Zapatista visit

[MJM]

Hey commies, anyone thinking of going to Chiapas to visit the Zapatistas and see a revolution in action?
If you ever do drop me a line I have just gotten back from there and will be keen to give advice on how to get there and places to stay on your way down,people to talk to who can show you around etc. I met tons of Zaapatistas and visited several communities while there, saw the boot factory, womans co-ops, coffee co-ops (organic), talked about the GMO problem and much more.
I highly recommend these guys as a starting point.

http://schoolsforchiapas.org/

If you have any questions pm me or ask here, although I rarely come here anymore I will make an effort over the next few weeks to try and get some of you guys interested in going over.
comradely yours, mike.

[socialistfuture]

awesome man. did u meet any of the zapatista bigshots?
what did u get up to there? did u see any mexican army tanks or troops around?

[Lacrimi de Chiciură]

Thats too cool! Nice website. How was the Chiapas and how are the Zapatistas? Great job getting there and meeting the Zapatistas and witnessing the revolution. When you were there did it seem like they were winning the fight?

[percept¡on]

Originally posted by The wise old [email protected] 20 2004, 06:14 AM
When you were there did it seem like they were winning the fight?
what fight?

[socialistfuture]

I brought 'the battle of mexico' rage against the machine dvd yesturday. it has some good footage of the uprising and talks about nafta (including an interview between zack and noam chomsky). it also has an interview with marcos ( i didnt realise before by he has a beard - yes u can see it through the mouth gap in his mask).
Anyway still intrested in hearing a bit more bout ure hourney MJM.





"The oldest of the old in the indigenous communities say that there once was a man named Zapata who rose up with his people and sang out: 'Land and Freedom!' These old campesinos say that Zapata didn't die, that he must return. These old campesinos also say that the wind and the rain and the sun tell the campesinos when to cultivate the land, when to plant, and when to harvest. They say that hope is also planted and harvested. They also say that the wind and the rain and the sun are now saying something different: that with so much poverty, the time has come to harvest rebellion instead of death. That is what the old campesinos say." ~from Subcomandante Marcos' 'Our Word is Our Weapon'.

[MJM]

The fight still goes on although it's not in the media very often. The PRI still have much influence in the communities and are doing their best to take control of the Zapatista towns. There is of course a counter revolution underway and the means by which it's being fought are developing from day to day. It remains to be seen whether the Zapatista struggles to make a world, or part of a world, where many worlds fit will be a success.
I visited a refugee camp that has got no food from the red cross since november when they pulled out to send supplies to Iraq instead, more unheard of victims of the war there - makes me wonder how many others find themselves in the same position. The zone is a low intensity war zone so it's not a high enough priority for support. All around the camp are the fields the refugees used to work to live on, now they're occupied by the army and PRI supporting farmers, the Zapatistas know who is on their land and one day maybe they will take it back. The PRI give farmers who will support them a few hundred pesos, much of which goes on alchohol. I saw many drunken Mayans stumbling or sleeping on the road in the short time I was there. Alchohol is banned in the Caracoles, along with drugs and begging. Another way to struggle for dignity and self worth.
I visited a place called San Andres, where the peace negotiations were held a few years back. The market there was destroyed by the Army and now the Zapatistas want to rebuild it so they can control the local economy, the PRIistas also want to rebuild it - despite destroying it in the first place - so they can gain control of the economy.
The Zapatistas strangely enough have no animosity towards their Mayan brothers who support the PRI, they allow them into the Caracoles to sell their tortillas and routinely trade with them, give them medical support if they can and treat them as fellow humans.
Right beside the community I stayed in there was a PRIista collecting high powered automatic weapons. The Zapatistas let him remain there and do nothing to harm him or his livelyhood. Interestingly all his family now support the Zapatista movement.

[pandora]

I also wish to go back,I love Chiapas, lots of troop movement this time as well, but not as bad as last, different strategy, the moving them off the land strategy and "dirty war" as opposed to previous open combat.

Still scary.
I had hoped with the head of police stepping down for torture that things would be getting better, but I heard that a noticas, newspaper man was assainated on the 19th in Tijuana.

Thank you for writing this,
I haven't been in the small villages yet, I'm a bit unconservative and everyone is so sensitive about this with the religiousness, for instance one night I tried to take home a can of Cuba Libre because we can't get it in the states in Palenque, but all the Mayan women gave me the look being a female and because I wear Mayan clothes, so i can't get away with anything, but I'm not that conservative.

I think it's easier for men. Got lots of beautiful smiles from where they were building a school near Ocosingo, would love to go back.

[socialistfuture]

Where abouts do u live now pandora?
Does the Zapatista movement have mush support in mexico? How much pressure is there on the governement to pull out troops?

Im wondering what the leftist movement in mexico is like.. is there any chance of another change of govt there in the near future?

The clash of the old and the new, tradition and the now - Some of those images of the woman with bandanas over their faces and sticks are really poweful. I hope one day the government will back off and Zapatas dream will be complete.

[FatFreeMilk]

So what exactly did you do while you were down there MJM?
Most Schools for Chiapas trips involve rustic living in breathtakingly beautiful locations with interesting and involved people from many countries. Translation provided. More luxurious accommodations can occasionally be arranged. So is it just like a camping trip or something? :(

I really want to go down to Chiapas some day and help out and not just watch.

[MJM]

What did I do - well it wasn't quite like camping.

It was somewhat rustic, we stayed for a few nights in the auditorium, slept in hammocks or on wooden benches. Then we moved into a room that had a concrete floor - thats a luxury usually not aforded to the likes of me.
Spent most of the time in meetings, talking about how they govern, what their angle is on womans rights and inclusion in governing, what they need to survive and how we can help with international solidarity, we learned about the lack of basic foods and medicines, we cooked a meal for the education promoters, met the kids and they told us how much better the zapatista education system is in comparison to the government ones. I also did quiet a bit of talking and meeting about GMO corn, talking to the agriculture promoters and the education promoters and a few of the local governments. On the last day I talked to the Junta of Good Government which is basically the highest level of authority under the commandancis - that was pretty cool. I gave a speech to eight hundred to a thousand zapatistas - it was on radio insurguentes I think.

It's definately helping out.
It's a life changing experience, you should email them right now and go on the next trip :)

The SFC website keeps things a bit vague, I think they do this to avoid a confrontation with the authorities regarding visas and that sort of thing.
An example is when you meet in San Crisatobal de la Casa you can't go into the EZLN office, as they don't want anyone to see you going there and get arrested or anything like that.

[Quiet Storm]

So how do I get there ? do i sign up somewhere ? :blink: