Making Waves : CHIAPAS MEDIA PROJECT
Stories of Participatory Communication
for Social Change
TITLE: Chiapas Media Project
COUNTRY: Mexico in partnership with the U.S.A.
FOCUS: Communication for democracy
PLACE: Municipalities of Palenque, Ocosingo, Altamirano, Las Margaritas and SanAndrés Larrainzar
BENEFICIARIES: Chol, Tzeltal, Tzotzil, Tojolabal communities
PARTNERS: La Neta, Instituto Latinoamericano deComunicación Educativa (ILCE)
FUNDING: The US-Mexico Fund for Culture, The PeaceDevelopment Fund, The Funding Exchange
MEDIA: Video
The aroma of locally grown organic coffee wafts through the air from a fresh pot on the kitchen stove at the Chiapas Media Project (CMP) office in San Cristobal de las Casas. In one room Feliciano logs videotapes for his new project about cultural restoration in theindigenous Tzeltal regions. In another room Moisés puts the final touches on his video, shot in his native language, about the autonomous education system that indigenous people have developed since 1994, when the Zapatista movement took hold. The entire office, which doubles as a home away from home for indigenous videomakers from remote communities statewide, is bustling with activity.
Today, all five of the autonomous indigenous regions of the state have trained video makers working with the Chiapas Media Project which has become: a forum for indigenous people to create their own media, promote their autonomy, and tell their own stories in their own words and images.
Feliciano has now produced three videos. Women United his most recent production about a collectively run bakery, garden and store in the autonomous municipality of the "17th of November", was shot by two women from the nearby community of Lucio Cabañas. Whenasked about his video Feliciano says: "This video shows how women have organised the collective work in times of resistance. There are other communities that need to organise themselves, so we made this video for them to see how this is done. This video is for distribution in different regions. We have shown it, and the whole region now knows of the collective work of the women."
Others learn video to defend their communities from humanrights abuses committed by the Mexican Army or paramilitary groups that terrorise remote communities.
Ruben, who has been trained in video as a human rights promoter says, "The only thing that we want is that we all know our rights and see that they are respected". Another human rights promoter chimes in: "What we are learning is very useful: how to use a video camera and how to record evidence that proves that we are the victims of thevery things that the government accuses us of".
Written by members of the Chiapas Media Project.
The Chiapas Media Project is a binationalpartnership (Mexico-U.S.A.) that provides video and computer equipment and training to marginalised indigenous communities in Chiapas, Mexico. Its mission is to nurtureprocesses that, through video and computer technology, empower communities struggling for democracy, land reform and autonomy to develop alternative media so that their voices can be heard. The Chiapas Media Project began in 1997 with a series of consultations with indigenous community leaders throughout the state of Chiapas. At each of these meetings, the leadership explained the importance of information in their struggles for human rights, democracy, land reform and respect for indigenous rights.
The Chiapas Media Project works in the municipalities of Palenque, Ocosingo, Altamirano, Las Margaritas and San Andrés Larrainzar. The population is Chol, Tzeltal, Tzotzil and Tojolabal. Indigenousauthorities assign young men and women to participate in the project as associates. With sufficient training, some will graduate to videomakers. In keeping with community traditions, members of the Chiapas Media Project apply their knowledge and creativity for the benefit of their communities.
Through video technology they can tell their own stories in their own words. Through computers they can distribute their stories via the Internet. This is a new kind of struggle that melds traditional values like dignity, democracy and autonomy with modern technologies that enable the voiceless to be heard. The demand for equipment and instruction continues to grow. The initial training involves basic camera usage, interviewing techniques, documentation of physical evidence, and shooting under difficult conditions.
Since the initial equipment delivery and training workshop in February of 1998, the Chiapas Media Project has delivered 40 video cameras to 37 communities. Three editing systems are up and functioning, including a portable non-linear system. Five portable projectors enable screenings throughout the region. Eight portable computers are used for computer training, and also serve the record keeping and correspondence needs of the communities. Potentially, the project can reach some 400 communities with a total population of approximately one million in Chiapas.
The use of video as a tool for preserving the local memory of struggles for democracy and justice has resulted in numerous productions. Among them, Mujeres Unidas (Women United) spotlights the indigenous women's collective work in the autonomous municipality of 17 de Noviembre; El Curandero de las Comunidades Indigenas deLos Altos de Chiapas (The Healer in the Indigenous Communities of the Highlands of Chiapas), is an intimate look at traditional Mayan healing practices; La Familia Indigena (The Indigenous Family) takes an intimate look at the role of men and women in the community ofEjido Morelia; La Mala Cosecha (The Bad Harvest) documents severe food shortages in 1998; El Colectivo de la Caña de Azucar (The Sugar Cane Collective) illustrates a central activity of the municipality ofEl Trabajo, where men, women and children combine efforts to produce sugar with hand-made tools, hard work and joy; Consulta Nacional 21 de Marzo, Municipio Autónomo San Juan de la Libertad (The National Consultation, March 21 in the Autonomous Municipality of San Juan de La Libertad) 5, Zapatistas left Chiapas to conduct a massive popular education campaign throughout Mexico on indigenous rights and the San Andrés Accords, the ensuing nine-day campaign led to the Consulta Nacional in which citizens were asked to vote on four basic questions regarding indigenous rights.
The indigenous communities in Chiapas are involved in a life and death struggle for democracy, land distribution and respect for human rights. While they are struggling to break a cycle of poverty and injustice, mainstream media portray the difficult situation in Mexico'ssouthern-most state from an outside perspective. Often with ignorance or malice, the mass media does not faithfully interpret indigenous peoples' struggles. Their stories often fit the prevailing political needs of the ruling elite, but do not accurately represent the lives of poor Indians. The result is widespread racism and a society of gross inequality, where indigenous peoples live on the edge of despair, without democracy, economic justice or respect for their historic culture. Without the ability to control their own truth, indigenouscommunities fight an uphill battle for lives of dignity. Information provides the framework for political, social and economic change. Information is power, and the redistribution of power is central to achieving a just and democratic society.
In 1997, a series of meetings between video/computer experts from the United States and Mexico, and indigenous leaders in Chiapas revealed the critical need for an indigenous voice in the national and international debate. Indigenous communities defined their needsand, working together with experienced technicians from Oaxaca, Mexico City and the United States, designed the CMP.
The Chiapas Media Project gives voice to the voiceless; its profound effect will influence the outcome of complex political and social struggles. The most powerful "weapon" in this struggle is the abilityto make indigenous views known to the world. The CMP nurtures processes that, through video and computer technology, empower indigenous peoples. These tools can be used to strengthen tolerance and understanding, thus breaking down social, cultural and ideological barriers. The impact in the communities has been profound. In mastering video and computer technology, young people achieve a sense of empowerment. By demystifying technology they gain confidence and expand horizons. Most of the communities have been exposed to television, now they have the power to tell their own stories. In 1998not one of the students had ever held a video camera or used a computer. Today they are producing videos and rapidly mastering useful aspects of computer technology.
In 1999, a young member of the CMP from the community ofNicolas Ruiz, documented an attack on the community by the State Police where several people were wounded. The wounded were interviewed and their wounds videotaped as evidence. This videotape is currently before a judge in Tuxtla Gutierrez, challenging the presence of the State Police in this community.
In February 1999 the community of Ejido Morelia organised their own video workshop in response to requests from surrounding communities. This was an important step in the process of self-sufficiency, which is key to the long-term success of the Chiapas Media ProjectStudents from Morelia ran the workshop, and eight people from four outlying communities learned basic camera techniques.
Many indigenous people began building an autonomous systemof governance over their communities as a way to combat years of corruption, human rights abuses and neglect suffered at the hands of the Mexican government and Federal Army.
From its inception the Chiapas Media Project has been binational and multicultural. Indigenous leaders define their needs as well as the scope and pace of the project. Technicians from the United States andMexico provide equipment and training to meet these needs and all of the equipment is owned by the communities. The development of this project would not have been possible without this collaboration. The board of directors includes an equal mix of United States and Mexican members and several indigenous community leaders from Chiapas who, for reasons of personal security, prefer not to be namedin public documents. Their participation is central to the development of the project at every step.
Almost all of the introductory video courses and half of the introductory computer courses are given by indigenous youth in their native languages. As associates learn skills, they are empowered to become instructors, passing along their knowledge to the rest of their community. Eventually "associates" and "video-makers" that receivetraining through the project will serve as the next generation of instructors, and communities will achieve self-sufficiency. The lasting legacy will be a bridge of understanding and caring across cultures.
The Chiapas Media Project covers travel, material and food costs for these workshops. Increasingly, the instructors who come from outside of the communities act as consultants for new productions, handle advanced courses, and nurture the processes toward self-sufficiency.
Many of the students that are part of the Chiapas Media Project live in self-declared autonomous communities. These communities are establishing their own parallel and self-sufficient government structures; an important function of these is record-keeping. Four times during1998 government forces invaded these communities and destroyed their files. By recording important community information on portable computers and diskettes, government forces are no longer able to destroy years of hard work in a single night.
All of the work of the CMP is done in the context of extremely difficult conditions. Low intensity warfare results in severe food shortages as documented in Chiapas 1998: La Mala Cosecha (The Bad Harvest). Medical care is used as a weapon in this struggle and many Indians die of curable diseases. Army checkpoints had tripled by theend of 20 making it difficult to travel without being stopped.
Nonetheless, the presence of video cameras offers a level of protection. In 1999 army troops tried to enter communities, but quickly departed when community members began to record their actions with video cameras.
Despite the exceptional enthusiasm and learning abilities, a series of technical, logistical and organisational problems often arise. If a piece of equipment doesn't work properly, the initial response is to put it away until the "experts" return to fix it.
Information provided by Tom Hansen, Alexandra Halkin and Ana Hernandez, codirectors of Chiapas Media Project through e-mail exchanges.
Chiapas Media Project website
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