Event Title
“In the end, it is not the bullets that kill us, it is the forgetting.” Member of the non-violent “Las Abejas” community and survivor of the 1994 Acteal, Mexico massacre
Start Date
12-1-2012 3:30 PM
End Date
12-1-2012 5:00 PM
Description
Massacres often do not occur as a result of political rivalries or ethnic and religious differences. They also take place within a context of the pursuit of a political and development model which puts power and violence at its core and are, ultimately, officially sanctioned.
This presentation, will present two case studies of massacres, using contextual footage and videotaped interviews with survivors of the Rio Negro massacre in Guatemala, and with massacre at the non-violent Las Abejas community in Acteal, Mexico.
Reflecting on the Guatemala massacres is particularly timely in light of the recent arrest of a high-ranking former Guatemalan general on charges of genocide, disappearances and crimes against humanity. The Acteal massacre of 45 women and children also is pertinent today as the community continues its resistance to ongoing government repression, and the non-violent protest of the recent release of all perpetrators of that massacre.
The video presentations will be followed by a lecture and discussion of the root causes of these massacres—who was responsible (contrary to "official" versions of these events); what might be learned from the two case studies; and how they are, unfortunately, ongoing and utterly contemporary.
Throughout many parts of the “developing" world, massacres continue to take place—in part due to governmental and international business interests that promote the violent expropriation of people from their ancestral lands for profitable extraction of natural resources, and the push for energy in the form of dams and other sources.
The dynamics of genocide, along with the new dimensions of “ecocide”, often are interwoven. Whether killed by the bullets or machetes, or by the displacement and force denial of their of their cultural and human rights, many communities face the loss of living dignified lives, including the lack of ability to feed themselves and access drinking water.
The presentation also will discuss what massacre survivors and other activists are doing to effectively address these ongoing dynamics, and will consider the causes and consequences of continuing down this path, which remains both historic and contemporary. With such awareness, opportunities exist to build multiple local, national and international movements to effectively promote models and policies that respect basic human rights and the rights of the natural world to exist.
NOTE: I will be updating and editing a new version of the documentary below, and during the symposium presentation would be using both new and previous interviews from the tape during the presentation. The tape can be viewed at: Part 1: http://youtu.be/_UGczyfG7uU Part 2: http://youtu.be/I5ldaAAMBIA
Here is a brief description of the original documentary: http://websites.lib.ucr.edu/staff/estambaugh/LASER/videounionlist.htm
Against Forgetting: Digging up and Confronting the Past in Guatemala Discusses two massacres that occurred in 1982 as part of the government’s anti-insurgency campaign in Guatemala, including the history of the beginning of the government repression in 1952. Since 1993 the mass graves of these victims have begun to be exhumed in order to provide proper burial. The Monuments to Truth project raises funds to help surviving victims create monuments to commemorate their lost loved ones. Title from container: Monuments to Truth: Against Forgetting. Campaign for Peace and Life in Guatemala; producer/director, Jonathan Treat. [Durango, CO]: Sun Productions; Washington, D.C.: EPICA [distributor], 1996. 1 videocassette (16 min.): sd., color, b&w; ½ in. VHS.
“In the end, it is not the bullets that kill us, it is the forgetting.” Member of the non-violent “Las Abejas” community and survivor of the 1994 Acteal, Mexico massacre
Massacres often do not occur as a result of political rivalries or ethnic and religious differences. They also take place within a context of the pursuit of a political and development model which puts power and violence at its core and are, ultimately, officially sanctioned.
This presentation, will present two case studies of massacres, using contextual footage and videotaped interviews with survivors of the Rio Negro massacre in Guatemala, and with massacre at the non-violent Las Abejas community in Acteal, Mexico.
Reflecting on the Guatemala massacres is particularly timely in light of the recent arrest of a high-ranking former Guatemalan general on charges of genocide, disappearances and crimes against humanity. The Acteal massacre of 45 women and children also is pertinent today as the community continues its resistance to ongoing government repression, and the non-violent protest of the recent release of all perpetrators of that massacre.
The video presentations will be followed by a lecture and discussion of the root causes of these massacres—who was responsible (contrary to "official" versions of these events); what might be learned from the two case studies; and how they are, unfortunately, ongoing and utterly contemporary.
Throughout many parts of the “developing" world, massacres continue to take place—in part due to governmental and international business interests that promote the violent expropriation of people from their ancestral lands for profitable extraction of natural resources, and the push for energy in the form of dams and other sources.
The dynamics of genocide, along with the new dimensions of “ecocide”, often are interwoven. Whether killed by the bullets or machetes, or by the displacement and force denial of their of their cultural and human rights, many communities face the loss of living dignified lives, including the lack of ability to feed themselves and access drinking water.
The presentation also will discuss what massacre survivors and other activists are doing to effectively address these ongoing dynamics, and will consider the causes and consequences of continuing down this path, which remains both historic and contemporary. With such awareness, opportunities exist to build multiple local, national and international movements to effectively promote models and policies that respect basic human rights and the rights of the natural world to exist.
NOTE: I will be updating and editing a new version of the documentary below, and during the symposium presentation would be using both new and previous interviews from the tape during the presentation. The tape can be viewed at: Part 1: http://youtu.be/_UGczyfG7uU Part 2: http://youtu.be/I5ldaAAMBIA
Here is a brief description of the original documentary: http://websites.lib.ucr.edu/staff/estambaugh/LASER/videounionlist.htm
Against Forgetting: Digging up and Confronting the Past in Guatemala Discusses two massacres that occurred in 1982 as part of the government’s anti-insurgency campaign in Guatemala, including the history of the beginning of the government repression in 1952. Since 1993 the mass graves of these victims have begun to be exhumed in order to provide proper burial. The Monuments to Truth project raises funds to help surviving victims create monuments to commemorate their lost loved ones. Title from container: Monuments to Truth: Against Forgetting. Campaign for Peace and Life in Guatemala; producer/director, Jonathan Treat. [Durango, CO]: Sun Productions; Washington, D.C.: EPICA [distributor], 1996. 1 videocassette (16 min.): sd., color, b&w; ½ in. VHS.