Untouchable? The Role of Human Rights Observation in Present Day Chiapas
Since the Zapatistas stepped into the spotlight in 1994, the
presence of international human rights workers, observers, supporters
and activists has been essential to the survival of the movement,
forwarding the peace process and monitoring military action in
communities.
rights, anti-neoliberalism, feminism, education, etc. has created a
veritable flood of foreigners who want to do their part to help the
resistance. One of the major roles foreigners have played in Chiapas is
that of the "campamentista," or human rights observer, people who
commit a minimum of two weeks to living in communities that are
threatened by the military or paramilitary violence. The presence of
internationals that record and photograph military activity to report
to local human rights organizations and the press, is thought to deter
flagrant abuses of government power and provide security to communities
in resistance.
Peace Camps, usually simple, rustic buildings
with a good view of roadways (for monitoring purposes), are created and
attended by the community, manned by waves of foreigners and
coordinated by two major organizations in San Cristobal, with the idea
that when they are no longer of use they can be dissolved. My first
hand experience as a campamentista led me to reflect on the complex
role of foreigners in solidarity and some of the shortcomings in the
practice of human rights observation. Though the goal of Peace Camps
remains pertinent and necessary, I feel it is essential for
campamentistas to come to the experience with more knowledge and
reflection and perhaps a critical analysis is due for all those working
with human rights observation.
In preparation for my time
in community, I attended the orientation sessions of both Fray
Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center and Enlace Civil, the two
major coordinating organizations for human rights work. Both sessions
were short (2-3 hours) and left me feeling as though volunteers
couldn't possibly be adequately prepared. As the Italian girl sitting
across from me (in the off-the-shoulder halter top and hoop earrings)
smacked her gum and asked about taking pictures of Zapatistas, I felt
sure I could see an international incident on the horizon. The line
between tourists (granted tourists who like to get dirty) and folks
committed to solidarity and peace seems precariously thin. Peace camps
have high seasons and low seasons depending on student vacations at
peak times of the year (December, January, July and August) pouring
4-16 people into every community with a Peace Camp in Chiapas.
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With
this many internationals packed into isolated communities, bringing
with them their curious outside influences and changing every two
weeks, the mission of human rights observation gets a little blurry.
You no longer have merely "international presence," you have a soccer
team. Peace campers come endorsed by recognized international
organizations and are briefed (emphasis on brief) on the conditions in
the communities where they will be stationed. They are in no way,
however, prepared to deal with problems should a conflict arise. In
fact, they are instructed to flee with the women and children of the
village and return to San Cristobal immediately if there are any events
or changes of plan. The era of Peace Camps in which campamentistas were
prepared to fight in solidarity, channel information to the press or
file useful reports has passed. They are now mostly short-term
travelers hoping to hang out for a couple weeks in an exciting new
context (not to be confused with the dedicated minority whose knowledge
of communities and commitment to observation is invaluable), who are
not taken very seriously by communities or the organizations
coordinating them.
I am sitting on a rooftop overlooking a
small village in Zinacantan where 3 months ago a peaceful caravan of
Zapatistas carrying water to the area was violently attacked by the
local PRD supporters (see May Action Alert). I am in a Peace Camp
established by the Zapatistas of the community to monitor and assuage
the possibility of renewed violence. The assumption is that my mere
presence and the constant and continuous presence of internationals
like me will prevent further conflict. The reality of living within
this community, however is much more complex. This community is
divided, and the tension between PRD and Zapatista (though it's
virtually impossible for me, as an outsider, to tell who is who) is
palpable. Due to administrative miscommunication, there are eight of us
here as observers. Eight white foreigners lounging on this rooftop,
playing with and teaching the Zapatista children and singing songs they
invented about resistance movement. As I watch the rest of the
community come and go about their business I can't help but imagine how
we must appear to them. Surely they must wonder why we would fly across
the world to interfere with issues that have nothing to do with us. I
can't help but feel that we're doing more harm than good, dividing and
polarizing the community, creating envy and misunderstanding, instead
of attempting to work towards reconciliation.
Chatting with
folks at Enlace Civil, one of the coordinating organizations in San
Cristobal, I received some interesting answers to my doubts. For them,
and for many campamentistas, the Peace Camp experience is not about
mediating, reconciliation or working towards dialogue. Some would say
these goals are simply impossibilities in the communities that have
requested international presence. The practice of human rights
observation in Zapatista communities is then about a show of strength,
a clear stance in support of the resistance movement, and the more
internationals you can cram into that shack by the road, the more the
opposition will see they can't mess with the Zapatistas. For me the
issue isn't as clear cut as that. Though I believe whole-heartedly in
the vision of the resistance, for me people are just people, no matter
what side they are on. That is to say Zapatistas, like everyone else,
are capable of mistakes. I worry that often the ideals of human rights
observers get in the way of an honest reflection on the complexity of
community relations and the resistance movement.
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In
mid-July the front page of Cuarto Poder (the largest periodical for the
state of Chiapas) carried a picture of four foreigners with backpacks
getting onto a bus. It could have been a picture of tourists or hikers
on a day trip to Palenque. But the headline read "Xeno-Invasion" and
went on to discuss the state immigration commission's increasingly
strident measures against foreigners "meddling" in the internal affairs
of the state. The government has long treated internationals in
solidarity with hostility so this stance comes as no surprise. But the
headline does highlight an important question: why are the vast
majority of folks trekking off into the far reaches of the Chiapas
interior foreigners? It is a gift of our often lighter skin and foreign
passports that allows us the freedom of movement, the access, the
privilege to act as "protectors." In theory, and more often than not in
practice we are untouchable. All of these facets are sad but true. Were
we to be involved in a conflict, arrested or detained we would have the
international community watching our case and raising alarm. I
understand the importance of international presence and attention for
the struggle, but find it worrisome that so often the calls for
solidarity are answered exclusively by those of other nationalities.
When the Zapatistas cease being able to gather support from
Chiapanecos, unsustainable dependence on international aid will only
increase.
Realistically, these questions can only be
addressed and answered in the minds of potential human rights
observers. Every individual coming to this work should be prepared both
in terms of understanding the political history and reality of the
situation, and also searching their motivations, what they have to
offer and what they are likely to receive. The relevance and role of
campamentistas is something that will be, appropriately, decided by the
communities themselves. I grant that much of the disorder and
miscommunication that surrounds human rights work at present, is a
result of the difficult but essential transition of power from San
Cristobal civil society to the Caracoles. Ideally, both in accordance
with Zapatista goals of autonomy and organizational goals of
solidarity, we are all working towards creating Indigenous leadership
and institutions that will eventually render massive international
presence unnecessary. And until that time I will continue to recommend
that all Peace House volunteers spend time in community as human rights
observers. It is an experience that brings into high relief the
complexity of day to day life in a resistance movement and our role in
solidarity.
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