[NYTr] Zapatistas Host Thousands in Chiapas

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

NarcoNews - Jul 29, 2007
http://www.narconews.com/Issue46/article2748.html

Zapatistas Host Thousands in Chiapas

“A Voice Cries Out for Justice; May all of Humanity Hear Itself in our
Cry”: Elisa Members of the Morelia, La Garrrucha, and Roberto Barrios
caracoles present the work-table topics on Indigenous autonomy: health,
education, women, collective work and self governance

By Juan Trujillo
Special to The Narco News Bulletin

English translation by Tessa Landreau-Grasmuck

Morelia, Chiapas, July 21, 2007: The second Encuentro of Zapatista
communities and the communities of the world continues on its course in
this caracol called “The Whirlwind of our Words” in the Tzojchoj and
Tojolabal ethnic region. The activities organized by Zapatista support
bases, local and municipal authorities were formally inaugurated last
Sunday, before more than two-thousand people, with an opening welcome
from Elisa, member of the autonomous municipality Ernesto Che Guevara,
Ofelia, member of the Good Government Council (JBG) of this caracol,
and Comandante Zebedeo of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation.

Afternoon fell in this corner of the Chiapaneco geography; the cool
came down from the two mountains cloaking this rebel space, while
militiapersons descended the left hand side of the mountain giving way
to members of the Indigenous Revolutionary Clandestine Committee
General Command of the EZLN; through the commentary and bustle of the
participants the night listened, as Lieutenant Colonel Moises,
Comandante Zebedeo, and Subcomandante Marcos made themselves present
for the welcoming. Rain and a slight chill intermittently refreshed the
visitors from more than 80 countries: hundreds of collectives and
social organizations, sympathizers, members of the Other Campaign and
adherents of the Sixth Declaration of the Lancandon Jungle (La Sexta).

In one of the chairs, this columnist exchanged words with Oligario, a
support base who, since 1987, has actively participated in the movement
along with his wife Monica and his family originally from Altimirano.
“It is really important for the Sexta and the Other Campaign that
people from all over the world,” he explains.

In the pavilion, soldiers, comandantes, and support bases appeared
behind Mexican and Zapatista flags. Compañera Elisa, a support base,
gave the formal welcome declaring, “these are the rebel territories and
with a blazing and rebellious heart we welcome you, you who are here
with us, as we walk, writing the history that we deserve.”

Before of an attentive audience, Elisa recognized “the rebellious and
conscious individuals” and went on to say, “A voice is crying out for
justice, from every place where there is struggle… may all humanity
hear itself in our cry.”

For her part Ofelia, member of the Good Government Council, commented
with notable emotion, that “the most important thing is to unite our
struggles and thoughts against the capitalist system that continues to
steal our labor. Our voice and our struggle is one that as we walk we
learn and as we walk we teach… so that we can recuperate what the
system has stolen from us.” Finally, she asked all the participants for
“concentration, respect and discipline in the activities of the
Encuentro.”

In the name of the EZLN, Comandante Zebedeo said that the 2, 335
attendees in this caracol come from: “Without nation,” Argentina,
Australia, Austria, Basque Country, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada,
Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, El Salvador, Ecuador,
France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Holland, England, Ireland, Israel,
Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Luxemburg, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua,
Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Turkey, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.

The collectives and identities that come together reflect the ample
spectrum represented in the multicolor cloth that Comandante Ramona
gave to the Other Campaign in September of 2005: Zapatistas,
Anarchists, Communists, punks, Libertarians, homosexuals, lesbians,
transgender, nationalist organizations from the Basque country and
Cataluña, the world organization Via Campesina, other organizations
from Latin America, as well as indigenous Venezuelans.

With these words and with a multicolored and popular folk dance the
Encuentro activities in this Tzetzal and Tojolabal Zapatista caracol
were inaugurated.

Originally published in Spanish July 25