June 2003 Newsletter
Article written by Emily Dulcan
I cannot tell you how excited I am to be writing to you from the Chiapas Peace HOUSE! After much confusion and persistence, hauling of bags and testing of keys, I have finally settled into the house for volunteers in San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico. The house is located about 15 minutes walking distance from the center of town. It is a lovely space and perfect for our needs: two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a comfortable living room and kitchen. There is also a garden with flowers, a slightly overgrown lawn, and even a compost pile! The former tenants were internationals who came to Chiapas to do justice work. They painted the kitchen and living room in bright colors, and they painted a Mayan-themed mural on one of the outside walls. I even know that they baked a lot of bread in the kitchen, a tradition I plan to continue.
I. A call for resources
II. A summary of my meeting with representatives from Junax
III. A summary of the First Hemispheric Conference Against Militarization
IV. Closing
I. Got Resources?
An integral part of the Chiapas Peace House Project (CPHP) are the
periods of orientation and reflection required for each volunteer.
During orientation, volunteers will not only become more familiar with
the political situation in Chiapas, they will also confront their own
prejudices and articulate their expectations about working with
indigenous communities and the organizations that support them. With
these goals in mind, I have been collecting materials for volunteers to
read during their periods of orientation and reflection. Readings
include newspaper articles, excerpts from NGO reports on Chiapas,
primary and secondary historical accounts, and sociological analyses of
privilege and power. If anyone out there would like to suggest reading
material for orientation and reflection, please do so! You can send all
suggestions to info@uupeacehouse.org
II. Meeting with Junax:
Junax is a Mexican non-profit organization that is similar to the
Chiapas Peace House Project. They have a sizeable house in the center
of San Cristobal where they host Mexican university students and
international volunteers who want to work on projects in indigenous
communities. At the beginning of each volunteer cycle, which includes
15 to 20 individuals, Junax holds week-long introductory workshops. The
representatives with whom I spoke said they would be happy to include
CPHP volunteers in these workshops if there is space. CPHP plans to
cultivate an ongoing relationship with Junax with the hope that we can
soon collaborate on specific projects.
III. The First Hemispheric Forum Against Militarization:
From May 6-9 I attended this inspiring conference, which included
representatives from Central America, South America, Canada, the United
States, and Europe. The following were the objectives of the
conference:
To share information and analyses about the levels and environments of
militarization in North and South America. To share experiences about
the significance of militarization, its causes, effects, and
consequences on rural and urban life and on the diverse fields of
society, politics, economy, and culture.
To unite efforts, hearts, and wills to determine peaceful alternatives to continental militarization.
To create a permanent and continuous process for analysis of and reflection on experiences and the search for alternatives.
The conference convened with a general discussion on the topic of
militarization, lead by Carlos Montemayor, Mexican author, linguist,
and cultural critic. This included a review of major acts of aggression
perpetrated by powerful nations during the last century. Montemayor
presented a number of important ideas, including the changing nature of
"terrorism" before and after September 11, and he stated that the
foreign policy of the United States is currently characterized by an
"international McCarthyism." He compared President Bush to a
pre-enlightened King Arthur: Bush believes that 'Might is Right,'
confusing military power with reason. To understand militarization
today, one must have a contextual understanding of military force and
the language of war. One thing is perfectly clear, commented
Montemayor, to the countries that do posses weapons of mass
destruction: now is the time to increase their arsenals. He also
touched on governments' privatization of their armies, a serious
consideration in this time of growing corporate power and manipulation.
Montemayor closed his talk by reminding conference participants that
each generation must struggle for its own dignity.
On the first day of the conference I attended three workshops. The
first workshop was about military intervention in Mexico, and the
speaker was General Francisco Gallardo, a member of the Mexican Army
who was imprisoned for demanding conscientious military intervention.
Next I attended a workshop on the work of American citizens in Latin
America. The first speaker was a representative from Witness for Peace
who discussed their work and emphasized the need for a "conscientious
faith" within international justice work. Conscientious faith involves
stepping outside of your comfort zone to visit a foreign country,
experiencing aspects of daily life and the struggle for justice, and
finally reflecting on these experiences. Wow, sounds like the vision of
an organization I'm familiar with. . . . The second speaker, a
representative from Global Exchange talked about the anti-war movement
in the United States and emphasized an anti- imperialist message to the
Latin American conference participants. The third workshop I attended
was entitled "The Struggle of the Poor in the United States." I applaud
conference organizers for devoting time to the struggle of impoverished
people within the US. Sherry Honkala, the director of the Kensington
Welfare Rights Union in Philadelphia, PA, told her story to conference
participants, apologizing because between raising two children,
searching for a home, and organizing the homeless of Philadelphia, she
has not had time to learn Spanish.
The second day of the conference opened with reflections on the state
of the Middle East. We listened to descriptions of the demoralized
states of Palestinian and Iraqi civil societies due to Israeli (with
the support of the United States) aggression and United Nations
sanctions, respectively. Since the US invasion of Iraq this year, 2,600
civilians have died, stated speaker Blanche Petrich.
In the morning I attended a workshop entitled 'The Crisis in the Middle
East. The speaker, Dr. Fawzi El-Mashni, is the Palestinian ambassador
to Mexico. While he spoke about the oppressed yet rebellious
Palestinians in Israel, especially in the West Bank and Gaza strip, a
short, silent movie played on screens mounted on the speakers' podium.
Workshop attendees saw horrifying shots of frightened Palestinians and
mutilated bodies, just a glimpses of the terror that Palestinians face
day in and day out. "Silence is complicity," Dr. El-Mashni reminded the
audience. In the afternoon I attended a workshop with speakers from
Cuba who made a commitment to combat "fascism."
The third day of the conference was reserved for caucusing by region,
so I participated in the United States/Canada caucus. Within the
US/Canada caucus we divided into groups based on smaller regions and
identified our efforts to promote alternatives to militarization. We
also laid out a calendar of international events for justice during the
next two years. In the afternoon we discussed ways in which Canadians
and Americans* could demonstrate their solidarity with Central and
Southern Americans in their struggle against militarization. Someone
suggested burning an American flag, but after much debate the idea was
rejected because a number of estadounidenses felt that such an action
was offensive and would project too violent a message to international
media. Instead, the group focused on creating a colorful banner with
images that intoned solidarity.
In addition to workshops and plenary sessions, the conference also
included cultural events such as musical presentations and movie
screenings. I attended many of the screenings and saw documentaries
about the Gaza Strip, Emiliano Zapata, Chile under Pinochet, displaced
people in Chiapas, the Kurdish struggle, the indigenous struggle in
Guerrero, and the School of the Americas.
The conference closed on May 9 with a plenary session summarizing the
efforts of conferees and a moving speech by Nobel Prize winner Adolfo
Perez Esquivel who remarked, "if you don't know where you're going,
return home so at least you know where you're coming from."
I enjoyed attending this conference and was very impressed with its
high level of organization. Participants were constantly engaged with
the topics at hand through discussion, lectures, song, film and art. I
also noticed the large proportion of female and young participants.
While attending, I picked up a lot of good resources and did some
networking. Based on a contact I made at the conference, the next time
I'm in Mexico City I'll be able to stay in a Quaker Peace House!
For more information on the outcomes of the conference, visit www.sitiocompa.org/desmilitarizacion/english.html
*Okay, I really don't like calling myself an "American" so as to
differentiate myself from Canadians, Mexicans, Guatemalans, etc.
because in reality we are ALL Americans (i.e. we live on the North or
South American continents. Strangely enough (or maybe it's not so
strange), there is no word in English to differentiate "Americans" from
"United States citizens;" in Spanish, citizens of the US are
"estadounidenses" and we are all "americanos." So, if you want to be
globally correct, the next time you want to say you're American you
should instead say that you are a United States citizen--unless you
want to come up with a shorter, snazzier term. "USAer" sounds too dorky
and "gringo" is too pejorative. I think I'll stick with estadounidense
and in the process give my listeners a Spanish lesson.
IV. Closing: Despedida/Good-Bye
We hope you have enjoyed the second installment of Emily's web diary
for the Chiapas Peace House Project. Now that I have a home and my wits
about me I will be sending out two diary entries per month. Now that
I've written that I know I must live up to it. I want to give a BIG
shout out to all of the following people who have supplied me with
food, furnishings, and bundles of help during my search for and
acquisition of a house. Many thanks to Abbey Gibbs, Tommo Clubley,
Charlie and Kirstey from England, Chris Howell, Alex French, Nico
Cebreros, Jorge Molina, Emma Frampton, Susanna, Leonardo, Jack and
Rocío, and of course my ever-loving family, especially my mom, Aunt
Julie, Uncle Andy, and Aunt Toni. Until next time, Peace & Love
from Mexico
Emily
I cannot tell you how excited I am to be writing to you from the Chiapas Peace HOUSE! After much confusion and persistence, hauling of bags and testing of keys, I have finally settled into the house for volunteers in San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico. The house is located about 15 minutes walking distance from the center of town. It is a lovely space and perfect for our needs: two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a comfortable living room and kitchen. There is also a garden with flowers, a slightly overgrown lawn, and even a compost pile! The former tenants were internationals who came to Chiapas to do justice work. They painted the kitchen and living room in bright colors, and they painted a Mayan-themed mural on one of the outside walls. I even know that they baked a lot of bread in the kitchen, a tradition I plan to continue.
I. A call for resources
II. A summary of my meeting with representatives from Junax
III. A summary of the First Hemispheric Conference Against Militarization
IV. Closing
I. Got Resources?
An integral part of the Chiapas Peace House Project (CPHP) are the
periods of orientation and reflection required for each volunteer.
During orientation, volunteers will not only become more familiar with
the political situation in Chiapas, they will also confront their own
prejudices and articulate their expectations about working with
indigenous communities and the organizations that support them. With
these goals in mind, I have been collecting materials for volunteers to
read during their periods of orientation and reflection. Readings
include newspaper articles, excerpts from NGO reports on Chiapas,
primary and secondary historical accounts, and sociological analyses of
privilege and power. If anyone out there would like to suggest reading
material for orientation and reflection, please do so! You can send all
suggestions to info@uupeacehouse.org
II. Meeting with Junax:
Junax is a Mexican non-profit organization that is similar to the
Chiapas Peace House Project. They have a sizeable house in the center
of San Cristobal where they host Mexican university students and
international volunteers who want to work on projects in indigenous
communities. At the beginning of each volunteer cycle, which includes
15 to 20 individuals, Junax holds week-long introductory workshops. The
representatives with whom I spoke said they would be happy to include
CPHP volunteers in these workshops if there is space. CPHP plans to
cultivate an ongoing relationship with Junax with the hope that we can
soon collaborate on specific projects.
III. The First Hemispheric Forum Against Militarization:
From May 6-9 I attended this inspiring conference, which included
representatives from Central America, South America, Canada, the United
States, and Europe. The following were the objectives of the
conference:
To share information and analyses about the levels and environments of
militarization in North and South America. To share experiences about
the significance of militarization, its causes, effects, and
consequences on rural and urban life and on the diverse fields of
society, politics, economy, and culture.
To unite efforts, hearts, and wills to determine peaceful alternatives to continental militarization.
To create a permanent and continuous process for analysis of and reflection on experiences and the search for alternatives.
The conference convened with a general discussion on the topic of
militarization, lead by Carlos Montemayor, Mexican author, linguist,
and cultural critic. This included a review of major acts of aggression
perpetrated by powerful nations during the last century. Montemayor
presented a number of important ideas, including the changing nature of
"terrorism" before and after September 11, and he stated that the
foreign policy of the United States is currently characterized by an
"international McCarthyism." He compared President Bush to a
pre-enlightened King Arthur: Bush believes that 'Might is Right,'
confusing military power with reason. To understand militarization
today, one must have a contextual understanding of military force and
the language of war. One thing is perfectly clear, commented
Montemayor, to the countries that do posses weapons of mass
destruction: now is the time to increase their arsenals. He also
touched on governments' privatization of their armies, a serious
consideration in this time of growing corporate power and manipulation.
Montemayor closed his talk by reminding conference participants that
each generation must struggle for its own dignity.
On the first day of the conference I attended three workshops. The
first workshop was about military intervention in Mexico, and the
speaker was General Francisco Gallardo, a member of the Mexican Army
who was imprisoned for demanding conscientious military intervention.
Next I attended a workshop on the work of American citizens in Latin
America. The first speaker was a representative from Witness for Peace
who discussed their work and emphasized the need for a "conscientious
faith" within international justice work. Conscientious faith involves
stepping outside of your comfort zone to visit a foreign country,
experiencing aspects of daily life and the struggle for justice, and
finally reflecting on these experiences. Wow, sounds like the vision of
an organization I'm familiar with. . . . The second speaker, a
representative from Global Exchange talked about the anti-war movement
in the United States and emphasized an anti- imperialist message to the
Latin American conference participants. The third workshop I attended
was entitled "The Struggle of the Poor in the United States." I applaud
conference organizers for devoting time to the struggle of impoverished
people within the US. Sherry Honkala, the director of the Kensington
Welfare Rights Union in Philadelphia, PA, told her story to conference
participants, apologizing because between raising two children,
searching for a home, and organizing the homeless of Philadelphia, she
has not had time to learn Spanish.
The second day of the conference opened with reflections on the state
of the Middle East. We listened to descriptions of the demoralized
states of Palestinian and Iraqi civil societies due to Israeli (with
the support of the United States) aggression and United Nations
sanctions, respectively. Since the US invasion of Iraq this year, 2,600
civilians have died, stated speaker Blanche Petrich.
In the morning I attended a workshop entitled 'The Crisis in the Middle
East. The speaker, Dr. Fawzi El-Mashni, is the Palestinian ambassador
to Mexico. While he spoke about the oppressed yet rebellious
Palestinians in Israel, especially in the West Bank and Gaza strip, a
short, silent movie played on screens mounted on the speakers' podium.
Workshop attendees saw horrifying shots of frightened Palestinians and
mutilated bodies, just a glimpses of the terror that Palestinians face
day in and day out. "Silence is complicity," Dr. El-Mashni reminded the
audience. In the afternoon I attended a workshop with speakers from
Cuba who made a commitment to combat "fascism."
The third day of the conference was reserved for caucusing by region,
so I participated in the United States/Canada caucus. Within the
US/Canada caucus we divided into groups based on smaller regions and
identified our efforts to promote alternatives to militarization. We
also laid out a calendar of international events for justice during the
next two years. In the afternoon we discussed ways in which Canadians
and Americans* could demonstrate their solidarity with Central and
Southern Americans in their struggle against militarization. Someone
suggested burning an American flag, but after much debate the idea was
rejected because a number of estadounidenses felt that such an action
was offensive and would project too violent a message to international
media. Instead, the group focused on creating a colorful banner with
images that intoned solidarity.
In addition to workshops and plenary sessions, the conference also
included cultural events such as musical presentations and movie
screenings. I attended many of the screenings and saw documentaries
about the Gaza Strip, Emiliano Zapata, Chile under Pinochet, displaced
people in Chiapas, the Kurdish struggle, the indigenous struggle in
Guerrero, and the School of the Americas.
The conference closed on May 9 with a plenary session summarizing the
efforts of conferees and a moving speech by Nobel Prize winner Adolfo
Perez Esquivel who remarked, "if you don't know where you're going,
return home so at least you know where you're coming from."
I enjoyed attending this conference and was very impressed with its
high level of organization. Participants were constantly engaged with
the topics at hand through discussion, lectures, song, film and art. I
also noticed the large proportion of female and young participants.
While attending, I picked up a lot of good resources and did some
networking. Based on a contact I made at the conference, the next time
I'm in Mexico City I'll be able to stay in a Quaker Peace House!
For more information on the outcomes of the conference, visit www.sitiocompa.org/desmilitarizacion/english.html
*Okay, I really don't like calling myself an "American" so as to
differentiate myself from Canadians, Mexicans, Guatemalans, etc.
because in reality we are ALL Americans (i.e. we live on the North or
South American continents. Strangely enough (or maybe it's not so
strange), there is no word in English to differentiate "Americans" from
"United States citizens;" in Spanish, citizens of the US are
"estadounidenses" and we are all "americanos." So, if you want to be
globally correct, the next time you want to say you're American you
should instead say that you are a United States citizen--unless you
want to come up with a shorter, snazzier term. "USAer" sounds too dorky
and "gringo" is too pejorative. I think I'll stick with estadounidense
and in the process give my listeners a Spanish lesson.
IV. Closing: Despedida/Good-Bye
We hope you have enjoyed the second installment of Emily's web diary
for the Chiapas Peace House Project. Now that I have a home and my wits
about me I will be sending out two diary entries per month. Now that
I've written that I know I must live up to it. I want to give a BIG
shout out to all of the following people who have supplied me with
food, furnishings, and bundles of help during my search for and
acquisition of a house. Many thanks to Abbey Gibbs, Tommo Clubley,
Charlie and Kirstey from England, Chris Howell, Alex French, Nico
Cebreros, Jorge Molina, Emma Frampton, Susanna, Leonardo, Jack and
Rocío, and of course my ever-loving family, especially my mom, Aunt
Julie, Uncle Andy, and Aunt Toni. Until next time, Peace & Love
from Mexico
Emily
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