Buenos días!
I feel I must add a bit of disclaimer before I start here, the Internet connection is intermittent, at best, and so I will likely find myself typing out blogs and then forwarding them for uploading when I can (apologies in advance). Once I return home I will blog about lessons learned and include any videos or links that may be broken/not provided because I cannot use the internet to search/hyperlink.
We arrived in Quixayï this evening, it's so beautiful here and hot! Guatemala City was hot as well, but Quixayï is incredibly humid. Most of our day was filled with fun moments at the market in Chichicastenango, where we all got to purchase beautiful items. Yesterday the tone was very different, though, as we heard presentations throughout the day on the history and plight in Guatemala.
Just after breakfast we heard about the Fundacïon de Anthropologia Forense de Guatemala (FAFG) that works to identify the disappeared (as they are called here) people that were killed during the Guatemalan genocide. It was heartbreaking hearing about all of the families with loved ones that disappeared finally getting some semblance of closure many, many years later.
Later in the morning we heard from a very public and famous, activist Dr. Yuri Melini from the Centro de Accïon Legal Ambiental y Social de Guatemala (CALAS). Yuri has put his life on the line to fight against environmental exploitation and political corruption in Guatemala. Social activists are regularly murdered for fighting for justice, truth, fairness, and equality. Yuri spent months in the hospital recuperating from being shot seven times. He showed us a documentary that both angered and broke my heart. He is so passionate and inspirational!
We then went for a little walk for lunch and then headed to the Casa de la Memoria Kaji Tulam to learn more about the colonization of Guatemala, destruction of the Mayan culture, and genocide of over 145,000 Guatemalans during what was known as Scorched Earth. The museum opened in February of this year and is used mostly to educate the people of Guatemala of their past, whereby preventing history of repeating itself. This museum was unlike any we had ever been to where exhibits told a (very sad) story.
Next we went to speak with a collectivist group called H.I.J.O.S. Guatemala (Hijos por la Idemtidad y la Justicia contra el Olvido y el Silencio) headed by young people with the aim of informing people and encouraging independent thoughts and actions (from the government). The schooling system here does not teach students about the past, so many people grow up not knowing much about their own country. The group uses art and peaceful protests to further their cause. Below is just a taste of their street artwork.
There was a common theme on our first day in Guatemala City: truth, remembrance, collectivism, and peace. It was an incredibly emotional day. The level of injustice the people of Guatemala have faced would be unfathomable had we not seen and heard first-hand accounts of it. What absolutely amazes me is that despite everything the people here face–– stark poverty, oppression, inequality, exploitation of land and resources––they are incredibly hopeful and happy people. We walked down one of the main streets and saw something that we wouldn't typically see in Canada, everyone gathering to play music, dance, and connect. The people here truly live life to the fullest, where in Canada I feel we don't, yet we're the ones that have all the freedom and (decent) equality.
We have a few days of intense work ahead of us, so at this time I will sign off and head to bed. Until next time!
Jen
Tree of Life Support at the Casa de la Memoria Kaji Tulam / H.I.J.O.S street artwork as mentioned in blog entry