**Please pass on to all lists***
CHIAPAS MEDIA PROJECT/Promedios FALL TOUR 2007
Chiapas Media Project (CMP)/Promedios seeks university, cultural and
community-based sponsors to host screenings on our Fall Tour 2007.
The tour will feature videos produced by indigenous video makers from
the states of Chiapas and Guerrero, Mexico. Dates are scheduled on a
first come, first-served basis and fill up fast, so please contact us
as soon as possible.
CMP/Promedios is an award winning, bi-national partnership that
provides video equipment, computers and training enabling
marginalized indigenous and campesino communities in Southern Mexico
to create their own media. CMP/Promedios is currently distributing 26
indigenous produced videos worldwide.
CMP/Promedios have presented their videos at numerous universities,
museums, and film and video festivals around the world. CMP/Promedios
have done presentations at Yale University, MIT, Columbia
University, Harvard University, La Trobe University, (Melbourne,
Australia), National University (Bogotá, Colombia), Sundance Film
Festival, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Museum
of Modern Art, NYC, Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival and the
Intl. Human Rights Film Fest in Buenos Aires among others.
Aasia Mohammad Castaneda, US Coordinator, will present the videos.
Presentations last between one-and-a-half and two hours, include
video screenings and a discussion on the role of indigenous media and
self-representation in the context of the current socio-political
situations in Mexico and Latin America. A Q & A session follows the
video screening. Presentations can be done in either Spanish or
English. Sponsors need to provide a video projector, a VCR with audio
system and comfortable seating.
CMP/Promedios asks for an honorarium based on the means of the host
organization to help continue the work of the CMP/Promedios. Press
kits are available that include articles on CMP/Promedios, bios,
photos etc. Please check our web site: www.chiapasmediaproject.org/
presskit for more information.
For further information, please call us at 773-504-4144 or e-mail us
at [log in to unmask]
DATES CONFIRMED:
September 5-8, 2007 Latin American Studies Association, Montreal, Canada
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The Chiapas Media Project is remarkable! This project is a rare and
powerful example of how indigenous people are using the weapons of
technology and trans-nationalism to make their voices heard and
advance their struggles. Not only are their videos wonderful teaching
resources, but their presentations inspire students and faculty alike
to rethink old ideas about indigenous cultures, and forge new ties of
solidarity.
Maria Elena Garcia, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Sarah
Lawrence College
CMP videos inform and inspire--the videos are gems. CMP presentations
are lively and instructive, going beyond the background we need to
understand the videos to provide hard-to-get updates on contemporary
rural Mexico. We hear the wonderful stories behind the videos and
learn about the process whereby video makers and communities interact
to shape video story and imagery.
William H. Fisher, Associate Professor of Anthropology, William and
Mary College
The CMP presentation led our students to a place where idealism and
courage confront injustice. It is evident that the CMP videos and the
discussions that followed have had a long-term impact; students refer
to the Zapatistas repeatedly. In times when young people can be
overwhelmed with feelings of insignificance, we are grateful for the
opportunity to challenge the cynical world fostered by commercial media.
Janice Windborne, Ph.D. Dept. Media, Journalism & Film, Southwest
Missouri State University
The films have a powerful human component that you just ca not get
from secondary sources about the injustices occurring in Chiapas and
Guerrero. Bringing the event to the Fresno State campus provided a
setting for exposure and learning that otherwise would not be
present. It’s artistic and informative.
Maria Sofia Corona-Solyluna, Fresno State M.E.Ch.A/USAS
CMP documentaries are an essential point of entry into the world of
indigenous resistance. CMP videos accomplish their goal of telling
the story from the perspective of the indigenous by implementing the
concept of autonomy in their approach to video production. These
documentaries are an irreplaceable guide for understanding the
autonomous movement and why it is a workable alternative to corporate
controlled globalization.
Glen David Kuecker, Assistant Professor of Latin American History,
DePauw University
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NEW VIDEOS AVAILABLE FOR SCREENINGS:
“A Very Big Train Called the Other Campaign” 2006, 39:00, Spanish w/
English subtitles
In January 2006, Subcomandante Marcos began his tour of the Mexico,
known as La Otra (The Other Campaign), the Zapatista initiative
launched in an effort to evolve new forms of governance in Mexico and
beyond. A Very Big Train called the Other Campaign, follows
preparatory meetings between indigenous communities and Mexican civil
society before launching La Otra. This production was realized by
indigenous video makers of 4 of the 5 Zapatista Caracoles in Chiapas,
Mexico.
*We will also be screening a new video on Zapatista Education:
“Letters for our Words”
OTHER VIDEOS AVAILABLE FOR SCREENINGS:
***Videos can be purchased at www.chiapasmediaproject.org***
The Land Belongs to Those who Work it
(Tzeltal and Spanish with English Subtitles, 15 minutes, 2005)
The video discusses the situation in the town of Bolon Aja'aw,
located in the north of the state near the famous Agua Azul river
system. The federal government sold the land in Bolon aja'aw to a
private company to create an eco-tourism center without the
permission of the community members. The video documents a meeting
between Zapatista authorities and Mexican Government functionaries,
and offers a critical look at the practical implications of so-called
eco-tourism.
We are Equal: Zapatista Women Speak
(Spanish and Tzeltal with English subtitles, 18 minutes, 2004)
Zapatista women speak about what their lives were like before the
uprising in 1994 and how their lives have changed since. A very
upfront and critical look at gender relations within the Zapatista
communities - how far women have come and how far they still need to go.
Eyes on What’s Inside: The Militarization of Guerrero
(Tlapaneco and Spanish with English subtitles, 2004)
Inez and Valentina, two indigenous women from the montaña region of
Guerrero were raped by Mexican soldiers. Eyes on What’s Inside looks
at the economic, social and political factors that lead to these
rapes. The Organization of Indigenous People Me phaa (OIPM) share
their story but it is really the story of many indigenous communities
in Guerrero. Discussed are the destabilizing effects of the military
presence on indigenous communities, and how the increasing poverty/
marginalization of the population has contributed to the formation of
armed guerilla groups and the presence of narcotrafficking. The
Mexican Constitution lays out the internal role of the military and
Guerrero presents a clear example of how the military acts outside of
it’s constitutional mandate.
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