The Chiapas Project

The Chiapas Project

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Chiapas

INTRODUCTION

Chiapas is a state in Mexico where, since the Mexican go-vernment introduced the economic system of neo-liberalism, the rights of farmers, all Mayan people, are being trampled on in favour of the big landowners who alledgely would produce more than the porer campesinos (farmers) who

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systematically lost their land and were rendered homeless in forests if they couldn't get any new accomodation.

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So since then a lot of Mayan people are forced to live in the forest in simple selfmade houses and walk barefooted through the mud. Today it looks as though all Mexico's national hero of the Mexican Revolution, Emiliano Zapata, namely "Tierra y Libertad" (Land and Freedom) and it even seems like the "rurales" (lynch parties) of then president Diaz are back too, considering the people who have been murdered in Chiapas. Many people in Chiapas, realizing they have nothing to lose, are willingly joining the resistence of the EZLN (Ejergito Zapatista de Liberación Nationál) and their Subcommandante Marcos. One thing however has changed since the days of Zapata and Pancho Villa, we now have internet and are able to reach more people. Even the EZLN has a website to reach out to the world, be it unfortunately only in Spanish. But what the people of Chiapas need is not just political support, they are getting a lot of that in Mexico, be it not from the government or the Mexican political parties, but also lots and lots of humanitarian aid is desperately needed, and for this I can recommend you to support organisations like KipTik (from their webpage: "The aim of KIPTIK is to support the Zapatista struggle directly through the construction of drinking water systems, ecological stoves, health and mural projects.") in Bristol, England, and the organisation in Chiapas itself called Yok Chij, run by Sergio Castro, which is a centre for the treatment of burns as the hospitals in Chiapas do not treat burns they way they should be doing it by sending people home to early or engaging into completely unnecessary amputations.