PPLE
04-30-2007, 08:38 PM
http://www.mexicosolidarity.org/site/files/msn_logo.png
Alternative Economy Internship Program
The Mexico Solidarity Network is looking for students, recent graduates or community organizers who are interested in doing an internship in their city. There is no need to relocate for the internship and you can do it while attending college, high school or even while working another job! The internship program is part of a fair trade/solidarity program organized by the Mexico Solidarity Network in coordination with three Zapatista women's cooperatives and a Zapatista coffee cooperative. During the internship, you will learn about the Zapatista struggle for autonomy and alternatives to the predominant capitalist model. You will also have the opportunity to develop strong public speaking skills. The internship is a paid position, with the amount of income depending on your time and organizing capacity.
Interns will receive material on indigenous rights and fair trade. Each intern will start with a package of fair trade items, including textiles and coffee produced by Zapatista cooperatives. Interns will organize at least one public presentation each week at which you will discuss indigenous rights and fair trade, and sell fair trade items produced in Zapatista cooperatives. You can keep 20% of the income from sales. Interns are expected to devote 3 to 6 hours per week, and can expect to earn anywhere from $50 to $100 per week.
Presentations and sales can be organized at Sunday church services, community events, local universities, farmers markets, etc. For example, you can arrange to make a five-minute presentation at the end of a church service on Sunday morning, then sell fair trade items after the service. Or you can set up a table at university events, such as concerts, public talks or even in the cafeteria. You can arrange house parties where you discuss fair trade and indigenous rights and also sell fair trade items. You can also request five minutes to speak at community events that are already organized, then set up a table at the events. Through this internship you will be part of a growing fair trade movement that supports cooperative-based production in Zapatista communities.
as originally posted here:
http://populistindependent.org/phpbb/vi ... =1221#1221 (http://populistindependent.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=1221#1221)
In the space of a month, this will be my answer to "What To Do" in place of bourgeois street-corner placard waving that does little but makes one feel good about oneself.
The Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) stands against the 70 year, one-party rule of the PRI oe the ruling party of Mexico. But they especially take issue against the oppression that this reign has wrought on the people of Mexico.
They consider themselves a national movement, even though they are primarily located in the southernmost state of Chiapas. According to the Zapatistas, "we are the dispossessed millions..." and their enemies are the "wealthy and the State" who have oppressed Mexican nationals for at least the last 70 years and the indigenous people for the last 500 years.
The Zapatistas argue that "attempting change through all legal means" has been rendered entirely unsuccessful by the PRI dictatorship, and therefore they call on Article 39 of the Mexican Constitution, which states that "the people have, at all times, the inalienable right to alter or modify the form of their government." For the Zapatistas, armed struggle is the only means available to them.
They chose to begin their rebellion on the first of January, 1994 to coincide with the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) because it is a "death sentence." According to Sub-Commander Marcos of the EZLN, "when [NAFTA] goes into effect it will represent an international massacre" because the treaty will only exacerbate the polarization of wealth in Mexico oe and hence increase the poverty and immiseration of the Mexican poor.
The Zapatistas take their name from the Mexican revolutionary, Emiliano Zapata, who fought in the Mexican Revolution in 1910. The EZLN's demands echo the original Zapata's Plan of Ayala oe the plan for which Zapata fought oe "the immense majority of Mexican [people] are owners of no more than the land they walk on... because lands, timber, and water are monopolized in a few hands."
Their demands are fairly straight forward. According to the EZLN Communique of June 12, 1994, "the demands of the EZLN are summed up in the 11 points affirmed in the Declaration from the Lacondon Jungle: Work, land, shelter, food, health, education, independence, freedom, democracy, justice and peace."
Their stated demands on the Mexican government include an end to illiteracy, the right to education, the right to dignified jobs, respect for indigenous peoples and cultures, the creation of hospitals, freedom for an independent press, a cancellation of debts for the poor, an end to hunger, malnutrition and brutal exploitation, the release of political prisoners, the creation truly free and democratic elections, "an end to centralization" and establishment of municipal "self-governance with political, economic and cultural autonomy," and for women, they demanded birth clinics, child care and access to education.
The EZLN's land reform program is laid down in the Agrarian Revolutionary Law. The Zapatistas argue that the land ought to be returned "to those who work it." All large land estates will be expropriated for the purpose of creating collective farms so that all poor peasants can work to supply food to their families. "The purpose of collective production is primarily to satisfy the people's needs."
http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/mexico ... t/why.html (http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/mexico/comment/why.html) via google cache
So what are the lessons of zapatismo as they pertain to First World activists? The first is that solidarity with the Third World doesn't stop at sending material aid, teachers or observers to impoverished villages in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.
True solidarity means educating our own communities in the struggles of peoples throughout the world. It means raising a consciousness among working people -- especially people of color and marginalized ethnicities -- that they are not alone in their experiences of and resistance to class struggle and racism.
Solidarity also means rising up here at home to raise the social costs of pursuing such peoples' exploitation -- both domestically and abroad -- to a level corporations and the institutional agents which facilitate their pursuits cannot accommodate. That implies distracting multinational institutions from their quest for profits by forcing them on the defensive. It also requires removing the US military from foreign soil, and extinguishing the funds which equip the enemies of our brothers and sisters with the requisites of war. The goal is to send US troops marching North, homeward, demoralized, eager to lay down their weapons once and for all.
Zapatismo also teaches us that all resistance must be informed and animated by deeply-rooted ties to community and culture. Indigenous people in the Western Hemisphere have had 500 years to develop cultures of resistance from what were once cultures of existence, and to define community and identity in relation to a common oppressor. Most of the rest of us are only now beginning to form cultural bonds within a struggle for liberation, and we're caught between two communities: one in explicit, if periodic, resistance; the other absorbed and manufactured by the dominant culture.
Finally, Zapatismo teaches us that democracy -- within and among our movement groups, as well as between them and "civil society" - - is an integral element of revolutionary strategy. There's no substitute for participatory leadership and direction of social movements.
Organizing for truly direct democracy within grassroots groups is hard enough; more difficult still is the task of making concrete connections between our movements and the public they purport to serve and represent. However, if we are to speak for "the people," we must be embraced and eventually joined by "the people." The EZLN and FZLN have had no easy time achieving that end, so we should expect nothing less here at home. But until we take their cue seriously, we will be operating bereft of a confident, coherent vision and without substantial support.
http://www.zmag.org/chiapas1/brizapaug9.htm
Alternative Economy Internship Program
The Mexico Solidarity Network is looking for students, recent graduates or community organizers who are interested in doing an internship in their city. There is no need to relocate for the internship and you can do it while attending college, high school or even while working another job! The internship program is part of a fair trade/solidarity program organized by the Mexico Solidarity Network in coordination with three Zapatista women's cooperatives and a Zapatista coffee cooperative. During the internship, you will learn about the Zapatista struggle for autonomy and alternatives to the predominant capitalist model. You will also have the opportunity to develop strong public speaking skills. The internship is a paid position, with the amount of income depending on your time and organizing capacity.
Interns will receive material on indigenous rights and fair trade. Each intern will start with a package of fair trade items, including textiles and coffee produced by Zapatista cooperatives. Interns will organize at least one public presentation each week at which you will discuss indigenous rights and fair trade, and sell fair trade items produced in Zapatista cooperatives. You can keep 20% of the income from sales. Interns are expected to devote 3 to 6 hours per week, and can expect to earn anywhere from $50 to $100 per week.
Presentations and sales can be organized at Sunday church services, community events, local universities, farmers markets, etc. For example, you can arrange to make a five-minute presentation at the end of a church service on Sunday morning, then sell fair trade items after the service. Or you can set up a table at university events, such as concerts, public talks or even in the cafeteria. You can arrange house parties where you discuss fair trade and indigenous rights and also sell fair trade items. You can also request five minutes to speak at community events that are already organized, then set up a table at the events. Through this internship you will be part of a growing fair trade movement that supports cooperative-based production in Zapatista communities.
as originally posted here:
http://populistindependent.org/phpbb/vi ... =1221#1221 (http://populistindependent.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=1221#1221)
In the space of a month, this will be my answer to "What To Do" in place of bourgeois street-corner placard waving that does little but makes one feel good about oneself.
The Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) stands against the 70 year, one-party rule of the PRI oe the ruling party of Mexico. But they especially take issue against the oppression that this reign has wrought on the people of Mexico.
They consider themselves a national movement, even though they are primarily located in the southernmost state of Chiapas. According to the Zapatistas, "we are the dispossessed millions..." and their enemies are the "wealthy and the State" who have oppressed Mexican nationals for at least the last 70 years and the indigenous people for the last 500 years.
The Zapatistas argue that "attempting change through all legal means" has been rendered entirely unsuccessful by the PRI dictatorship, and therefore they call on Article 39 of the Mexican Constitution, which states that "the people have, at all times, the inalienable right to alter or modify the form of their government." For the Zapatistas, armed struggle is the only means available to them.
They chose to begin their rebellion on the first of January, 1994 to coincide with the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) because it is a "death sentence." According to Sub-Commander Marcos of the EZLN, "when [NAFTA] goes into effect it will represent an international massacre" because the treaty will only exacerbate the polarization of wealth in Mexico oe and hence increase the poverty and immiseration of the Mexican poor.
The Zapatistas take their name from the Mexican revolutionary, Emiliano Zapata, who fought in the Mexican Revolution in 1910. The EZLN's demands echo the original Zapata's Plan of Ayala oe the plan for which Zapata fought oe "the immense majority of Mexican [people] are owners of no more than the land they walk on... because lands, timber, and water are monopolized in a few hands."
Their demands are fairly straight forward. According to the EZLN Communique of June 12, 1994, "the demands of the EZLN are summed up in the 11 points affirmed in the Declaration from the Lacondon Jungle: Work, land, shelter, food, health, education, independence, freedom, democracy, justice and peace."
Their stated demands on the Mexican government include an end to illiteracy, the right to education, the right to dignified jobs, respect for indigenous peoples and cultures, the creation of hospitals, freedom for an independent press, a cancellation of debts for the poor, an end to hunger, malnutrition and brutal exploitation, the release of political prisoners, the creation truly free and democratic elections, "an end to centralization" and establishment of municipal "self-governance with political, economic and cultural autonomy," and for women, they demanded birth clinics, child care and access to education.
The EZLN's land reform program is laid down in the Agrarian Revolutionary Law. The Zapatistas argue that the land ought to be returned "to those who work it." All large land estates will be expropriated for the purpose of creating collective farms so that all poor peasants can work to supply food to their families. "The purpose of collective production is primarily to satisfy the people's needs."
http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/mexico ... t/why.html (http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/mexico/comment/why.html) via google cache
So what are the lessons of zapatismo as they pertain to First World activists? The first is that solidarity with the Third World doesn't stop at sending material aid, teachers or observers to impoverished villages in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.
True solidarity means educating our own communities in the struggles of peoples throughout the world. It means raising a consciousness among working people -- especially people of color and marginalized ethnicities -- that they are not alone in their experiences of and resistance to class struggle and racism.
Solidarity also means rising up here at home to raise the social costs of pursuing such peoples' exploitation -- both domestically and abroad -- to a level corporations and the institutional agents which facilitate their pursuits cannot accommodate. That implies distracting multinational institutions from their quest for profits by forcing them on the defensive. It also requires removing the US military from foreign soil, and extinguishing the funds which equip the enemies of our brothers and sisters with the requisites of war. The goal is to send US troops marching North, homeward, demoralized, eager to lay down their weapons once and for all.
Zapatismo also teaches us that all resistance must be informed and animated by deeply-rooted ties to community and culture. Indigenous people in the Western Hemisphere have had 500 years to develop cultures of resistance from what were once cultures of existence, and to define community and identity in relation to a common oppressor. Most of the rest of us are only now beginning to form cultural bonds within a struggle for liberation, and we're caught between two communities: one in explicit, if periodic, resistance; the other absorbed and manufactured by the dominant culture.
Finally, Zapatismo teaches us that democracy -- within and among our movement groups, as well as between them and "civil society" - - is an integral element of revolutionary strategy. There's no substitute for participatory leadership and direction of social movements.
Organizing for truly direct democracy within grassroots groups is hard enough; more difficult still is the task of making concrete connections between our movements and the public they purport to serve and represent. However, if we are to speak for "the people," we must be embraced and eventually joined by "the people." The EZLN and FZLN have had no easy time achieving that end, so we should expect nothing less here at home. But until we take their cue seriously, we will be operating bereft of a confident, coherent vision and without substantial support.
http://www.zmag.org/chiapas1/brizapaug9.htm