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The following article appeared in "La Jornada," a respected Mexican daily newspaper, on May 14, 1998. The author, Aida Hernandez Castillo, is Coordinator of the Center for Research and Higher Learning of Social Anthropology--Southeastern branch. Ms. Hernandez Castillo dedicated this article to Professor Sergio Valdes Ruvalcaba and the companeros from "La Voz del Cerro Hueco." |
Threats and Discord in the Those of us who live and work in Chiapas are constantly in danger of becoming accustomed to the militarization and continuous "emergencies" that mark our daily existence. Every week there is yet another story of a friend or acquaintance that has been arrested or has received death threats. We academics are always "one step behind history", trying to understand the complexity of the processes we are living in Chiapas. At the same time, we are working to arrive at some sort of agreement in order to issue joint statements with respect to the "many emergencies". As one companero said, "I don't understand what's going on at the moment, and what I do understand, already happened." The social players interacting on the political scene in Chiapas have created many "gray zones" in terms of analysis, eliminating the possibility of a "good guy, bad guy" story. Many of us arrived in the communities now in conflict a very long time ago. We have friends who are Zapatistas, anti-Zapatista, indifferent, neutral, disappeared, frightened, and displaced. We hear different versions of how these individuals are living through what some call "low intensity warfare." The knowledge of these different realities has impacted the ability of the academic community to arrive at a political consensus. Nevertheless, the escalation of military activity in the region has continued, along with the arbitrary acts accompanying militarization, both of which speak to the need for bridges of communication to be established within the different sectors of the academic community. The need to speak out in a unified way has become indispensable. The arrest of Professor Sergio Valdes Ruvalcaba in the Taniperlas community on April 1lth, is a wake up call to those of us who are presently working in indigenous communities, whether as researchers, in development, health or education. At this juncture, even paralysis and silence do not guarantee personal safety. The mere act of living in a zone of conflict at this time, which is the situation for the inhabitants of over half of the state of Chiapas, makes us "suspects," "presumed guilty," or just "plain guilty." Such was the case of Professor Valdes Ruvalcaba. Only fifteen days after arriving at the Tzetal ejido in Taniperlas, Professor Valdes Ruvalcaba, conducting research for the Autonomous University of Mexico's Education and Communication department, was arrested. Professor Valdes Ruvalcaba was a member of the investigative project "Tzeltal Education, Knowledge, and Community Values" led by Dr. Antonio Paoli. During the weeks that Professor Valdes Ruvalcaba lived in the community, his activity was limited to organizing cooperative graphic workshops enabling the community to express via graphics the aesthetic values of La Canadas inhabitants. During the military invasion to dismantle the autonomous municipality of Ricardo Flores Magon, Professor Valdes and eight other people were arrested, accused of theft, pillory and rebellion. This last accusation has two preconditions according to the state Penal Code: possession of firearms, and the commission of violent acts ñneither of which have been substantiated. Professor Valdes, at sixty years of age, now runs the risk of spending the next nine years of his life in the "Cerro Hueco" prison. His only crime was to conduct research to benefit the Tzetal community or as one person said, " to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." Home | Latin America on the Web | Publication Highlights Special Reports | Links | About Us | Conexiones
Copyright 1998 -- ISLA |
