmaceutical company. In Mexico the immaterial cultural patrimony is not protected, leaving indigenous groups to fend for themselves.

There's a misunderstanding about why people visit San Cristobal and that have a more socially aware perception of things. That of supporting the Zapatista movement. However, the Zapatista causes and dreams that these people look for are in the streets ,surviving and in the communities outside of San Cristobal. These well intentioned people flood the restaurants and cultural centers that do not cater to the indigenous population and that are fool of Pseudo Zapatista memorabilia trying to make money out of the movement. The real centers and human rights institutions that support the Zapatistas and other communities that work for the improvement of their living conditions and the exercise of their human rights are under constant harassment from the governmental security agencies under the nations current application of the plan Merida.

There's a stone in the shoe of the well to do people in the city, and even if they do not like it, the indigenous women are the public face of San Cristobal. The tourist industry uses and grinds them just like the Maquiladora system does to women in other parts. They are the majority of the people hired in the businesses, often for way too small of a salary, they are objects of many abuses, and when they decide to quit in case that they are not fired. There are plenty more young women willing to endure unjust labor conditions. The town relaxes its grip on the women when is convenient for its image, when the high tourist season starts and the Indian image is in demand, they are allowed to cautiously step into a more public arena, this phenomena has been disturbed by the current instability due to the global economic crisis and swine flu scare that have chased visitors away.

In San Cristobal one might not see sweatshops, yet they are there, one might not find any racist literature, yet racism its is very well known and acted upon, china-made weavings sell in the store fronts and are advertised as the products of authentic Maya people. The town is full of excess and contradictions. To the ruling social groups discontent, there's dignity, awareness, education and a growing trend in native women to not look down on themselves. They organize and educate each other on and about fighting the triple oppression given to them by history; that of being women, indigenous and poor. This bout between being indigenous and proud versus Mexico's historical abuse creates a world of possibility. Notions of equality and justice are sprouting all over the city. The Zapatista women philosophies with their women's revolutionary law have spread all over Mexico and many other parts of the world that become aware of the struggle of indigenous women of Chiapas.
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Currently various associations and international NGOs are supporting the struggle of these women to regain the use of their cultural symbols, spaces and communication forms; which they do not have and deserve access to. the opportunity to encounter themselves in spaces as equal subjects which also gives them the characteristics of community and of an identity of a specific group of people (Chamulas, Zinacantecos, Choles, Tzetzales,etc.), and that also differentiates them from other groups. A culture of inclusion and tolerance is the main catalyst to achieve this.

Liberation for Indigenous women in San Cristobal means fair opportunities to exercise their right to subsistence, economic equality, access to the "public" spaces, responsible use and preservation of the earth and its resources, cultural sovereignty, en the respect and exercise of their human rights. for those hoping for a quick solution a simple fact has to be 'brought up. It has taken 517 years for conditions to be like this for indigenous people in the continent, it is only just to believe that it will take a while to come back from there as a society.

Sustainable development has three major factors at its core, environments, economics, and sociopolitics. This attempts to meet the human needs, while at the same time restoring and preserving the earth and its resources in order to maintain it and meet those human needs in the present as well as in the future. It is resumed in finding a balance between human needs and the limits of the earth. acknowledgment of the rights of others to exists is part of this development. Once again, sustainability for indigenous women of Chiapas means working for human, land rights and economic justice. This in an equitable social environment where they are subjects, not objects of the public policies, which currently are not developed to reflect of include their realities. In a restorative justice approach, there needs to be serious growth in women's standard of living, education, community and equal opportunities. This will give as a result a fulfilling experience of living as indigenous women and human beings. Lastly, there has to be a global educational effort. This to create awareness, and make the impact of current efforts like the ones by the Zapatista women and various NGO's last. This will ensue the validation and continuation of the work and its relevance. The liberation of Indigenous women in San Cristobal de las Casas is the liberation of all women.; The respect of women equals respect for the earth and can be interpreted as sustainable development, achieving this will result in a just and equal society for all.

Artesania de Felipa

2009-06-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

Please visit this new blog:
http://artesaniasdefelipa.blogspot.com/

Currently I am suppporting a weaving coop in the town of Zinacantan. The purpose of my project is to promote sustainable development.
Sustainable development translates into opportunities for economic fairness and justice, access, responsible and respectful use and preservation of the land, sovereignty, and the respect of basic human rights of indigenous women.
let me know what you think!

-Tomas

"The Bees" - Suzanne Sanchez

2009-05-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

I had a great trip to the state of Chiapas, Mexico this past week. The change in my blog background is in honor of the group "Las Abejas" or "The Bees" we visited in Acteal, Mexico. This sleepy little village outside of San Cristobal de Las Casas (our base for the week) was the sight of a brutal massacre of 45 men, women (5 of them were pregnant), and children on December 22, 1997.

The attack started at around 10am while many were praying in a small wooden church. Men with Ak-47s and other large weapons surrounded the village and started shooting. People rushed from the church to a small ditch trying to hide. Those who survived were buried under the bodies of thier dead neighbors and relatives, and many have permenant injuries requiring medical attention.

When the violence started, calls immediately went out to human rights organizations in San Cristobal who then called bishops and other authorities, but no aid was sent until 6pm, despite the fact that Mexican police were stationed less than 200 meters away. This fact, coupled with the fact that no one has ever been brought to justice, has lead many to believe that the Mexican government was involved or even the intellectual author for this heinous crime.

It was a very emotional experience to be there in Acteal. We sat in the small wooden church and saw the bullet holes. We stood on the hillside overlooking the site where the martyrs died. We had the priviledge of meeting with survivors and the leadership of Las Abejas in the mass tomb and the open-air meeting area they built above the tomb as a memorial to these people who's lives were cut so short. Then we asked what we could do from Chicago to help them in their struggle for justice and for their basic human rights (healthcare, education, land, water, etc.) as indigenous Mexican citizens, they told us to please spread the word about their plight and to not forget about them.

"Chiapas and I" - Amrita Hanjrah

2009-05-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

In my travels through Chiapas, I have learned that the reality of Chiapas and its people is elaborate and complex. The people are defined by an extraordinary history of perseverance. Since the dawn of Spanish colonialism and the Inquisition, the Mayan people have faced constant economic, political, and social obstacles. These past obstacles have transformed into a new set of contemporary problems and issues for the modern Mayan people.

It is not possible for me to narrow down one source of Chiapas’ problems. The problems range from the internal colonization of Chiapas by the Mexican government, private industry, military and para-military. As we learned, Chiapas contains the majority of Mexico’s natural resources including coffee, beans, gold, hydroelectric power, and oil. However, Chiapas remains Mexico’s poorest state. This indicates that Chiapas is being taken advantage of through the exploitation of their resources and labour by external parties. I feel that this is a common pattern around the globe; countries rich with natural resources are stricken with poverty, while other people get rich from exploiting them. This is one of the most disturbing and unfortunate injustices that I have had the opportunity to witness firsthand.

I have traveled to developing nations before, including El Salvador, Guatemala and India, but only in Chiapas was I able to do so in an academic context, and therefore begin to understand the mechanisms that perpetuate poverty. The opportunity to engage with NGOs, the EZLN, and Las Abejas, contributed to my realization of how layered the problems are. I believe that in order to solve these problems, there must be a collective effort on the part of all of these organizations. They all contribute to fostering sustainable development in Chiapas.

An example of an NGO that promotes sustainable development, particularly among women, is the Kinal Antzetik. (http://kinal.laneta.apc.org/) The Kinal Antzetik is an artisan cooperative that is run entirely by Mayan women and serves as a catalyst for the women’s rights movement in Chiapas. As we learned more about this organization, I became inspired and amazed with their commitment to providing economic relief to their communities. I was also struck by how innovative the organization was and how they utilized their artistic skills to create a fully functioning enterprise. Personally, I felt that the Mayan women of these cooperatives shared an inherent indestructibility in the face of sexism and racism. I cannot help but relate to the Mayan women as a female member of a minority. The women of India are also oppressed by sexist societal structures, and are also subject to patriarchal domination. I would love to see similar resilience to the Kinal Antzetik within women’s organizations in India.

Las Abejas was a group where my heart and soul was connected to the people of Acteal. These people have suffered and continued to suffer since the massacre by the para-military on December 22nd, 2006. I struck by their ability to channel all of their grief and anger into an organization like Las Abejas. Las Abejas fights to ensure that political justice is maintained throughout Chiapas. I was surprised to learn that this civil society sympathizes with the EZLN but does not support their cause entirely. I found this to be true among other organizations as well as with the people of San Cristobal de las Casas.

The experience as a whole was enlightening academically and spiritually. As I learned from the people of their struggle for basic human rights, I was humbled and inspired. I felt that more than anything, each organization wanted us to spread awareness of their cause and the plight of Chiapas when we returned home. The things I learned on this journey will remain with me for all of my life.

http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/mexico/other/the_bees_98.html

A Question of Identity

2009-05-11T11:14:00.003-07:00

I came to Chiapas with a certain set of expectations, thinking that my experience would be similar to prior study abroad trips to Central America. I expected visits to fair trade coffee operations and meetings with local nonprofits, and consider them to be an important piece of the sustainable development puzzle. However, I was quickly surprised by the influence of the local Mayan culture in conversations surrounding development. I found its presence in the Catholic Church to be remarkable, unique, and indeed rare.

I will admit that my perception of the Roman Catholic Church is skewed. It has always struck me as a religion out of touch with the world in which it operates. In Central America, for example, the progressive views of the poor and liberation theology were wholly unsupported and ignored by prior and current popes. I believe this to be a reflection of the Church’s inflexibility, an institution focused on exporting its religion and enforcing its culture.

However, this narrative is not reflective of Chiapas, a place that has experienced a renaissance in identity. The influence of Bishop Ruiz in this region ushered in dramatic changes. Healing churches such as those in San Juan Chamula, the prolific Mayan cross, and increased community participation are clear divergences from traditional Roman Catholic practices. Most noticeable are the physical changes inside the churches, such as floors lined in pine needles, the presence of multi-colored candles, and benches pushed to the sides of sanctuaries. These are all signs of the blending of Mayan and Catholic beliefs and practices. According to Tavanti’s book, Las Abejas, this is the unique combination of inculturation and liberation theology, or indigenous theology. It is the recognition of the importance of identity and the tremendous role it plays in the health of its people.

Being witness to the indigenous cultures in Chiapas led me to reflect on my own father’s difficult and degrading experience with religion. Growing up on Turtle Mountain reservation he, like so many other native children of his generation, was forced to go to an Indian boarding school. Specifically, he attended St. Michael’s Indian Mission in North Dakota, a Catholic institution. At that time, it was a place intolerant of indigenous cultures, designed to fracture native communities.

Up until the era of self-determination in the 1970s, The Bureau of Indian Affairs focused on assimilating all North American tribes. Boarding schools were efficient/effective tools in this process of separating children from their families and communities, requiring uniforms, and forbidding indigenous practices including native languages. My dad described this time in his life as one of the worst, a humiliating experience.

What kind of impact would St. Michael’s have today, and in my dad’s life, if it had chosen a different path? Would I better understand my own culture and people if the school had embraced diversity instead of attempting to abolish an entire culture? Would area reservations be thriving, more prosperous and healthy?
A common theme throughout the meetings and discussions in Chiapas was the role of indigenous cultures. So often, culture is framed as a hindrance or an obstacle to development. The assumption being that indigenous cultures have little to contribute to the field. Governments and organizations alike feel the pressure to adopt imported projects that have little relevance to those it seeks to help, such as the World Bank or IMF. If true sustainable development is to be achieved, value must be seen in all cultures. Thus, successful projects are those that are framed in terms of sustainable indigenous culture instead of economic growth or environmental progress.

The health of any people is their identity. It gives them direction, community, and a life’s mission. If development projects do not first recognize this is as a basic human right, there is very little chance of sustainability. This is the type of leadership Bishop Ruiz provided in his community and church, an idea that can extend beyond Chiapas. It is both a lesson and philosophy that I hope to embody in my own life and work.

Kim Christensen's Blog

Cited Works:

Tavanti, Marco. Las Abejas: Pacifist Resistance and Syncretic Identities in a Globalizing Chiapas. New York: Rutledge, 2003.

Additional References:
Berryman, Phillip. Stubborn Hope: Religion, Politics, and Revolution in Central America. New York: The New Press, 1994.

Bodley, John H. Victims of Progress. 5th ed. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press, 2008.

Gedicks, Al. The New Resource Wars: Native and Environmental Struggles Against Multinational Corporations. Boston: South End Press, 1993.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5pJf2rlE8w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE3tFgQwYEI

Trip to Chiapas and journery to the deep ends of the self

2009-05-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer. This document, more than a reflection about my experience in Chiapas is an attempt to unload my emotional load and give some rest to my soul from my current existential crisis.

Chiapas hit me with a syncretism of excess, contradiction and a bad case of Moctezuma’s revenge. San Cristobal is a microcosm where creativity is seen and felt for those looking for a revolution, redemption, a better world, Indian crafts, good tequila, authentic Mexican food and world class cuisine, hallucinogen fungi or an European hook up. It is in this space where the indigenous and poor people learn to survive and coexist with the first world. They build cheap houses, sell crafts, rise up in social movements and attempt to escape from modernity’s spell.
The Dutch girl playing guitar and asking for money, while a five year old tries to sell me cigarettes seems a little out of place. Yet, I have to remind myself that a world where many worlds fit may not always please me. I ask myself, where do I fit? Where does a little DePaul trip really goes? Should I go to a bad tequila bar and drawn my consciousness in cheap beer and Mezcal? Should I wander through the streets and become an Indian vigilante? Maybe join the coffee table revolutionaries?
I am sincerely confused, by the things I hear about indigenous struggles and their achievements and what I had seen in my previous visit in 1994. Many believe that indigenous people have been dignified in Chiapas and Mexico. Cynically, I ask myself, how much of this change is real, how much dignity is here? Is Chiapas an optical illusion of indigenous freedom and earned respect for first people’s rights? Are the San Andres accords being respected? As I try to eat my dinner with my friend at a bad tapas place, a guy harasses a Tzotzil kid shinning a German woman shoes, her and her husband have to endure a speech by a self proclaimed Indian hating Mexican, he yields that Indian Poverty is nothing but a myth in Chiapas and all of Mexico. I almost gave him a piece of my restorative hiking boot but he left. At least San Cristobal shows some tolerance in the eyes of visitors, the realities that I see later on this trip while in DF are drastically opposite, the same occurs as I walk trough my hometown in Queretaro where I know of and have witnessed many abuses towards the first peoples. There, I see a pretty colonial town that proclaims to be proud of its indigenous roots, but there are no Indians and they are not allowed to walk in downtown, the Mexican version of gentrification is taking place.

Going back to Chiapas, as we visited various communities and travel through “Sancris” outskirts I start to witness the silent realities away from the tourists view. When coming back from the Mayan medicine museum and our cab takes a different route, we encounter a new camp of displaced people occupying a piece of land by force. These people are holding a meeting as we go by. My classmate jokes about being around to witness something new and exciting. I am too cynical to join the conversation. Sadly, two days later, I find myself skeptical, even more cynical and scared by the larger police presence on the streets and the news on TV showing the same site and the same people I saw being removed by force by the federal police. I feel uneasy of how easy is to sense things brewing here. This I start to think is just training for something else. My diagnosis of Mexico is that of a country under extreme stress. Every conversation that I have with people by inertia goes into the topic of the militarization of the country and the de facto war against selected drugs cartels and even more selected activists trough the Plan Merida. This initiative’s inconvenient truth is that following a doctrine of national security the victims of human rights abuses do not have access to the institutions that impart justice. The courts to deal with these issues are military not civilian. This plan is the perfect opportunity to send the social leaders to maximum-security prisons, the same places where high profile drug dealers like famous drug lord Chapo Guzman can walk out whenever they feel they can be extradited to the US. Sadly, this is not a new reality for states like Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas; it is just a justification of the status quo, this time under the umbrella of fighting crime. I can’t avoid going back to the people I saw settling by force and marinating in the images of them being beaten and their makeshift houses burned down.

I struggle constantly from having my heart open during this trip. I feel energized by the people from Otros mundos and their initiatives, CIEPAC informational work as modern jugglers and the coffee coops. I feel so much humility in the presence of the people keeping alive the memory of those who died in Acteal. I grow hopeful when I walk trough the Zapatista caracol and see community work alive. I finally lose all my sanity when I witness what I call the most beautiful display of wisdom and strength in my life. Mujeres Unidas Para el Desarrollo is having its international woman’s day event and our friend and guide Marina has been invited to speak. Over five hundred women are gathering to share on topics such as their sexual and political rights, they follow indigenous protocol and acknowledge the elders, they make sure that everyone gets to share on some water and drinks and show special forces efficiency when forming columns. This is all done in Spanish and two indigenous languages. Being there brought healing to my core, I saw my grandma among all the “Jefas” and cried both of joy and by acknowledging that what I see corroborates what my heart has always known, that amazing things occur when people have in mind not personal interest but the health, well being, and happiness of their community. As I talk with my friend Naomi about this experience, I become very present to the concept of solidarity. This simple idea cannot only be motivating to others but very healing and liberating for the self.

However, if I allow my cynical self to flow, my anguish is bare-naked. I can’t hide my lack of patriotism. Mexico feeds my soul and fucks me up. It drains my energy and gives me hope. It numbs my feelings, yet it makes me grow. The aftermath of the wave of feelings takes me to the following conclusion; The Mexican state doesn’t like what it sees. It wants to protect markets and interests. Chiapas is just a microcosm of what happens in the rest of the world and the powers that be want to turn it into a controlled tourism zone where even revolution is part of the tourist packages.
And out of being present to the enduring beauty of the people in Chiapas, embodied by the kid selling chiclets in the plaza and the gringo making earth blocks at the Zapatista community, the five hundred women in council talking about their rights, the French woman finding joy in playing capoeira in front of the churches and the fiery conviction of youth, that something occurs in me. I can finally see that the wool skirts and embroidered shawls are more beautiful than any corporate suits. That posh and candles are stronger than presidential declarations or military operations, and that passion, life and love can’t be traded in the market. In this developing cultural pluralism that is Chiapas today, in this developing Mexico with bourgeoisie dreams, in this evolving world all I can do is to listen and pay attention to other’s efforts devoutly with my heart, to then share myself and share the dream of a new tomorrow, of a great everything, de un gran todo…

"Never Stop Fighting" - Felicia Byrne

2009-05-05T11:45:00.001-07:00

In the southernmost state of Mexico, a world exists in which communities struggle on a daily basis to have their rights recognized and to be given the opportunity to live as they see fit. Having just returned from Chiapas and receiving the opportunity to listen to and learn from these remarkable fighters, I have gained a greater understanding of what it means to persevere despite the odds. Specifically, Las Abejas (The Bees), the Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional (EZLN), and those involved in the struggle for the rights of indigenous women, have shown me that even in the toughest of circumstances, to make use of what you have and to never stop fighting.

To begin with, we met with the Board of Directors from Las Abejas, a pacifist civil society organization that is opposed to neoliberalism and seeks peace, justice and indigenous human rights (such as land, education, health care, etc.). The group does not see violence as a solution or even a means to an end. Unfortunately, despite their proclamation of nonviolence, extreme violence was used to quiet them on December 22, 1997 when 45 members were massacred by a paramilitary group supported by the government in a church in Acteal. Among the victims were 9 men, 15 children and 21 women (of which 5 were pregnant). There were a few survivors who only lived to tell of the tragedy because they were hidden under the bodies of their loved ones. Visiting this site, sitting in the church, seeing the bullet holes in the walls, walking amongst the graves, and realizing that the families of those killed still live, work, and continue their struggle on the same land and in the same place as the massacre was truly a moving experience. These people are faced with a constant, daily reminder of the costs of their struggle for rights and could have easily abandoned their fight and gone “under the radar” to avoid further persecution or harm. However, they have continued to fight against all odds and want all those who meet with them to spread the word about their situation and to never forget them. In fact, a few of the people who went on the trip are currently developing a websi te for Las Abejas so they can further inform people about their plight and garner more support. Las Abejas is truly one of the most remarkable groups of people I have ever met and their example of persevering despite being brutally attacked will stay with me forever.

The second group we met with that continues fighting despite the odds is the EZLN, or the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. The EZLN made their presence known to the world on January 1, 1994, the day that NAFTA was signed, with their First Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle, which has resulted in armed clashes with the Mexican military. The EZLN is an armed group fighting for autonomy and rights for their communities of indigenous, mostly Mayan people to govern themselves and their land in their own ways and want the Chiapanecos to receive a greater share of the benefits of the plentiful natural resources in Chiapas. They are opposed to neoliberalism/globalization and the social inequalities that it has created. Although the EZLN has many of the same ideas and goals as Las Abejas, the EZLN has taken up arms and has used violence in their fight. As a result, support for the EZLN can be polarizing within Mexico. Yet, despite the odds against them, the EZLN has been able to use the resources available to them and to persevere for over 15 years. They have been able to garner support from around the world through the use of the Internet and continuously spreading information about their fight. In addition to learning about never giving up, I have also witnessed the enormous power and potential of the internet to bring the world’s attention to even seemingly small groups.

Given the fact that the EZLN is an armed revolutionary group, meeting with them was extremely intimidating at first. We all had to show our passports and go through a sort of registration process because just as the Mexican government has given us permission to be in Mexico, the EZLN must also give permission to whoever wants to enter their communities. All of the EZLN members that we meet with had their faces covered to conceal their identities, but were all very nice and welcoming. After meeting with two separate groups of EZLN officers, it was apparent that this is a highly organized group that does not plan on giving up their battle anytime soon. They have successfully managed to garner the support of many different members of the international community and when you meet with them, they are very passionate about what they are fighting for and are able to articulate their message very clearly. It has now been over 15 years since they surged onto the international scene, although they have been around for much longer. I do not know if they will ever be able to fully realize all of their goals. Professor Marco Tavanti noted that the EZLN know that the Mexican government will never forgive them for the “embarrassment” of their arrival on the day that NAFTA was being signed. Despite this and the fact that their demands are extremely ambitious even for a recognized political party, they keep on fighting for what they believe in. This is one of the most admirable qualities in a person, or group of people, that I can think of and the EZLN has done nothing but persevere despite the odds.

Finally, the group of people that we met that are campaigning for the rights of indigenous women, also strengthened my belief in perseverance. All of the women we met, Isabel, Blanca, and Rosalinda are some of the strongest women I have ever encountered. These women spoke about the three types of discrimination indigenous women experience: being a woman, being poor, and being indigenous. These three women, as well as many other women out there, fight against the three-fold discrimination and seek to empower women. However, for me, although I do greatly appreciate and admire the work that these women are doing, what is the most moving aspect of their work is the fact that although there are so many institutionalized or culturally founded impediments to the advancement of women, the women we met with will not give up. In fact, the most soul shaking comment that I heard came from Isabel when she said that she knows that she will not see the fruits of her labor, but rather she is working for the rights and future of her future granddaughters. The fact that she is working towards a goal she knows she will likely never be able to enjoy, but instead she is working for the future, really touched me and helped me realize that some things are worth fighting for regardless of whether or not you get to experience them. This idea was also echoed at the book release event for L os Espacios Conquistados: Participacion y Liderazgo de las Mujeres Indigenas de Mexico (Conquered Spaces: Participation and Leadership of the Indigenous Women of Mexico) at which the authors talked about the gains that indigenous women have made politically and socially, but that they are still very far from being treated as equal and must continue fighting.

Meeting with all three groups of people mentioned above, and hearing their stories, really made me think about things that I have given up on in the past because I thought it was too hard or insurmountable. But after meeting with the people of Chiapas I have found a new hope that I will be able to continue pursuing my goals and fighting for what I believe in.

For more information on the battles being fought in Chiapas and the groups mentioned above, please look at the following websites:
http://www.globalexchange.org/countries/americas/mexico/chiapas/
http://enlacezapatista.ezln.org.mx/ (Spanish)
http://www.actlab.utexas.edu/~geneve/zapwomen/goetze/thesis.html
http://www.sipaz.org/
http://www.ciepac.org/index.php (Spanish)
http://www.frayba.org.mx/index.php?hl=en

Sarah Chakrin's Blog

2009-05-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

My answer to the question, “How was Chiapas?” has consitantly begun with the same three words: Amazing. Intense. Humbling. Following those, I rotate in accounts of different people, towns, and ideas that affected me from one day to the next. Throughout each of the events of that week ran the idea of the strength and spirit of Mayan culture in Chiapas, and prominent themes therein. They are the power of the ancestors and the idea of the duality that balances out our existence – life and death, day and night. Healing comes from this duality, the idea of wholeness, and undying faith. The power of community as seen through shared values, keeps this ancient culture alive.

We began the week with a discussion on the background of Chiapas, from invasion by the Spanish through the agrarian reforms of the twentieth century, the Zapatista uprising, and to the present-day state. Much of the history of the region is revealed in its architecture. And even beyond those churches in San Cristóbal de las Casas, every structure in the region, every road, every tree, every mountain has a story to tell. They tell them through the people with whom they share their land. We were lucky enough to meet some of these people and absorb what knowledge we could from them in the brief time we had.

Chamula was the first place we visited where it was clear that the living and the ancestors share the same space here. The ancestors were there, in the cemetary, and in the ruins of the old church, watching over the town and the Church of San Juan. They were inside the church, too. They were with the woman who had come to be healed, and the other, who was calling upon them to do so through her. What I found so powerful was the energy that came from a people’s intense belief in their ancient faith.

I thought a lot about the power of their faith that week. Not specifically religion, but faith in the continuation of their traditions and their culture. In spite of the poverty, the sickness, the bloodshed, the centuries of injustice inflicted upon a people who appeared to be seen as a nuisance by their government - they were strong, and kind, and they possessed unfaltering determination. The injustice is devastating. But change takes time. Sometimes it takes lifetimes. I think it must take the strongest of wills to work as though change must come tomorrow, and accept that it may take a lifetime.

There are organizations in Chiapas, doing fascinating work. They help to empower people in poor, indigenous communities to identify what they need and work towards achieving it in a sustainable way. Representatives from CIEPAC, SIPAZ, and Fray Bartolomé de las Casas were among the people who generously shared their time with us. They helped expand our understanding of the history of the region and the most pressing current concerns, such as the continuing social and political repression of the indigenous Mayan population, land rights, health care, and clean water. I was particularly interested in Otros Mundos, and their efforts to train elected community members to create sustainable water collection and storage systems.

From left to right: Isabella, Marina Patricia, Blanca, and Marco.

It was the strength of the women we met, which struck me the most. We were lucky to meet Isabel and her colleague Blanca, from Mujeres Unidos para Desarrollo (Women United for Development). Isabella works at the community level to organize women to play active roles in community and society. She also travels to speak to academic groups like us, various other organizations, and serves as a consultant for government agencies. She was there, at the talks for the San Andreas Peace Accords. She is history, and she is hope; a reminder of what is wrong, and how to make things right. She is inspiration.

Isabel had traveled for two days, from her village, to be with us. She felt that the message she had to convey was that important. And it was. The importance of her words, her work, and her journey were not lost. Here was a woman who had defied societal expectations and stepped out of the role handed down to indigenous women through generations. She gives her life through her time and her words to blaze a trail for other indigenous women. It is a path of strength, dignity, independence, and equality.

A close-up section of a sculpture memorializing the victims of the Acteal massacre. The inscription on the bottom reads: “lo caduco no podrá eternamente aplastar la nueva hierba,” (“What is already fallen cannot replace what is new”).

The idea that history is conveyed through much more than just words on a page was nowhere more powerful than in the town of Acteal. Members of the pacifist indigenous rights group Las Abejas welcomed us into their town and told us of their work, their beliefs and their goals. They also told us of the 1997 massacre, in which paramilitary forces came down from the mountains, invaded the town, and murdered forty-five people. Many of the victims had been inside a church, praying, as the troops surrounded the structure and closed in. Among these victims were children and pregnant women.

The idea of remembrance of December 22, 1997 is evident everywhere in that small town. The mountains, and the trees, and the churches all bore witness that day. The blood of the victims remains in the soil there, and those victims tell their story through the living. The people of Acteal have not left their homes. They continue to live in the location where these events happened. This choice is just one of many ways in which they honor their families and friends who lost their lives.

The massacre happened just over eleven years ago. I noticed that there were no children in the town who appeared to be eleven, or ten, or even nine years old. But there were many younger children there. And they seemed to me to be reminders of the idea that life goes on. After the horror, and although it took some time, life went on in Acteal. The people there honored the memories of their loved ones with words, with photographs, with art, and ultimately with life. Those children will surely know what happened there before they were born. But their lives are symbols of healing, and the beginnings of a new legacy for the people of Acteal and for Las Abejas.

They asked that we tell their story to others. They said we were now their voice, and I wondered who in the world I was to be a voice for them. It seemed an honor and a responsibility none of us could be worthy of. But I imagine that we will all tell what we know, and do our best to honor these amazing people. We will try to pass on the words they gave us.

The Zapatistas allowed us into their community, Caracól 2, and spoke with us about their experience. I felt as though we were meeting with living legends, given what I had already read and heard about the Zapatista movement. The representatives who spoke with us were patient and informative, as well as careful, and community-minded. They made clear that as representatives of their entire community, there were certain questions of ours they could not answer without consensus from their peers.

Caracól means “snail,” and it is an image prevalent in Zapatista artwork and other references. The spiral shape of the snail shell is representative of their search for a new path. An independent bookstore owner and activist described to some of my friends and me an image of a gathering he once attended: People stood in a spiral formation, holding unlit torches, as Subcomandante Marcos, the leader of the EZLN, moved through the spiral and lit each one. Eventually it was ablaze from individual flames come together in this formation.

The reality of Chiapas, to me, is one of tremendous injustice. It is the marginalization and repeated attempts at extermination of the indigenous population through economics, politics, manipulation, coercion, and blatant violence. All this is at the hands of a government and corporations who seem to consider themselves inconvenienced by their existence.

But there is another reality as well. It is that of a people who are strong in conviction, faith, determination, and will. They demand basic needs. They demand respect. They demand justice. They demand life.

"Never Forget" - Diana Hochman

2009-05-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

Honoring the victims of Acteal

It was 10 years ago as a high school student that I first heard the words "Never Forget". I was told by past Holocaust survivors to "Never Forget" what happened to the millions of people who were innocently slaughtered for no reason. Those words have echoed through my mind ever since that journey to Poland where I saw millions of names on burial grounds. I vowed that I would never forget and I truly believed that hatred like this would never occur again. I guess that was my idealistic view as a naive 18 year old that the world could change.

However 10 years later, the words "Never Forget" would be spoken again by someone across the world who had experienced a different massacre but the same hatred against his community. This time, these words came from Sebastian, the President of Las Abejas in Acteal who wanted us to "Never Forget" the 45 victims who were massacred in his community on December 12, 1997. Before this trip to Acteal, I had heard several times that we could be most helpful by spreading their message and by telling others across the world what happened in Acteal. Before I met any of Las Abejas, I knew I would want to spread their message. However, it was not until I heard their stories, met their wives, husbands and children did I realize that I not only wanted to spread their message, it was my duty to get their message across to everyone I encounter.

As we walked around this community, Sebastian pointed out the banana tree where many of the victims were murdered. Just being inches from where a massacre like this occurred was devastating to me. I thought I had prepared myself for this by reading all about Acteal, however there was nothing that could prepare for listening to the stories of survivors and standing in the spot that many men, women and children were brutally murdered. My most vivid memory of that day was walking into their community church where Sebastian pointed out to us the bullet holes in the church. I will never forget how he told us that some people survived because the bodies of the deceased protected them. As we walked out of the church into the sanctuary to honor those victims, I remember looking at all the pictures of the victims. All of those faces will stay with me forever, however it was the pictures of those 5 women who were pregnant that will be the reason I continue to spread their message for those babies who never had a chance to have a voice. I will be their voice.

While their was deep sadness in hearing what had occurred on that tragic December day in 1997, there is definitely hope. These members of Las Abejas see their experience as an opportunity. An opportunity for growth. An opportunity for indigenous rights. An opportunity for women's rights.

As we left our meeting with Sebastian and our reflection session, I immediately went over to the group of women and girls who were smiling waiting for us to sort through their hand-made products. My desire was not to purchase these products just to add to my collection of items from my travels, however it was my way of showing support to this cooperative by spreading their knowledge and wisdom. It was for that reason that I bought several bookmarks. No matter what I am reading, I will remember their story and spread their message. While giving a bookmark may seem like a small present to some, that was my first step in fulfilling their wish to spread their message to everyone that sees the bookmark. I will "Never Forget" and I will help others around the world to "Never Forget".

After returning home from this journey, I wondered how I was truly going to be their voice. It was simple. I needed to start with the people who were most interested in my trip. While many of my friends and family knew very littel about Chiapas in general and even moreso of Las Abejas, this was my first step in fulfilling the wishes of Sebastian and his community. While it is often difficult to explain everything that has happened in Chiapas with regards to indigenous rights and how politics have played a role in this, I found it empowering, yet challenging to be the voice for this community. While I know that my voice can only go so far, I know that by telling their past, present and future lives will hopefully bring them the peace they deserve. While this blog can only go so far, my hope is that it will help others to never forget the strength that the members of Las Abejas possess.

Laurie Couch's Blog

2009-05-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

It’s the first day of our NGO panel and I can’t believe how cold it is here. The fourth speaker of the day is a woman named Isabel from Mujeres Unidos para Desarrollo, which means or Women United for Development. Her organization works to organize and empower women to take an active role in community development. Sitting in the conference room of the Hotel Mision Colonial, listening to Isabel speak, I am reminded of a conversation I had with my friend Beverly several months earlier.

We both work in the labor movement. She is Mexican. I am on a tirade about something or other – likely the pervasive and hypocritical sexism in our office. This becomes a conversation about feminist theory. She says she has a problem with organizations that send white feminists into non-white communities and tell women how to live their lives. I’m not sure. In a way, I agree. On the other hand, I think some violations of women’s rights are so egregious that they have to be stopped and who cares where that comes from? Ideally it would come from within the communities but some ideas about masculinity and femininity are just wrong and the fact that they are ingrained in a particular culture doesn’t make them any less so. Why should we be sensitive to beliefs that are oppressive and intolerant? She listens to me go back and forth like this for a while. That’s what organizers do.

Listening to Isabel brings me back to this conversation because she is talking about walking from village to village, talking to other indigenous women and telling them they have rights. Most of them listen. Some are too scared to act on it but some of them do. She does this, she says, because women are belittled and abused in many of these communities. Some traditions, she says, are just bad. I think that too. But when she says it, it really means something.

I’m making connections. Between what Isabel is saying and what Beverly said. I think about how little it would mean for me to knock on the door of a house in Zinacantan (for argument’s sake, let’s pretend I speak Totzil) and tell the women to defy their husbands and fathers, shed their shackles of domesticity, and go to college. And it’s not just that it would be culturally insensitive. It’s meaningless because we don’t share experiences. For me, getting an education and a job was relatively easy compared to the battle it will be for indigenous women, so how could I expect to inspire them? When Isabel asks them to take risks, or tells them what they can accomplish with hard work and courage, she is speaking from experience – experience they can relate to.

Isabel doesn’t talk much about herself, but she does say she wishes she had gone to school. The most humbling thing about everything she is saying is the fact that she figured it all out on her own. I am a feminist because I have had the benefit of higher education and because I stand on the shoulders of strong American women who came before me. Isabel is a feminist and an organizer without any of those benefits. I can’t imagine the strength it must have taken to recognize injustice and fight it without the support of my family or community – and without formal education. But that’s what she did. And she is still doing it. And she is successful because she is an activist within her own culture, reaching out to women who recognize her struggle as their own.

I’m in awe of her. And I understand in a way that I didn’t until this moment why real change – specifically the empowerment of women – has to come from within communities.

Women United for Development does not have its own website. Links to several other indigenous women’s organizations that work in Chiapas are posted here.

K'inal Antzetik, A.C. (Land of Women)

Jolom Mayaetik

CHIAPAS ORGANIZATIONAL NETWORK

2009-02-20T16:56:00.000-08:00

There are hundreds of nongovernmental organizations, nonprofits, civil society and projects based in Chiapas or directed toward people, communities and causes of Chiapas.

The following organizations, institutions and projects are a sample of the collaborations and contacts we have sustained in along the years:

ARIC Independiente-Asociacion Rural de Interes Colectivo

Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID)

Café Campesino

Café Rebelión

Campesinos Ecologicos de la Sierra Madre de Chiapas (CESMACH)

Casa Bonampak

Centro de Estudios para el Cambio en el Campo Mexicano (CECCAM)

Centro de Investigacion Economicas y Politicas de Accion Comunitaria (CIEPAC)

Centro de Medios Independientes (IndyMedia Center-Chiapas )

Centro Indigena de Capacitacion Integral or the Center for Indigenous Training (CIDECI)

Chiapas Media Project

Desarrollo Economico Social de los Mexicanos Indigenas (DESMI, A.C.)

El Colegia De La Frontera Sur (ECOSUR)

Enlace Civil A. C.

FairTrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO)

Food First, Institute for Food and Development Policy

Fray Bartolome de Las Casas Human Rights Center (FrayBa)

Global Exchange

Grameen Foundation USA

Higher Grounds Trading Company

ICA Japan: The Institute of Cultural Affairs: Japan Global Partnership Center

Instituto para el Desarrollo Sustentable en Mesoamérica (IDESMAC)

JEM: Jubilee Economics Ministries

Jolom Mayaetik

Junax

K'inal Antzetik, A.C. (Land of Women)

La Red de Defensores Comunitarios por los Derechos Humanos

Maderas del Pueblo del Sureste, A.C.

Mani Tese ‘76

Maya Vinic Union de Productores

Melel Xojobal

Mexico Solidarity Network (MSN)

Nichim Jolovil, A.C.

ODI – Overseas Development Institute

Organic Consumers Association

Pronatura Chiapas

SEDESO – Secretaria de Desarrollo Sociales - Gobierno del Estado de Chiapas

Sexto Sol Center for Community Action

SIPAZ, International Service for Peace

Sociedad Cooperative de Produccion “Tzeltal-Tzotzil” S.C.L.

The Organization of Indigenous Physicians of the State of Chiapas (OMIECH)

Universidad Autonoma de Chiapas (UNACH)

Universidad Intercultural de Chiapas (UNICH)

Universidad Nacional Autonoma Metropolitana – Programa de Investigaciones Multidisciplinarias Sobre Mesoamerica y el Sureste (PROIMMSE-UNAM)

CHIAPAS OPENS YOUR EYES, MIND AND HEART

2009-02-20T11:50:00.000-08:00

Marina Patricia, our DePaul Chiapas Program coordinator invites participants not be indifferent to the personal testimonies, courageous examples of people's resistance and to the many layers of personal and collective suffering of the indigenous people of Chiapas. She says: "look around you, observe, smell, understand through your readings and by listening to our speakers... but also reflect on your own and open your heart!"

The SustainAbleChiapas is a unique program and opportunity to open our eyes to the lives and stories of marginalized people of Chiapas. It is the occasion to understand that there is something intrinsically wrong, unjust and unsustainable in an economic systems that seeks exploitation of the poor and of mother earth just to maximize the profit of a few. Chiapas opens your eyes, mind and heart. For many students that went through this program, Chiapas has represented the opportunity to open their hands in solidarity.

SustainAbleChiapas alumni have organized fundraisers for promoting indigenous schools, fair trade cooperatives and civil society organizations in resistance. They have gone through Chiapas, some have come back or stayed, but all they have embedded the many lessons of Chiapas in their personal values and professional leadership. In the name of our sisters of brothers of Chiapas, thank you for keeping your eyes, mind, hearts and hands open to the many Chiapas of the world. Kolabalik!