Global Voices » Andrea Arzaba

Female Homicides on the Rise in Mexico

Andrea Arzaba — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:08:22 +0000

Violeta, an 18-year-old student, was found [es] dead on a dirt road in the state of Chiapas with signs of violence on her body. Meanwhile, in the state of Guanajuato, the body of another woman named Olga was found [es] partially buried and covered in lime. She appeared to have been strangled.

These two women, who were discovered in April 2013, were just two of the latest victims of a dramatic spike in deadly violence against women in many parts of Mexico.

According to Martha Figueroa [es], from the Women's Collective of San Cristóbal de las Casas, femicides are on the rise this year; so far in 2013, 26 women have suffered violent deaths in Chiapas, and of those at least 20 are considered femicides. In 2012, the same organization registered [es] 85 femicides in Chiapas. This month, Guanajuato's Attorney General Carlos Zamarripa reported [es] 24 femicides “in recent weeks” in that state. While in the northern state of Chihuahua –- a state known for the horrific femicide cases of Ciudad Juarez – 73 women were murdered in one year, from March 2012 to March 2013.

The mothers of these victims as well as women's rights activists are now taking to the street to demand justice as femicides continue unpunished, sometimes risking their own lives in doing so. InCiudad Juárez about six human rights defenders were forced to leave the city this month to protect their lives.

The reason? They demand to know why their daughters were killed.

Anaiz Zamora Márquez, from the Mexican news organization CIMAC, recounted for her readers [es] a recent march against the impunity surrounding Ciudad Juarez's female homicides is not easily forgotten:

“No more femicides.” Photo by Flickr lunita lu, under Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Hace un mes en DF el dolor de las madres y familiares de jóvenes desaparecidas en Ciudad Juárez se extendió por esta capital, y en una protesta de más de cuatro horas el silencio de 20 años de impunidad y autoridades incompetentes se transformó en reclamo de justicia.

One month ago in Mexico City, the pain of mothers and families of missing young women in Ciudad Juarez swept the capital, and in a protest of more than four hours, the silence of 20 years of impunity and incompetent authorities was transformed in order to demand justice.

Anaiz describes the authorities’ response to the march:

La tarde caía y al grito de “¡Vivas se las llevaron, vivas las queremos!” las madres y sus acompañantes se encaminaron sobre Paseo de la Reforma rumbo a la representación del gobierno de Chihuahua.

Al llegar, al igual que hacen las autoridades chihuahuenses, las oficinas –custodiadas por policías de la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública del DF– mantuvieron cerradas sus puertas y ventanas.

Ante el silencio, las madres leyeron un pronunciamiento con una sola exigencia: justicia.

Evening was falling and women were shouting: “They took them alive, we want them back alive!” Mothers and their companions made their way to Paseo de la Reforma [famous avenue in Mexico City] towards the representation of the government of Chihuahua in the city.

Upon arrival, just like Chihuahua authorities do, the offices — which were guarded by the police of the Ministry of Public Security in Mexico City — kept their doors and windows shut.

Despite the silence, the mothers read a statement with only one requirement: justice.

Ana Leticia Hernández Julián, from the website Sin Embargo, singled out [es] corruption as the worst enemy of justice when it comes to resolving these cases of violence against women in Mexico:

La impunidad, además, es el principal motor que promueve estos asesinatos, pues en la mayoría de los casos no se lleva a los culpables ante la justicia, reconocen organizaciones defensoras de los derechos de la mujer y el propio Estado mexicano.

Impunity is the driving force that promotes these murders, since in most cases the perpetrators are not confronted with justice, as women's rights NGOs and even the Mexican State recognize.

Finally, Ivonne de la Cruz Dominguez from the blog Matices de Mujer, compared [es] the government's silence towards female homicides with civilians’ loud cries of despair:

En 100 días de gobierno no se ha utilizado esa palabra en ninguno de sus discursos. Incluso, si se teclea en el buscador de la página web de la Presidencia de la República la palabra “feminicidios” te arroja “0 resultados” (lo que no ocurre con homicidios, o secuestros, por ejemplo.)

Mientras, las mujeres que luchan por exigir justicia tras el asesinato de sus hijas en Chihuahua, Guerrero, Edomex, Tlaxcala, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Sinaloa o Sonora, se han levantado nuevamente. Frases como “Ni una más”, “Vivas se las llevaron, vivas las queremos”, “No más violencia contra las mujeres”, se apoderan de las calles de diversas ciudades del país, en forma de gritos o palabras escritas.

In their first 100 days, the government has not used that word [femicides] in any speeches. Even if you search on the government's website for the word “femicide” you will get “0 results” (which does not happen with homicide or kidnapping, for example.)

Meanwhile, women who struggle to seek justice after the murder of their daughters in Chihuahua, Guerrero, the State of Mexico, Tlaxcala, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Sinaloa, and Sonora, have risen again. Phrases like “Not One More”, “They took them alive, we want them back alive”, “Stop violence against women”, take over the streets of various cities, in the form of yelling or written words.

Mexico's Social Media Love Revolution

Andrea Arzaba — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 19:53:59 +0000

Internationally, you will find many “different Mexicos” in the news: the beach-sun-party-tequila paradise, the drugwar-dangerous nation and the artistic-folkloric-colourful country with great food to discover.

Mexico is a very big and diverse country, and for the last couple of days Mexican social media has been full of violent news, starting from the tragedy of a gang raping 6 Spanish tourists to the Blast in Pemex Headquarters, not to mention corruption and human rights violations against journalists.

By knowing the negative image Mexico has in global media, some people from the international community living in Mexico got tired of seeing how the positive side of the country gets lost in a sea of horrifying stories everyday. This is why they decided to act in Twitter by creating the hashtag #ForTheLoveOfMexico.

Some of the TOP tweets of this conversation include:

Susannah Rigg (@MexicoRetold) invites netizens to start the online conversation:

@MexicoRetold: Join the love revolution #fortheloveofmexico…

MexicoMoment (@MexicoMoment) continued the dicussion by mentioning the importance of the use of the hashtag:

@MexicoMoment: We believe in Mexico's performance & potential. In good tidings and great food. In responsible tweeting. #fortheloveofmexico @MexicoRetold

Tach (@tachauvergne) made some compliments on Mexico's cultural diversity:

@tachauvergne: Because there's nowhere else on Earth that offers such a diverse and thrilling melting pot of culture, food and people#ForTheLoveOfMexico

Paola O Silk (@HTOMpaola) mentioned she is proud of her country because of its indigenous heritage:

@HTOMpaola: RT”@MexicoRetold: Mexico has over 68 distinct indigenous languages!#fortheloveofmexico” ~that is 1 of the reasons I'm in love w/ my country

Tapagringa (@kimmcdaniel) explained how Mexico changed her sense of time and family:

@kimmcdaniel: I love Mexico for teaching me to slow down and enjoy the ride.That family is most important.Everything else will wait.#fortheloveofmexico

Alejandro Castañón (@alexgillessen) expressed his concern about his nation's “bad luck” and courage:

@alexgillessen: @vocativmexico I love Mexico for its strength to carry on despite of the bad luck that has #fortheloveofmexico

Alejandra Castre (@Alejandra81) wrote about the amazing migratory phenomenon happening with monarch butterflies:

@Alejandra81: #fortheloveofmexico Mexico is witness for one of the most amazing migratory events: The Monarca Butterlfy comes every 2 our Oyamel Forests.

Finally Laura Winfree (@CancunGringa) expressed her admiration for Mayan heritage next to beautiful Caribbean beaches:

@CancunGringa: Because where else can you see Mayan ruins next to Caribbean beaches? #fortheloveofmexico http://twitpic.com/c16zbe

Some positive thoughts that needed to be raised, made by Mexicans or people who have been in Mexico, for their citizens not to lose hope when facing the wave of violence the country is facing today.

Everyone Wants to be the New Mexican President

Andrea Arzaba — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 03:48:40 +0000

On December 1, 2012, Mexico got a new president; Enrique Peña Nieto was sworn in, bringing the PRI –the party that ruled the country for more 70 years– back to power after 12 years of the PAN party holding the presidency.

After several hours sharing mixed feelings and following the protests [es] against the new president, netizens began using the hashtag #SiYoFueraPresidente [es] (If I were president) to share their own views about the most pressing issues affecting the country.

Juls Caesars (@JulsCaesars) [es], for example, expressed his concern about poverty in Mexico:

@JulsCaesars :#SiYoFueraPresidente en lugar de hacer una “guerra contra el Narcotrafico”, encabezaría una Guerra contra la Pobreza.

@JulsCaesars: #SiYoFueraPresidente (If I were president) instead of having a “War on Drugs” I would lead a “War against Poverty”

Adriana Llabres (@Adrillabres) [es] said that her priority as president would be the ethical treatment of animals:

@Adrillabres: #siyofuerapresidente Pondría leyes muy severas a aquellos que maltratan a los animales. Tortura y carcel por abusivos.

@Adrillabres: #siyofuerapresidente (If I were president) I would implement very severe laws against those who mistreat animals. Torture and jail for them.

Enrique Peña Nieto meeting with now former President Felipe Calderón in September 2012. Photo by Flickr user Gobierno Federal (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Meanwhile, L. Fernando Rdz. (@BlackNahual) [es] challenged the president's closeness to the Mexican people:

@BlackNahual: #SiYoFueraPresidente legitimo, festejaría con el pueblo.

@BlackNahual: #SiYoFueraPresidente (If I were president) a legitimate one, I would celebrate with the people

And Casablanca (@aalms) [es] listed two important issues:

@aalms: #siyofuerapresidente EDUCACION y LIBERTAD DE EXPRESION para TODOS

@aalms: #siyofuerapresidente (If I were president) EDUCATION and FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION for EVERYONE

Mafer Marin (@MaferMarin) [es] referred to the few employment opportunities available for new University graduates:

@MaferMarin: #SiYoFueraPresidente los egresados de universidad tendrían más oportunidades de trabajo en sus áreas y no se exigiría “experiencia”.

@MaferMarin: #SiYoFueraPresidente (If I were president) college graduates would have more job opportunities in their areas and “experience” would not be required.

Maribel Rodriguez (@candyro8819) [es] criticized the corrupt governments that don't keep their promises:

@candyro8819: #SiYoFueraPresidente no haría promesas al aire … ni mentiria por convivir … solo verdad y hechos…

@candyro8819: #SiYoFueraPresidente (If I were president) I would not make fake promises…or lie just to coexist…only the truth and facts…

Alex Kuzado (@pormistuits) [es] joked about the national beverage, Tequila, and San Lázaro, where the Chamber of Deputies is located and where Enrique Peña Nieto was sworn in as president:

@pormistuits: #SiYoFueraPresidente tequilas gratis en San Lázaro

@pormistuits: #SiYoFueraPresidente (If I were president) free tequilas in San Lázaro

Finally, Teacher R Valdes (@ricky_black) [es] said the best way to govern is not with words but with actions:

@ricky_black: #SiYoFueraPresidente no me quejaria tanto de lo que hacen los demas, habria que dar un buen ejemplo de como hacer las cosas

@ricky_black: #SiYoFueraPresidente (If I were president) I would not complain so much about what others are doing, I would set a good example of how to do things

Mexicans also used the hashtags #CambioDeGobierno2012 (change in government 2012), #MéxicoNoTienePresidente (Mexico doesn't have a president), #transición2012 (transition 2012), and #EPN (for Enrique Peña Nieto's initials) to share reports and express their thoughts throughout the day.

Mexico: Central American Mothers in Search of Missing Migrants

Andrea Arzaba — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 19:06:21 +0000

According to statistics by the Mesoamerican Migrant Movement [es], in the last six years around 70,000 migrants [es] have disappeared in Mexico. For several years, Central American mothers of abducted and missing migrants have traveled all over Mexico looking for their sons and daughters who have disappeared on their way north.

The route used by Central American migrants who travel through Mexico to get to the United States is a deadly odyssey. Many migrants die in the attempt, and when they arrive to Mexico they suffer from extreme weather, hunger, and harassment and abuse by organized crime groups and the authorities.

Even if the mothers of these migrants don't find their sons and daughters, the women hope to capture the media's attention and raise awareness on this issue that has been largely ignored.

A mother holds a photo of her son Jose Leonidas Moreno, a missing migrant. Photo by Mario Marlo from @Somoselmedio, under Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Omar Sanchez de Tagle from Animal Politico [es] recounts the main idea behind the trip of these Central American mothers and where they will tour:

La idea de esta caravana es recorrer la llamada ruta migrante que comprende unos 4 mil 600 kilómetros a lo largo de 14 estados y 23 localidades. De acuerdo a distintas organizaciones no gubernamentales dedicadas a la defensa del migrante, este recorrido tiene como finalidad denunciar que la inseguridad, el secuestro y homicidio de migrantes ha ido en aumento en los últimos seis años.

The idea of the caravan is to travel through the so called migrant route, which is about 4,600 kilometers across 14 states and 23 localities. According to various non-governmental organizations dedicated to the defense of migrants, this tour aims to expose that insecurity, kidnapping and murdering of migrants has been increasing in the last six years.

Suyapa Socorro walks through the streets of Reynosa, Mexico, holding an image of her missing daughter. Photo by Mario Marlo from @Somoselmedio, under Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

In the blog Somos El Medio [es], representatives of the Mesoamerican Migrant Movement explain where the participants are planning to stay during the caravan:

En cada una de las 23 localidades donde pararemos contamos con el apoyo de una gran variedad de actores mexicanos solidarios quienes son los anfitriones locales: albergues de migrantes, colectivos, organizaciones no gubernamentales, Institutos de Migración de los Gobiernos de Tlaxcala y Tamaulipas y del Distrito Federal, universidades, activistas y defensores de los derechos de los migrantes, cuyos nombres se verán reflejados en la agenda de actividades de la caravana.

In each of the 23 locations where we stop we have the support of a wide variety of Mexican actors and supporters who are the local hosts: migrant shelters, groups, organizations, Institutes of Migration from the Governments of Tamaulipas and Tlaxcala and from Mexico City, universities, activists and defenders of the rights of migrants, whose names will be reflected in the program of activities of the caravan.

Central American mothers participating in the caravan make and offering at a cross in memory of the migrants. Photo by Mario Marlo from @Somoselmedio, under Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Marcela Salas Cassani, in the blog Desinformemonos [es], writes the success story of this year's caravan:

La caravana de madres centroamericanas Liberando la esperanza, que tiene previsto visitar 15 estados de la República Mexicana en 20 días para localizar a migrantes desaparecidos en el camino hacia Estados Unidos, ha comenzado a rendir frutos. Hasta el momento, son cuatro las personas que han logrado reencontrarse con sus familiares: Max Funes, Marvin Celaya, Gabriel Salmerón y Silverio Mateo.

The caravan of Central American mothers “Releasing Hope” which is scheduled to visit 15 states of the Mexican Republic in 20 days, in order to locate missing migrants en route to the United States, has begun to bring results. So far, four people have been reunited with their families: Max Funes, Marvin Celaya, Gabriel Salmerón y Silverio Mateo.

Mother participating in the caravan stands in front of photos of missing migrants. Photo by Mario Marlo from @Somoselmedio, under Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

The caravan, which has already started, will go through the capital, Mexico City, on October 27 and 28 and will finish on November 3 in Chiapas, in southern Mexico.

See more photos of the caravan of Central American mothers on SubVersiones.

Mexico: Writing from Jail

Andrea Arzaba — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 15:07:36 +0000

Enrique Aranda Ochoa is not your average Mexican writer: Enrique was arrested in 1997 and convicted of kidnapping with a sentence of 50 years in prison. However, this has not stopped this renowned psychologist from pursuing his passion for literature.

Enrique has been awarded several national literature prizes and has already written six novels. Today he focuses on the mysteries of the Mayans in his book “El fin de los dias” (The end of our time) [es], which is available for purchase online [es] in an electronic format.

Blogger Gabriela Gutierrez M. from Animal Político [es] describes the writer's activities in jail:

Ávido por conversar, se le agolpan los temas entre las palabras. Puede comenzar hablando del Sol, por ejemplo, y termina hablando sobre Yoga, disciplina que además enseña en el penal. Una charla con él es equivalente a visitar alguna biblioteca, tras la cual uno termina con una lista de bibliografía pendiente por leer. Su última recomendación fue el cubano Joaquín María Machado de Assis.

Eager to talk, topics rush between his words. He can start talking about the sun, for example, and he might end up talking about yoga, a discipline that he teaches in prison. A conversation with him is equivalent to visiting a library, after which you end up with a list of outstanding literature for reading. His final recommendation was the Cuban Joaquin Maria Machado de Assis.

Image via Shutterstock, copyright Steve Snowden

Gabriela continues her blog post [es] mentioning the awards Enrique has won through his texts written directly from jail:

Desde la cárcel, Enrique Aranda ha sido tres veces Premio Nacional de Poesía “Salvador Díaz Mirón” (1998, 2001 y 2008), otorgado por Conaculta-INBA. También obtuvo dos veces (2003 y 2008) el Premio Nacional de Cuento José Revueltas, otorgado por las mismas instituciones. El reconocimiento más reciente le fue concedido por el INBA en el concurso “México lee 2011”, que se otorga por fomento a la lectura, por el club de lectura que impulso dentro de la cárcel. Fue el Instituto de Cultura de la Ciudad de México, hoy Secretaría de Cultura, quien le proporcionó los cerca de 800 libros: “Cuando les llamé, primero creyeron que era un funcionario. Cuando les dije que era un preso se emocionaron”, dice. La misión con este proyecto era darles a los internos “el boleto para un tour por el anhelado mundo exterior”.

Right from prison, Enrique Aranda has been awarded the National Poetry Prize “Salvador Diaz Miron” (1998, 2001 and 2008) by Conaculta-INBA three times. He also won the National Short Story Prize José Revueltas, awarded by those institutions, twice (2003 and 2008). The most recent recognition was granted by the INBA in the “Mexico lee 2011″ contest, which awards the promotion of reading, for the book club he created inside the jail. It was the Cultural Institute of Mexico City, now Ministry of Culture, who provided nearly 800 books [for the club]: “When I called them, at first thought it was an official. When I told them I was a prisoner they were excited”, he says. The mission of this project was to give inmates “a ticket for a tour of the outside world they longed for.”

The website of Mexican magazine Proceso [es] published an article on his case where they mention the irregularities of his indictment for kidnapping:

Enrique sospechó siempre que su detención se debió a sus actividades políticas en distintos foros públicos, por solidarizarse con causas sociales, como la zapatista, y por participar como activista contra el Tratado de Libre Comercio. El caso también fue denunciado por Amnistía Internacional en su informe de 2003: Juicios injustos: tortura en la administración de justicia (Índice AI: AMR 41/007/2003/); el presidente del PEN Club, Eugene Schoulgin, los visitó en 2006; también Lawyer’s Committee for Human Rights los defiende, y la Comisión de Derechos Humanos del Distrito Federal emitió la recomendación 12/02 por tortura y violación a sus garantías jurídicas.

Enrique always suspected that his arrest was due to his political activities in public forums, for his solidarity with social causes, such as the zapatista cause, and for participating as an activist against NAFTA. The case was also reported by Amnesty International in its 2003 report: Unfair trials: torture in the administration of justice (AI Index: AMR 41/007/2003/), the president of the PEN Club, Eugene Schoulgin, visited him in 2006; also the Lawyer's Committee for Human Rights defends them, and the Human Rights Commission of the Federal District (Mexico City) issued a Recommendation 12/02 due to torture and violation of his legal guarantees.

Enrique Aranda Ochoa plans to take his case to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Mexico Wins Historic Football Gold Medal

Andrea Arzaba — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 01:13:25 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.

For the first time in the country's Olympic history, Mexico won a gold medal in Men's Football. On August 11, 2012, the country celebrated as the Olympic team beat Brazil 2-1. Crowds all over Mexico waved flags and danced in squares and in the streets; thousands of fans gathered in a massive celebration at the emblematic Independence Angel in Mexico City.

On Twitter, the discussion became very intense, and even humorous. Some of the main hashtags during and after the game were #VamosMexico (“Go Mexico”), #MéxicoDeOro (“Golden Mexico”), #SomosOro (“We are Gold”), and #MexicoCampeón (“Mexico is the champion”).

Marithé Ayala Ortiz, (@werismao) [es] stressed how early people had to wake up on a Saturday morning to watch the game, at 9am in Central Mexico:

@werismao: Realmente tienes la pasión y el amor por tu México si en sábado estas despierto a esta hora #MéxicoDeOro #Londres2012

@werismao: You love and are really passionate about Mexico if you are awake this early on a Saturday #MéxicoDeOro #Londres2012

Photo of Mexico's Olympic Football team celebrating their gold medal. Photo shared on the Mexican national football team's Facebook page “Selección Nacional de México”.

Politics and disappointment regarding the newly elected president were part of the online discussion as well. Kris P (@tititila) [es] wrote:

@tititila: Ojalá gane México a ver si puedo olvidar un ratito el pasado 1 de julio y los próximos 6 años uhuuuuuu!

@tititila: I hope Mexico wins, let's see if at least I can forget what happened on July 1st and [what will happen] during the next 6 years uhuuuuuu!

Fernando Delaflor (@F3rn) [es] joked about his feelings while listening to the national anthem:

@F3rn: Lloré más cantando el Himno Nacional que cuando me cortó mi ex.

@F3rn: I cried more when I sang the National anthem than when my ex-girlfriend broke up with me.

BBC correspondent in Mexico Ignacio de los Reyes (@bbc_delosreyes) [es] described the spirit in the capital city as “euphoric” at the end of the match:

@bbc_delosreyes: México roza su Oro, euforia en las calles del DF y todos gritando “Vámonos al Ángel!” Hoy esta ciudad se va a volver loca!

@bbc_delosreyes: Mexico won Gold, euphoria in the streets of Mexico City (DF) and everybody screams “Let's go to the Angel”! Today the city is going to go mad!

Actor Gael Garcia Bernal (@GaelGarciaB) [es] also celebrated the historic match for Mexico:

@GaelGarciaB: A llorar un ratito. Quedito! Ganamos carajo, ganamos!

@GaelGarciaB: Let's cry a little. Quiet! We won, damn it, we won!

Lety Arr (@letylectric) [es] came to 3 important conclusions by the end of the match:

@letylectric: Ese gol de México rompió: 1. El récord olímpico. 2. Récord mundial (en una final). 3. El corazón de millones de brasileños. #MexicoDeOro

@letylectric: Mexico's goal broke: 1. an Olympic record 2. A world record (in a final match) 3. The heart of millions of Brazilians #MexicoDeOro

Finally, this tweet by Yazmin Lopez (@YazLopez) [es] reflects the positive attitude of Mexican netizens:

@YazLopez: Me gustas así: feliz, vencedor y contento! Te amo México!

@YazLopez: I like you like this: happy, victorious and content! I love you Mexico!

This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.

Mexico: Embroidering for Peace

Andrea Arzaba — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 15:15:47 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.

Threads, needles and fabrics have become warriors for peace in Mexico. In cities like Monterrey, Guadalajara and Mexico City, men and women of all ages have decided to speak out and share their thoughts and experiences on violence by participating in a collective relief effort through embroidery.

In her blog Yo también quiero opinar [es], Liliana Sánchez says she discovered the project while walking in the Coyoacan area, a bohemian and artistic neighborhood in Mexico City:

Esta vez, el proyecto que llamó mi atención lo encontré caminando por Coyoacán. Unas personas bordaban unos pañuelos, y aunque en principio pensé que eran las típicas manualidades para abuelitas, después me percaté de lo que decían los bordados. “Bordar por la paz. Un pañuelo una víctima” es el lema del colectivo “Fuentes Rojas”, quienes proponen bordar pañuelos con los nombres o descripciones de cada uno de los cincuenta mil muertos de la guerra contra el narco.

This time, a project caught my eye when walking through Coyoacan. Some people had embroidered handkerchiefs, and although at first I thought they were typical crafts for grandmothers, I realized what they were saying through embroidery. “Embroidering for peace. A handkerchief per victim” is the motto of the group “Red Fountains”, who propose embroidering handkerchiefs with the names or descriptions of each of the fifty million dead in the war against drugs.

Photo by Carlos Ortega, used with permission. Click image to see more photos.

She also explains the project's main objective [es]:

El objetivo del proyecto es, en sus propias palabras, “bordar esperanza y memoria”. Una vez logrado un número considerable de bordados, se mostrarán en las plazas públicas del país.

The project aims, in their own words, “to embroider hope and memory.” When they get a considerable number of embroidered handkerchiefs, they will be display them in public squares all over the country.

In the same post, Liliana writes about how therapeutic this activity becomes [es] for people who participate in the project:

Manifestaciones culturales (o no) en las que la gente se encuentra cara a cara con otras personas que cargan el mismo desazón, la misma incertidumbre. El gritar al unísono, el reir o llorar, sin pena y sin freno porque el de al lado es capaz de comprender, se convierte en algo terapéutico y muy necesario.

Cultural manifestations (or not) where people meet face to face with others who carry the same discomfort, the same uncertainty. Shouting in unison, laughing or mourning, without shame and without restraint because the person next to them is capable of understanding, it becomes a treatment that is very necessary.

In another blog, + Allá de la Marcha [es], Martín Javier Oviedo Hernández narrates an episode that took place during the the activities of the ‘Lucha por Amor, Verdad y Justicia’ (Fight for Love, Truth and Justice) collective, in the northern city of Monterrey:

Un cálido día de Mayo, llama la atención un grupo de mujeres bordando, sentadas, platicando entre ellas, los curiosos se acercan: tres jóvenes de Barcelona, Aram, Gabriel y Guillermo.

-¿Que hacen?-, preguntan a las damas.

- Bordamos por la paz-, contestan en coro.

-¿Entonces es cierto que están en guerra?… -

- No solo en guerra, nos han arrebatado a nuestros hijos…-

Ellas son madres, hermanas y parientes de personas desaparecidas, organizadas en el Colectivo LUPA (Lucha por Amor, Verdad y Justicia, Nuevo León), se reúnen cada jueves, a las 10 de la mañana, en el kiosco Lucila Sabella, en la Macroplaza de Monterrey.

On a warm day during May, a group of women knitting, sitting, talking, draw the attention of onlookers who come closer: three young men from Barcelona, Aram, Gabriel and William.

- What are you doing? – they ask the women.

- We are embroidering for peace-, the women answer in chorus.

- So is it true that you are at war? … -

- Not only at war, they have taken our children … -

They are mothers, sisters and relatives of missing people, who come together in the collective LUPA (Fight for Love, Truth and Justice, Nuevo León), and they meet every Thursday at 10 am, at the kiosk Lucila Sabella, at the Macroplaza in Monterrey.

Martín finishes his post documenting dialogues [es] between the women who were embroidering in Monterrey's main square. Their conversations cover everything from invitations to participate in the project to complaints about the current situation of violence in the city:

Photo by Carlos Ortega, used with permission. Click image to see more photos.

-Se contactaron con nosotros, nos citaron en una Iglesia, pagamos el rescate, después de dos llamadas, perdimos el contacto-, concluye.

-No hay avance en la investigación, como en la mayoría de los casos, no se puede confiar en la autoridad- coinciden todas.

-También los hombres bordan- comentan ellas, invitando a los tres jóvenes, que escuchan con atención:

-El olvido es muerte…-

-Este bordado va en rojo, es en memoria de Don Alejo Garza Tamez, quién perdió la vida en esta guerra, enfrentando con dignidad a los sicarios que pretendían despojarlo de su propiedad…

Aram, Gabriel y Guillermo toman los bordados, “hilando” las historias escuchadas, cada puntada representa la memoria, la huella tangible. Bordando por la paz, convierte la desconfianza en esperanza. Temor y dolor se transforman en amor.

- They contacted us, we were called to a church, we paid the ransom, after two calls, we lost contact with them – she concludes.

- No progress in the investigation, as in most cases, you cannot rely on the authorities – they all agree.

- Men also embroider – they comment, inviting the three young men, who listen carefully:

- Forgetting is death…

- This is embroidered in red, in memory of Don Alejo Garza Tamez, who died in this war, facing with dignity the assassins who sought to strip him of his property…

Aram, Gabriel and William take the embroidery, “spinning” the stories heard, each stitch represents a memory, tangible footprints. Embroidering for peace makes distrust become hope. Fear and pain are transformed into love.

The blog Red por la Paz en México [es] describes the same embroidering for peace movement in Guadalajara:

En Guadalajara hay un grupo que se dedica a Bordar por la Paz. En Facebook aparecen muchas fotos de gente bordando: abuelitas de anteojos, papás con sus niñas, parejas de novios. Hasta una señora en silla de ruedas aparece. Unos están bordando parados, otros medio recostados en el césped, otros sentados en un banco. Bordan en un parque los domingos. Llevan su pañuelo blanco y bordan ahí, en hilo rojo, el nombre de alguna víctima de la violencia.

In Guadalajara there is a group that is dedicated to Embroidering for Peace. On Facebook there are many pictures of people embroidering: grannies with glasses, girls with their dads, couples. There's even a lady in a wheelchair. Some are embroidering standing, others half-lying on the grass, others sitting on a bench. They embroider in a park on Sundays. They take their white handkerchief there, and in red thread, they stitch the name of a victim of violence.

The movement has also expanded to various cities around the world, like Tokyo, Japan.

This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.

Mexico: Tijuana's Unexpected Cinema Movement

Andrea Arzaba — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 06:00:13 +0000

For a long time, Tijuana, a city in the north-western corner of Mexico, has had an international reputation for being both a dangerous border town and a temptingly thrilling spring break destination. However, it is now in the international spotlight for a whole different reason: its local cinema movement.

Aaron Soto, a film director and guest blogger at San Diego’s KPBS, provides some information on the current artistic scene in this “bizarre border town”:

There is a new breed of genre filmmakers, spreading throughout the provincial cities. Industry rejecters, that could either not afford film school or that could not conform to the system. Most of them, create stories of horror, fantasy and science fiction, and most of them, come from an unexpected place, the city of Tijuana.

Why the unexpected place? Because Tijuana has been cut-off from the rest of the country's own culture for years. Despite being the world's most-visited border city, Tijuana was considered by Mexico City's centric culture as that bizarre border town that did not seem to have it's own identity, but boy were they wrong!

Later in the post, Soto points out that unlike most Mexican filmmakers who have been influenced by their European counterparts, filmmakers from Tijuana look to their northern neighbors for inspiration:

What were the directors' intentions? I'm not sure, but if you asked about influences, in Mexico's academic system, filmmakers answer with cliches like Federico Fellini and Jean-Luc Godard. If you ask the border town filmmakers, they will answer with names like David Lynch and Lucio Fulci for sure, but why not? The Tijuana border is 15 minutes from California's cinemas. Dozens of newsstands and libraries, plus the local mom-and-pop video stores insured that Mexican Gen-Xers grew up consuming America's pop culture and it's indie roots, including B-movies, sleaze, horror, and the macabre from publications like “Famous Monsters of Filmland” and “Gorezone” magazine, and from writers like Tim Lucas and Pete Tombs. With the injection of their own Mexican culture, how many children grew up watching “El Santo vs Las Vampiras” as well as David Cronenberg's “Videodrome” on the same evening?

Soto also writes about the movement started by some directors from the border city:

Directors like Fran Ilich, Giancarlo Ruiz, Omar Ynigo and myself, started what would become known as the DIY movement from the 00′s down in Baja. Editing with two VCR's and creating our own stars, like actor Hector Jimenez (“Nacho Libre”) and our own cult short-films like “Omega Shell,” we started to make films about our everyday life, the contradictory chaos of the city; sex and religion, the comprehensible and the esoteric, the uncivilized and the technology, pleasure and pain, English and Español and most of all, the culture of violence.

Following a line of recent short films that are based in one city, like ‘Paris, Je t'aime’ or ‘New York, I love you', there is a proposal to make a Tijuanense version called ‘Tijuana, te amo'. The blog Tijuana Innovadora, Tech and Culture [es] explains:

Presentation of film Tijuana, Te amo. Photo by Gabriel Flores Romero (CC BY 2.0)

Tijuana Te Amo es un largometraje colectivo que trata de mostrar la parte positiva de Tijuana. Los panelistas transmitieron un video del detrás de cámaras y cómo los directores se pusieron de acuerdo para filmar cada escena. El largometraje sigue el formato de las producciones Paris Je t’aime y New York I love You. La película va más allá de los esterotipos,de la delincuencia, se intentó plasmar el contraste entre las realidades universales y la belleza dijeron los directores.

Tijuana I Love You is a collective feature film that tries to show the positive side of Tijuana. Panelists broadcasted a video of behind the scenes on how the directors agreed to shoot each scene. The film follows the format of the productions Paris Je t'aime and New York I love You. The film goes beyond the stereotypes, crime, as it attempted to capture the contrast between the universal realities and the beauty of it, directors said.

In his blog FimBuffalo Produccciones, blogger Rodrigo Alvarez affirms [es] that there is no place like Tijuana when it comes to making movies:

En lo personal, en ninguna parte de las que he estado, o de la gente con la que he convivido he notado el fenómeno “cinematográfico” que ocurre en tijuana, la pasión y ganas que existe en la gente de realizar proyectos es bastante sorprendente (puede ser que influya mucho el que estemos en frontera con uno de los paises de mayor producción cinematográfica.)

Personally, in none of the places I've visited, or people I've lived with have I noticed the “cinematographic” phenomenon that occurs in Tijuana, the passion and desire that exists in people to do projects is rather surprising (it might happen also because we are in the border with one of the largest countries in film production.)

Finally, Jose Paredes, another blogger from Tijuana, writes about the day he decided [es] to watch 15 hours of cinema made in Tijuana, non-stop:

El jueves pasado me levante a las 8am y me dormi a las 11pm, y durante esas 15 horas que estuve despierto las dedique a una cosa y una cosa solamente: El Cine local. Comenzando en la Lazaro, siguiendole en la Cerveceria Tijuana, y terminando nuevamente en casa de mi hermano Marco. Acabe exhausto debo admitir, pero valio la pena y me senti sumamente completo.

Last Thursday I woke up at 8am and I went to bed at 11pm, and those 15 hours I was awake were dedicated to one thing and one thing only: local cinema. Starting in the Lazaro, then at the Tijuana Brewery, and ending again at my brother Marco's house. I was exhausted in the end, but I must admit it was worth it and it made me feel extremely satisfied.

Mexico: Student Movement #YoSoy132 Protests Election Results

Andrea Arzaba — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 21:05:34 +0000

Days after the presidential elections on July 1, supporters and members of the student movement #YoSoy132 continue voicing their concerns over the preliminary results.

They have also vowed to continue their efforts to modify the political agenda and encourage youth participation. Their main demands pointed to transparent and uncorrupted elections in a country where mainstream media shows favoritism for specific political parties.

After voting on July 1, netizens that support the movement started sharing their thoughts, concerns and, in general, feelings of disappointment.

Benedicte Irgens (@Birgens) [es] observed the elections through her Twitter timeline:

Reading tweets about the Mexican election. Most are devastated. Some contain evidence of fraud. ‪#Fraude2012‬‪#Yosoy132

Meanwhile, user EMB (@ErnestoMtzB) [es] shows his concern over the preliminary results:

F**K, está pasando otra vez. Una vez más. No hay que dormir. No podemos dormir. No esta vez, MEXICO. No más. ‪#YoSoy132‬.

F**K, it is happening again. One more time. Let's not sleep. Not this time, MEXICO. No more. ‪#YoSoy132‬

Members of the movement YoSoy132 march in Mexico City before the elections. Photo by Ivan_Duff Cuevas Hernandez, under copyright by Demotix.

With encouraging words, Pati Peñalosa (@patipenaloza) [es] looks to the future in a positive way:

lloremos juntos. pero después sequémonos juntos. abracémonos. caminemos juntos. trabajemos juntos. iluminemos juntos. SUMEMOS ‪#YoSoy132‬

Let's cry together, but later let's dry our tears. Let's hug and walk together. Let's work together. Let's shine together. LET'S ADD ‪#YoSoy132‬

Gina Naya (@GinaNaya) [es] tweets about the movements that might come ahead after the elections:

Porque movimientos como ‪#YoSoy132‬ seguirán creciendo y habrá otros nuevos de gente que SI desea un cambio verdadero en México…

Because movements like ‪#YoSoy132‬ will continue growing and there will be new ones with people who DO want a real change in Mexico…

While Nidia Ortega (@cool_lavy15) [es] says the movement is not giving up:

rendirnos jamas ‪‪#YoSoy132‬

We will never surrender ‪#YoSoy132‬

However, not all Mexican youth are supporting ‪#YoSoy132‬ and the movement's reactions to the election; some netizens doubt the movement's real impact.

Julián Pavón (@jpavon86) [es] expressed his discontent with students from the movement, asking them to study instead of showing public discontent with protests:

Los de ‪#YoSoy132‬ dejénse de marchas y ponganse a estudiar, acepten el resultado como buenos ciudadanos si creen en la autoridad electoral

Those from the movement ‪#YoSoy132‬, stop marching and study, accept the result as good citizens that believe in electoral authority

Another Twitter user, Javier Novoa Cantaño (@JaviStitch) [es], suggested that youth from the movement find a better strategy:

marchas? mas marchas? no!… a ver leanse ‘Rules for Radicals’ de Saul Alinsky y aprendan qué debemos hacer los proximos 6 años… ‪#YoSoy132

More protests? no…Read “Rules for Radicals” by Saul Alinsky and learn what we will have to do during the next 6 years…

Less that 24 hours after the elections, youth from the movement gathered in the Estela de Luz monument in Mexico City, marching and asking for a new vote count due to the suspicion of electoral fraud [es]. Twitter user Dalila Andriano (@dtadriano) shared the following picture of the demonstration:

Photo of demonstration shared on Twitter by user Dalila Andriano (@dtandriano)

Many also shared citizen videos of the march, like user jiboles100:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtkRt20gVwU

Mexico: Netizens Say Goodbye to Writer Carlos Fuentes

Andrea Arzaba — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:27:04 +0000

On May 15, 2012, Latin America lost one of its most important contemporary writers. Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes died in Mexico City, at the age of 83. The main cause of his death was a hemorrhage. Fuentes was best known for being part of the writers from the “Latin American Boom”, and for writing a book at least every 12 months.

People from all over the world expressed their concerns over this terrible loss. Blogger Juan José Meneu, from Blogs La Rioja, explained why he was so fond [es] of Fuentes’ way of writing:

Era un escritor terriblemente culto e inteligente y exigía de sus lectores atención y esfuerzo para alcanzar esa cultura y esa inteligencia. Con la convicción de que la literatura era un instrumento poderoso para denunciar la realidad, para mostrar los errores de los seres humanos pero también, para la esperanza, para la educación, para la enseñanza, para combatir el olvido.

He was a terribly educated and intelligent writer, and he demanded from his readers attention and special effort to reach that culture and that intelligence. With the conviction that literature was a powerful tool to report reality, to show the errors of human beings, but also for hope, for education, to combat forgetfulness.

Meneu finished his blog post with a sincere goodbye, wishing he had more books [es] by Carlos Fuentes:

Ha muerto Carlos Fuentes. Me queda el consuelo de que aún tengo algún libro suyo por leer. Me queda la tristeza de que no habrá más.

Carlos Fuentes has died. What is left is the consolation that I have yet to read another book written by him. It is sad that there won't be any more [books written by him].

Carlos Fuentes, 2008. Image from Flickr user Casa de América (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

On HuffPost Voces, the Spanish version of The Huffington Post, writer Marga Britto published a text dedicated to the author [es], where she assures that the death of Fuentes has left a country in pure loneliness:

Hubiese sido maravilloso escuchar la opinión de Carlos Fuentes tras las elecciones. Hubiese sido de gran consuelo contar con una voz de autoridad en dónde refugiarnos y hacer sentido de este gran naufragio nacional.

Nos dejas solos, Carlos Fuentes. Nos dejas un enorme hueco en la razón y en el tiempo. De pronto las letras se han quedado huérfanas y solos tendremos que vérnoslas con quien se empeña en ganar la batalla con palabras espurias, con su lenguaje bastardo, con la banalidad de los tiempos modernos.

It would have been wonderful to hear what Carlos Fuentes thought after the (Mexican) elections. It would have been a great comfort to have a voice of authority where we could find shelter and make sense of this great national shipwreck.

You leave us alone Carlos Fuentes. You leave a huge hole in reason and in time. Suddenly, the letters have been orphaned and are dealing alone with who is determined to win the battle with spurious words, with a bastard language, with the banality of modern times.

Rafa García from Fayerwayer mentioned the trending topics related [es] to the author's passing:

El autor de novelas como Aura, La Muerte de Artemio Cruz, Agua quemada, La silla del Águila, Gringo y La Región más Transparente, Carlos Fuentes, muerió hoy a los 83 años de edad en la Ciudad de México.

La noticia recorrió de inmediato todos medios de comunicación y las redes sociales, particularmente en Twitter donde su nombre Carlos Fuentes y el #todoscomocarlos se convirtieron en tema tendencia.

Q.E.P.D.

The author of novels such as Aura, The Death of Artemio Cruz, Burned Water, The Chair of the Eagle, Gringo and The Most Transparent Region, Carlos Fuentes, died today at 83 years of age in Mexico City.

The news swept away all media and social networks, especially on Twitter where his name Carlos Fuentes and #todoscomocarlos (“Everyone like Carlos”) became trending topics.
RIP

Writers and other public figures used Twitter to express their sadness and pay homage to Carlos Fuentes. Mexican President Felipe Calderón (@FelipeCalderon) [es] wrote:

Expresé mis condolencias telefónicas a Silvia Lemus, viuda del gran Carlos Fuentes.

I expressed my condolences on the telephone to Silvia Lemus, widow of the great Carlos Fuentes.

The account of the United States Ambassador in Mexico, Embajador Wayne (@USEmbassyMex) [es], tweeted:

#EmbajadorWayne: Lamento profundamente el fallecimiento de Carlos Fuentes. Su partida es una gran pérdida para el mundo.

#EmbajadorWayne:: I deeply regret the death of Carlos Fuentes. His departure is a great loss to the world.

Mexican writer Elena Poniatowska (@EPoniatowska) [es] similarly expressed her condolences:

Lamento profundamente la muerte #CarlosFuentes

I deeply regret the death of #CarlosFuentes

British-Indian writer Salman Rushdie (@SalmanRushdie) said:

RIP Carlos my friend. Yesterday the hoax about Gabo, but this is sadly true. “Carlos Fuentes dies at 83 http://t.co/2uQGHgvC via @USATODAY“

Finally, an account that publishes quotes by Argentinian comic strip character Mafalda (@MafaldaQuotes) [es] wrote:

“Algún día se dará más valor a la cultura que al dinero” #QEPD Carlos Fuentes. #MafaldaQuotes

“Someday we will give more value to culture than money” #RIP Carlos Fuentes. #MafaldaQuotes

Mexico: Citizens Disappointed After Presidential Candidate Debate

Andrea Arzaba — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:05:26 +0000

Millions of Mexicans were expectant on the night of Sunday, May 6, when presidential candidates were scheduled to debate. The debate was especially popular among young people, who are mostly hesitant as they face the difficult decision of picking their next President.

The transmission lasted two hours, and thousands of comments where available on the web in real time and shortly after the end of the debate. In general, there was an atmosphere of hopelessness and despair after the discussion.

A Lopez Obrador supporter before the presidential candidate debate on Sunday, May 6. Sign reads "Votes don't have prices, they have consequences. We vote for real change. Lopez Obrador, we trust you" Image by Flickr user Eneas (CC BY 2.0)

Khublai Villafuerte, a blogger at Circulo de Cafe [es], affirmed that the reality of Mexican Politics hit the country once again:

La realidad política de México nos pega una vez más. Golpes por doquier y muy pocas propuestas contundentes; sólo el candidato más rezagado se dignó a presentarnos un manual de cómo formar un régimen autoritario, neoliberalista pero eso sí, sustentable. Quién pudo presentar modelos de cambio se limitó a hacerlo durante un minuto y atacar, a veces de manera muy floja; la candidata oficialista sólo declamó y el puntero repitió sus comerciales que diario escuchamos en la televisión y la radio. Casi nadie contestaba a las preguntas planteadas.

Mexico's political reality hits us again. Blows everywhere and very few strong proposals, only the least popular candidate introduced a manual of how to form an authoritarian, neo-liberal, but of course, sustainable regime. The candidate who could present simple change models did it only for a minute and he attacked, sometimes very loosely; the candidate representing the current party in power recited and repeated her ads, the ones we hear everyday on TV and radio. Almost no one answered the questions.

Later, he added [es] that real change will not come from a president, but rather from all of the citizens:

Como ciudadanía hemos ganado un golpe de realidad, hemos recordado que el cambio no depende de una persona que sentada en cierta silla sino de nuestra exigencia, de nuestro trabajo y sobretodo de nuestro compromiso con el país. Que este debate nos sirva para llamar nuestra atención y recordarnos que un verdadero cambio sólo vendrá desde y a través de nosotros mismos.

As citizens we have opened our eyes, we remembered that the change does not depend on a person sitting on a chair but rather it depends on our demands, our effort and above all our commitment to the country. May this debate help us become more aware and remind us that real change will only come from and through us.

Animal Politico blogger Antonio Marvel argued that nobody won the debate [es]:

Un debate que no ganó nadie: no ganó Enrique Peña Nieto, no perdió Andrés Manuel López Obrador, no aprovechó Josefina Vázquez Mota y no fue para Gabriel Quadri.

A debate where nobody won: Enrique Peña Nieto did not win, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador did not loose, Josefina Vazquez Mota did not take advantage of it and it was not for Gabriel Quadri.

The public's expectations and results were so low that, as a joke, the model designated to help during the event was named the “real winner of the debate” on social networks, simply because of her beauty and revealing attire. Blogger Chilakil [es] from Hazme el chingado favor [es] explained it:

Y entre los dimes y diretes, propuestas huecas, números, estadísticas y un sin mil de acusaciones la que mejor aprovecho el breve tiempo que se le dio y la indiscutible ganadora fue nada más y nada menos que la edecán Julia Orayen.

Among the gossip, hollow proposals, numbers, statistics and countless thousands of accusations, the one who took real advantage of the short time given, and the undisputed winner was the model, Julia Orayen.

On Twitter, 3 out of the 22 popular discussion topics became worldwide trending topics: #Debate2012 [es], #JuliaOrayen [es], and #HastaLaVictoriaConJosefina [es] (“until victory with Josefina).

Evelyn Castillejos from the blog Merca2, mentioned [es] the impact of social media, especially Twitter, during the debate:

A las 20:15 horas -15 minutos después de haber iniciado el debate- ya se habían generado mil 46 tweets originales, 415 retweets y 39 menciones directas (es decir, sin hashtag). Esto ocasionaó tres millones 859 mil 347 impresiones, alcanzando tres millones 400 mil 845 followers únicos.

Durante la transmisión del debate se generaron dos mil 548 tweets por minuto.para dar un total de 305 mil 824 tweets.

Tras finalizar el debate, de las 22:00 horas a las 7:00 horas del día siguiente se generaron 140 tweetspor miunto, lo que da un total de 75,447

At 20:15 hours -15 minutes after starting the debate,there were already 46 thousand original tweets, 415 retweets and 39 direct mentions (without a hashtag). In the end there where 3,859,359 impressions, reaching 3,400,845 unique followers.
During the broadcast of the debate there were 2,548 tweets per minute. A total of 305,824 tweets.
After the end of the debate, from 22:00 pm to 7:00 am the following day, there were generated 140 tweets per minute, which makes a total of 75,447 tweets

Unfortunately, the debate did not help a lot of Mexicans make up their mind and decide who they will vote for during the next elections. Only very few proposals were mentioned and most candidates gave an answer on “what they want to tackle” instead of “how they are planning to do it”.

Mexico City Netizens Celebrate World Bicycle Day

Andrea Arzaba — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:21:01 +0000

In Mexico City, bicycle riding is a fast, easy and cheap way to get around in some of the busiest neighborhoods. It is common to see people from all ages riding their bikes, especially on Sunday mornings when City Hall closes major roads to give the right of way to cyclists.

Due to the lack of a “cycling” culture, this scenario was unthinkable a few years ago, when the few people who used bicycles as a common way of transportation would get funny looks as if using this type of transportation was some sort of a suicidal activity. “Cars go first, then humans,” was the popular way of thinking.

Today, April 19, on World Bicycle Day, blogger David Saenz compares [es] Mexico's cycling culture to that in countries like Holland and Denmark:

El 19 de abril se celebra el Día Mundial de la Bicicleta. ¿Es necesario recordar los beneficios que produce este medio de transporte para el propio usuario y para la sociedad en general? Quizá en países como Holanda o Dinamarca no haga falta recordarlo. Pero sí en España, México, Francia, Italia, Reino Unido… donde, especialmente en las grandes ciudades, los coches son los amos de la ciudad.

April 19 is when we celebrate World Bicycle Day. Do I need to recall the benefits of this model of transportation for individual users and society in general? Perhaps in countries like Holland and Denmark, there is not need for this reminder. But in Spain, Mexico, France, Italy, the United Kingdom…especially in large cities, cars are the owners of the city.

Ecobici, Mexico City. Photo by Flickr user Alex Marduk (CC BY 2.0)

In Mexico City, the individual urban bicycle transportation system called “Ecobici” was implemented in 2010. It supplements the public transportation network with 85 bicycle stations distributed in popular spots around the city.

The blog Animal Político describes [es] how the Ecobici program wants to celebrate World Bicycle Day by setting a record in the number of users:

Para festejar este día, Ecobici llama a sus 31 mil usuarios registrados (sólo 28 mil 100 activos) a usar hoy más que nunca una de las mil 200 bicis del sistema a fin de romper el récord de 10 mil viajes en un día.

Para el domingo, Ecobici también invita a un Rally por la Tierra , claro en bici.

Como dato curioso, destaca que es el miércoles el día de mayor uso del sistema Ecobici, seguido de lunes, martes, jueves, viernes y sábado, mientras que el domingo es el que menos se utiliza.

To celebrate this day, Ecobici called its 31,000 registered users (only 28,100 are active users) to use one of the 2oo,000 bikes from the system more than ever today to break the record of 10,000 trips a day.

For Sunday, Ecobici also invites citizens to a Rally for the Earth, on bikes, of course.

A curious fact is that Wednesday is the day that the Ecobici system is more widely used, followed by Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, while Sunday is the day the system is least used.

Even if it sounds like an ideal program, not every cyclist in Mexico City supports it. In the blog Prosa Poderosa (“Powerful Prose” an anonymous blogger explains [es] why he is against the “Ecobici” strategy:

Para decirlo bien claro, aplaudo la iniciativa de la Ecobici, pero me declaro en contra de los paseos ciclistas.
Me declaro en contra porque no me parece que un paseo dominical sea un aporte para educar a las futuras generaciones de ciclistas, que tendrán que usar la bicicleta como un medio de transporte, tal vez de manera obligatoria. El error de la estrategia (si se le puede llamar así a algo de lo que no se pensaron las consecuencias) de organizar paseos ciclistas consiste en que la gente asociará inevitablemente la bicicleta con actividades recreativas, de ocio o de ejercicio, no de transporte serio.

To put it clearly, I applaud the Ecobici initiative, but I am against the organized cycling rides.

I am against them because I don't think an organized Sunday ride is a contribution to educating future generations of cyclists, who will have to use the bicycle as a means of transportation, perhaps on a compulsory basis. The mistake of the current strategy (if you can call it a strategy, since consequences were not considered) to organize bicycle rides is that people will inevitably associate bikes with recreation, leisure and exercise, not as a serious means of transportation.

He continues:

Para reforzar el estigma “recreativo” de la bicicleta, éste se implanta en la memoria de los usuarios desde que van a comprarse una bicicleta, ya que estas suelen encontrarse junto a un kayac o una caminadora, en la sección de deportes de los almacenes comerciales.

Si ya era difícil desligar a la bicicleta de su ambiguo estatus de estorbo de las calles o de paria del tránsito, los paseos ciclistas no mejorarán esa imagen, ni harán que sus usuarios tomen plena consciencia de que las bicicleta es un vehículo sujetos a las mismas reglas de los automóviles. Y los ciclistas tampoco conseguirán el respeto que exigen de los conductores de otros vehículos.

To reinforce the stigma of ‘recreational’ cycling, it is implanted in the minds of users since the time of purchasing a bicycle, as these are usually found next to a kayak or a treadmill, in the sports section of department stores .

If it was already difficult enough to separate the bike from its ambiguous status as a street obstruction or a traffic pariah, these organized rides will not improve that image, nor will users become aware that the bicycle is a vehicle subject to the same rules that cars are subject to. Nor will cyclists get the respect they demand from drivers of other vehicles.

On Twitter, Mexican cyclists also expressed their concerns on World Bicycle Day. Cesar Toledo (@CessarAndroid) [es] wrote about how he feels every time he rides a bike:

#YoAndoenBici y arriesgo la vida porque no nos respetan los conductores

# YoAndoenBici (“I ride a bike”) and risk my life because drivers do not respect us

Mexico City's Government (@GobiernoDF) [es] also used Twitter to inform citizens of the progress of cycling route “20 de Noviembre”:

Presenta un avance del 80% construcción de la #Ciclovia20DeNoviembre. Fomentará el uso cotidiano, masivo y seguro de la #Bicicleta

The building of cycling route “20 de Noviembre” has advanced by 80%. It will encourage the daily, massive and safe use of the #bicycle

Finally, the hashtag #HistoriasDeBicicleta (“Bicycle stories”) has become popular throughout the day as users narrate their cycling adventures in 140 characters.

Mexico: Candidate Vázquez Mota Angers University Students

Andrea Arzaba — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 19:43:53 +0000

Today candidates for the presidency in Mexico have to be very careful about how they express themselves in public, at least until July 2012, when presidential elections will be held. Any mistake or declaration that could be misinterpreted, can push away voters during this election year.

Josefina Vázquez Mota, the only female candidate for the presidency, caused confusion and anger among Mexicans, especially university students, when she referred to the university where she obtained her Bachelor's degree, the Ibero-American University.

The incident happened at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM), where she was speaking to students. In her speech she declared that her weakness was that she had studied Economics at “Ibero”: “No soy perfecta, estudié en la Ibero” (“I am not perfect, I studied at Ibero”.) Students from ITAM University immediately laughed and cheered.

Josefina Vázquez Mota during a press conference. Image by Luis Ramon Barron Tinajero, Copyright Demotix.

Pulso Ciudadano explains [es] the incident:

Durante la Conferencia Magistral brindada en el Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) Josefina Vázquez Mota indicó que no era perfecta y que había estudiado la Licenciatura de Economía en la Universidad Iberoamericana ¿Cuál es el criterio de la candidata presidencial para determinar qué universidad es más que otra? ¿Ese criterio debería de influir en la forma en que se dirige a los jóvenes universitarios del país?

During the keynote lecture given at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM) Josefina Vázquez Mota said she was not perfect and that she studied a Bachelor's of Economics at the Ibero-American University. What is the presidential candidate's criteria to determine which college is better than another? Should that judgment influence the way in which she targets university students in the country?

Social media reactions were swift, with #josefinahumillaylahumillan [es], “Itam” [es] and “Ibero” [es] quickly trending on Twitter.

Fernanda Familiar (@qtf) [es] wrote on the topic:

Y Josefina Vázquez Mota, remata ayer, contra la Ibero… “No soy perfecta, estudié en la Ibero”.

And Josefina Vázquez Mota, goes against the Ibero … “I'm not perfect, I studied at Ibero”.

Daliri Oropeza, (@Dal_air)[es], a student from the Ibero-American University said:

Puedes seguir con tu discurso vacío, pero por favor, no lo relaciones con la UIA, @JosefinaVM #Ibero

You can continue with your empty words, but please do not relate it to UIA @JosefinaVM #Ibero

Some students from ITAM University were neutral on the incident, like @panchparra [es]:

ITAMitas hagamos valer nuestro auditorio, la comunidad @MundoITAM con actitud critica y academica #JosefinaITAM

ITAMitas let's assert our auditorium, the @MundoITAM community with an academic and critical attitude #JosefinaITAM

Marco Antonio Gómez Lovera, blogger at Vivir México [es], affirmed that the candidate was only joking, as this is the type of language commonly used by youth:

Es claro que comentarios como estos pueden llegar a herir sensibilidades, pero también se debe entender que entre jóvenes que se expresan así, el comentario intentaba ser una manera de romper el hielo y conectar con el auditorio. ¿Que lo pudo haber hecho de manera diferente? Sí, también.

It is clear that comments like these can hurt sensibilities, but also we must understand that amongst young people, this is the way they express themselves, the comment was meant to be a way to break the ice and connect with the audience. Could she have done it differently? Yes, that too.

Genaro Lozano, (@genarolozano) [es] a professor at both universities admitted that he would also make similar jokes at both institutions, just to make students feel more confident:

Ah y claro, igual que JVM yo también siempre hago bromas con mis alumn@s del ITAM y de la Ibero sobre un@s y otr@s. Para motivarlos. :p

Oh and of course just like JVM, I always make jokes to my students at ITAM and Ibero about each other.Just to motivate them. : p

Finally, Josefina Vázquez Mota (@Josefina VM) [es] responded to the criticismfrom her official Twitter account:

Lamento que algunas personas deseen desvirtuar un comentario que jamás tuvo el propósito de lastimar a mi alma máter.

I regret that some people want to undermine a comment that never was intended to hurt my alma mater

Finally, in a radio program from Ibero's radio station Triste Turno, she said [es] that it was only a joke and that if she were born again, she would study Economics in the same university.

Mexico: PEN Protesta! International Writers Protest in Solidarity With Mexican Colleagues

Andrea Arzaba — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:16:44 +0000

On January 29, 2012, PEN International, the world’s oldest international literary and human rights organization, held an event in Mexico City called PEN Protesta! (“PEN protests”) to show solidarity with Mexican writers, poets and journalists, and to demand freedom of the press and of expression in Mexico.

PEN Protesta! was held at Casa Lamm, a cultural centre and gallery located in the legendary Colonia Roma district of Mexico City. On its official website, PEN International described the event as “a public demonstration of solidarity and a demand for accountability for the murders and disappearances of journalists in Mexico,” adding that:

As an international literary organization dedicated to the protection of writers and the defense of freedom of expression, PEN has condemned these killings and called for an end to impunity for those who carry out attacks on media workers in Mexico. At “PEN Protesta,” delegates representing PEN’s distinguished global membership of writers lend their voices to the growing national chorus demanding effective protections for members of the Mexican press.

On January 27, PEN published the following ad in Mexican newspaper El Universal:

To the journalists and writers of Mexico:

We, writers from around the world, stand with you and all Mexican citizens who are calling out for the killing, the impunity, the intimidation to stop.
These violations diminish us all and threaten the right of Mexican citizens to live lives both safe and free from censorship.
You have an absolute right to life and a guaranteed right to practice your profession free from fear.
We call on your government to apprehend and prosecute all who have silenced your colleagues and seek to silence you. This is its obligation – to respect and to protect citizens and their rights.
We honor your courage and demand this in the name of our common humanity.

The ad includes the signatures of 170 writers from all over the world, including J.M. Coetzee, Chinua Achebe, Daniel Alarcón, and Toni Morrison.

PEN International Delegation at PEN Protesta! in Mexico City on January 29, 2012. Photo by Alain Pescador, used with permission.

The event was mentioned [es] in the blog Geografia de Riesgos:

En México 56 periodistas fueron asesinados y 18 desaparecieron entre el 2000 y el 2011, según datos de la Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa. La ONU y la OEA consideran a México como el país más peligroso para el ejercicio periodístico en el continente americano.

En este contexto, una delegación compuesta por 12 personas de la asociación de escritores PEN Club Internacional visitó México bajo el lema PEN Protesta, para emitir “un mensaje de solidaridad de decenas de miles de escritores del mundo con el pueblo mexicano que tanto admiramos”, informó John Ralston Saul, escritor canadiense y presidente de PEN.

In Mexico, 56 journalists were killed and 18 disappeared between 2000 and 2011, according to the Inter American Press Association. The UN and the OAS consider Mexico as the most dangerous country for journalists in the Americas.

In this context, a delegation of 12 people from the writers’ association PEN International visited Mexico under the slogan PEN Protesta to convey “a message of solidarity of tens of thousands of writers in the world with the Mexican people that we admire so much,” said John Ralston Saul, Canadian writer and president of PEN.

Journalist Renato Consuegra highlighted the words of poet Homero Aridjis [es] in the blog Cuba Nuestra:

La frase del poeta Homero Aridjis no podía ser más emotiva: “México es un país mágico, donde hay asesinados pero no asesinos”. Por ese motivo la delegación más grande de PEN viajó a México —los 7 de Norteamérica, Japón e Inglaterra y todo el Ejecutivo—, en muestra de solidaridad con los periodistas asesinados y con la exigencia a flor de labios, en la jornada de este medio día: PEN protesta.

The words of the poet Homero Aridjis could not be more emotional: “Mexico is a magical country where there are people killed but no murderers.” For this reason the largest PEN delegation traveled to Mexico —7 from North America, Japan and England and the entire Executive – to show solidarity with those killed and with the demands on their lips, during midday today: PEN protests.

Later in his post Renato quotes the powerful words [es] of renowned Mexican writer Elena Poniatowska:

La escritora Elena Poniatowska dijo que “en México decir la verdad es jugarse la vida; lo terrible es que el número (de asesinatos) aumente; hasta cuándo ejercer el periodismo será una sentencia de muerte; cuánto tiempo más debemos esperar para que las autoridades ofrezcan garantías reales que garanticen la vida y la profesión, cuánto tendrá que pasar para que México deje de ser el país más peligroso de América Latina para ejercer el periodismo”.

Writer Elena Poniatowska said that “in Mexico telling the truth means risking your life; the terrible thing is that the number (of killings) increases, to the point when practicing journalism will be a death sentence; how much longer must we wait for the authorities to provide real guarantees that guarantee life and the profession, how long will it take for Mexico to stop being the most dangerous country in Latin America for journalists. “

Read more bout PEN Protesta! in the organisation's official website.

Mexico: Netizens Mobilize for the Tarahumara Indigenous People

Andrea Arzaba — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:12:42 +0000

Update (18 January, 2012):

Univisión has continued to cover the alleged suicides by the Tarahumara indigenous people. In a post in their Tumblr page they report that they have “come across information that casts a cloud of doubt over these claims.” They point out, however, that, “All of the sources Univision News spoke to confirmed that there is a food emergency in Raramuri territory, with government agencies delivering emergency food rations, that can last for up to a month, but that are not expected to outlast the current drought in Northern Mexico.”

Unconfirmed reports of the suicide of 50 Tarahumara indigenous people from the northern state of Chihuahua to avoid starvation have mobilized Mexican netizens. The Tarahumara, also known as Raramuri, are facing various issues like the loss of their language, the exploitation of their land, unsustainable sources of income and severe malnutrition.

In a video published on YouTube, Ramón Gardea, a member of the Organized Front for Indigenous Farm Workers, declared that 50 Tarahumara Indians had committed suicide after failing to get food [es] for themselves and for their children.

Although there is insufficient evidence to prove the suicides, the alarming state of malnutrition and poverty among the Tarahumara indigenous is a reality.

Netizens from all over the country immediately expressed their concern. On Twitter, using the hashtag #SierraTarahumara, a national movement sprung up as users expressed their indignation and organized to collect provisions in neighborhoods, churches and universities.

Raramuri mother and child. Image by Victor Hugo García Ulloa, used under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) Creative Commons license

Humberto Cantu (@dermacantu) compares the money that will be spent [es] for the Pope's visit with the lack of help for the Tarahumaras:

Van a gastar MILLONES en la visita del #papa, pero no hay para apoyar a nuestros hermanos de la #sierratarahumara …un poco de sensibilidad

They will spend millions on the Pope's visit, but there is not enough to support our brothers in the #sierratarahumara … a little sensitivity

Mexican writer León Krauze (@Leon_Krauze) makes a direct comparison with what is happening [es] in the country today:

La terrible situación en la #SierraTarahumara ilustra perfectamente la tragedia mexicana de nuestro tiempo. Qué doloroso…

The terrible situation in the #SierraTarahumara perfectly illustrates the Mexican tragedy of our times. So painful …

Marcelo Ebrard (@m_ebrard), Head of Government in Mexico City, asks for support:

ProtecciÓn civil del GDF ya haciendo acopio para la Sierra Tarahumara ,debemos apoyar todos a las comunidades de la sierra

Civil Protection of the GDF (Government of Mexico City) is gathering groceries for the Sierra Tarahumara, we must support all communities in the Sierra

The blog Animal Politico reports that the government of Chihuahua denied the 50 suicides [es] mentioned in the YouTube video:

A unas horas de que se diera a conocer un video donde se denuncian supuestos suicidios por hambre de raramuris en la Sierra Tarahumara y de que usuarios de las redes sociales organizaran colectas de alimentos, el gobierno de Chihuahua negó que haya suicidios masivos en la zona.

A few hours after the release of a video denouncing alleged suicides of Raramuris because of hunger in the Sierra Tarahumara, and after social media users organized food drives, the government of Chihuahua denied that there have been massive suicides in the area.

Furthermore, on Tumblr, Univisión published a story on the alleged suicides and added a note correcting and updating some information:

In the original version of this article we wrongly attributed the statement that 50 indigenous people had committed suicide to Jesus Quiñones, an official in the Mexican Village of Carichi, who had been quoted in Mexican newspapers as saying this. We called Quiñones, and he denied that there had been any suicides in his municipality, although he stated that indigenous people in the area are suffering from serious nutritional problems, and were delivered emergency food supplies by the state and local government last week.

Quiñones added that the statements about the indigenous suicides were made by Ramon Gardea, an officer for the Organized Front for Indigenous Farm Workers. A man who is referred to as Ramon Gardea indeed appears on a YouTube video making these claims, and the video is attributed to Chihuahua’s channel 28. Quiñones said he has never met Gardea and said that he did not understand where the story about the suicides came from. This is a developing story.