FOCUS ON CHANGE STRATEGIES.

By Michelle Newlands
Written Wednesday, February 25.

I support fair trade. I stand against oppression.
Today it felt as if we travelled in time. We met with a group of indigenous women wearing their traditional dress and slippers in the town of Cuentepec. Their houses had dirt floors and no running water. The washroom was a toilet without a seat and a curtain for a door.
We gather around a table with these women as they taught us their craft that has supported their community for over hundreds of years, crafts made of clay. Clay pots, clay sculptures, clay candle holders, clay necklaces, you name it. We made ‘circle of friendship’ candle holders.
There was a German lady there who set up a fair trade organization where businesses can purchase these products at a reasonable price for the womens' labour. A lot of their products are also sold in the United States and Canada through 10,000 Villages. Fair trade was created to allow people living in poverty an opportunity for a better, deserving life. Their products are sold and the profit goes to cost of production and into the pockets of the rightful owners.
Whenever I have seen handmade items from other countries I consider where they are from, but have never been able to picture the conditions in which they were made. Today I not only saw it, but was able to be part of it.
Today I noticed a clay candle holder at the abbey sitting on the table and pointed it out. It’s meaning will be greater from this day on.
Gary reminded me of what Juan had said, making the invisible, visible.
Together our different generations from what felt like different universes smiled and laughed together as some of us Canadian students learned their craft, and others didn’t. We were surprised how difficult the work was and how beautiful the final product.
When we were finished together we had a table full of food for lunch. Some we had brought some they had supplied and of course there was Coca Cola. We thanked the women for the amazing day and got back on the bus.
After lunch we met with two members of an activist group called the People’s Movements. They taught us about the Zapatistas. The Zapatistas are a social movement that began in 1994 and is said to be one of the most important movements in Mexican history.
The indigenous people in the state of Chiapas started this movement because of the way the government was treating their people and their land. In association with NAFTA, the Mexican government re-wrote section 27 of the Mexican Constitution declaring the indigenous people the rights to their land. By changing the Constitution, through NAFTA, it allowed United States and Canadian to buy and sell freely with the country of Mexico, including all of its land.
The land began to sell and grew polluted, people were being converted and blindly starting fights with their own people. In defence, the Zapatistas were created.
The information we gained about this movement was strong. The Mexican government classifies the Zapatistas as terrorists. The Zapatistas are not terrorists. They are people being terrorized who’ve decided to no longer accept this treatment and stand up for their rights and initiate change. They are not violent nor do they want to replace the government currently in power.
The Zapatistas fight against oppression. They do not want power, they say power rots and corrupts the blood. Their goal is to be left in peace and live off the land in the ways in which they have lived for centuries. They say when the land is abused, we cannot survive. This is the problem they are currently facing because of what the government has been doing.
They say it is a strong commitment to be a part of the Zapatistas. They say it is not a job, but a service and this is why they rotate the services and responsibilities within the communities.
“They want a world in which many worlds fit.”
They do not support violence, although they have weapons for protection against the 56 military bases surrounding the 34 active municipalities. Because of this movement Chiapas is the highest militarized zone in the country.
This movement has gained international attention and international support. There are organizations, Universities and individuals in the United States and Canada that actively support this movement including the National Indigenous Congress. Later when our group was discussing this topic, we figured out any person or persons who fight against oppression, of any form, have the characteristics of the Zapatistas and should learn about the rapidly growing movement.
Because of the international media this movement received, it gave people the opportunity to learn about this movement, to know people are out there fighting for human rights. Many say if the people in Mexico living in oppressed societies and poverty were aware of this movement it would be growing even more rapidly and would gain many more supporters. Unfortunately, the government controls what goes on the television and radio and only 1.5% of Mexicans are able to read, which means they cannot learn from newspapers.
Because of the amount of international media coverage the Zapatistas received, people all over the world are being influenced by this movement and are able to act on it. Our speakers said if people don’t report on it, others will not believe it exists. This is the case for many human rights issues and movements.
As a member of the media, I found this not only inspirational but motivating. It is our responsibility to ‘make visible, the invisible.’ It is our job to inform people around the world, about their rights and their options. Each day I learn more about how important a role we, as the media, play in universal hope for positive change and how important you, as the readers are to spread the word. Spread awareness and create social change.