Organizing Resistance: A Report from Chiapas

The Bay Area Progressive Directory notices board let us know about a Zapatista info session going on in Berkeley tonight. Rage Against The Machine have been Zapatista supporters for a long time, so we wanted to find out what was up with those folks. The image at right is the flag of the EZLN.

We also found this event listed on SquidList, and have reposted here:

Organizing Resistance: A Report from Chiapas

Wed, Apr 5
7:30 pm
$5 - $15 sliding scale

Organizing Resistance: A Report from Chiapas
Wednesday, April 5, 2006 - 7:30 PM
La Pena Cultural Center
3105 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley

8 Bay Area folks just returned from a visit to Zapatista territory in
Chiapas. They will give an Update on the Zapatista's Other Campaign,
a global anti-capitalist organizing campaign, the current conditions
in Chiapas, and show brand new video interview with Zapatista
leaders. Some friends of Zapatismo will set the tone with a musical
performance.

Featuring musica humana~blues:
Arnoldo Garcia
Andrew Kong Knight
Jose Palafox

* New Zapatista Video Interviews
* Report on Conditions in Chiapas
* Update on the Other Campaign

Wheelchair Accessible
Near Ashby BART

Requested Donation $5-15 (Sliding Scale)
Proceeds Benefit Zapatista Autonomous Health Care in San Manuel

Sponsored by the Chiapas Support Committee
For more Information: (510) 654-9587

Venue:

La Pena Cultural Center
3105 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley

www.lapena.org

Near Ashby BART

Additional Info:

510/654-9587

We wished SquidList did a political calendar as well (in fact, we asked them about it), but they're not interested. They posted this event, most likely, because it includes entertainment. Let that be a hint to all you event organizers out there.

UPDATE: Checked it out - good turnout - 100+ people. Music. Speakers. Home-made movie. The little town in the movie - somewhere in Chiapas (state) - was beautiful. Poor, but lush, green - very cool looking. In the movie, watching the military transport go by with 20+ soldiers in it was definitely a reality check. Some URL's from the handout and that we heard about:

Radio Zapatista - local radio show; 2nd Friday of each month on KPFA

Flashpoints - a show on KPFA on Zapatista and other movements

EZLN - pseudo-political freedom/peace/justice movement

Zapatista Network - aka "the ZapaRed"

Los Angeles Zapatista Collectives - LA-based support groups

Chiapas Support Committee - these are the folks that put tonight's event together

One of the speakers was talking about doing a type of Zapatista Che 'Motorcyle Diaries' thing later this year with his boy.

There are plenty of other links out there, so use Google - it's your friend.

Heard a lot tonight about 'The Other Campaign', or 'La Otra Campaña'. It sounded real good - very interesting.