Anonymous Comrade writes:

Diez De Abril for the 21st century.

Or How a Rebel Community Born of the Zapatista Uprising, Grows and
Consolidates.

By Ramor Ryan.

A little child, big-bellied and mucky, stumbles out of her dirt-floor house
into the sun, and smiles radiantly. This is 4-year-old Rosa, a child of
Diez De Abril, born of two Zapatista Militia volunteers Adelita and
Palestino. It is January 2002 and despite much adversity, Rosa is alive and
well. She lives where she was born, a fertile valley in Chiapas, occupied
by the EZLN (Zapatista Army of National Liberation) in 1994, and populated
by a Zapatista support base community in 1995. The village is called Diez
De Abril (10th of April) in memory of the anniversary of the death of
Emiliano Zapata.

Land And Freedom, A Reality.

The history of Diez De Abril is one of struggle and resistance. It is an
inspiring example of how a dispossessed people, united by necessity and
will, can organise themselves into a strong representative organisation.
And through this organisation satisfy, using lightening direct action and
long-term community resolve, the demand for land and freedom. Such it was
that landless Tzeltal and Tojolabal indigenous farmers joined with the
EZLN, participated in the insurrection of 1994 and seized this land by
force. They drove the finquero (land estate owner) away and defended the
gains of this local revolution from subsequent police, military and
paramilitary threat with their bodies and political guile. The 4 years of
little Rosa's life have been tumultuous, dramatic and occasionally
traumatic, but like the community, here she is, young and healthy and
looking towards a better future.

Child Of The Low-Intensity War.

Rosa, apparently, was conceived on a starry night during a party at the
regional Aguascalientes (Zapatista cultural centre). Two masked militia
volunteers met on the crowded dance-floor and it must have being love at
first sight. Adelita soon moved into Palestino's home in Diez where he
lived with his mother Petrona. As Rosa was brought into the world, Diez was
busy giving birth to new coffee and vegetable cooperatives. Rosa was the
only newcomer to the community that year, there came (apart from about 20
other newborns) activists from Ireland and other countries to establish an
international solidarity camp to monitor state and military repression, and
contribute to the development of the community.
1997 was a cruel year. The Governor of Chiapas, a rabid PRI-ista (from the
governing party) intensified the low-intensity warfare against the rebels.
The arming and training of pro-government paramilitaries cumulated in the
massacre of 45 predominantly children and women at Acteal in December.
The assault on the base communities continued in 1998. Military operations
to "dismantle" the Zapatista Autonomous Municipalities (a political
initiative to create autonomous councils and self-determination for the
rebel zone) A dozen zapatista supporters were killed by the military, 100's
were incarcerated without trial, dozens of communities invaded and sacked,
and 164 international observers seized and deported.
On 13 April of that year, 800 soldiers and armed police entered Diez de
Abril, firing shots into the air and tear gas into the faces of the
villagers. They beat men and women with rifle butts and grabbed one youth,
torturing him later in the barracks. They also violently apprehended three
Norwegian observers and summarily deported them.
Rosa was carried that day into the hills by her grandmother Petrona, while
her Mother Adelina stood at the front line with the other women, armed with
sticks, to repel (unsucessfully) the military assault. Her father mobilised
with others further back, arms ready in case the soldiers opened fire on
the people. Fortunately this time it did not come to an armed battle ( as
it did a few months later in the community of El Bosque that left 6
zapatistas and one soldier dead).
As she protected Rosa in her arms, the soldiers burnt Petrona's humble
house to the ground. This event no doubt quickened Petrona's death the next
year from cancer.
How did Diez recover from this assault? Instead of using their arms, they
used a non-violent tactic. They attended their wounds, rebuilt the
destruction and mobilised local and international support. Denouncements
were made through Human Rights groups while international solidarity
mobilised in front of embassies and consulates to stop the repression.
Zapatistas marched in Ocosingo and San Cristobal, and civil society came
out in strength in Mexico City and other cities. When individual Zapatista
communities are attacked, the collective movement responds- solidarity is
strength. Enough pressure was brought down upon the President and the
governing party, tarnishing their national and international image, that by
year's end, they had to rein in the bellicose Chiapas' Governor and
Military forces. The wave of repression relented.

Drought And Floods.

If it isn't the military repression, there's always Global Warming and the
unprecedented climatic changes. 1998 was a difficult year for Diez as the
Crop failed due to a long extended drought. The extraordinary dryness
caused massive forest fires all over the Chiapas state. And as if natural
disaster wasn't enough, denouncements were made that the military were
starting fires in Zapatista zones by hurling fire-bombs from helicopters.
Little Rosa could be seen these those long nights, carried on her mothers
back rebozo style, as Adelita participated in the people's fire-brigades,
hauling buckets of water to the youths fighting the fires as they
threatened community corn plantations.
The poor harvest meant the men had to migrate in search of work to feed
their families. Most of the Diez men ended up working in construction in
the mega-tourist resort of Cancun. They were paid $5 for a 10 hour day's
labouring. Such is the mechanism of the unregulated neo-liberal labour
market that luxury hotels who charge tourists $100 a night are built by
un-unionised, migrant labour for desultory wages. (As if to complete the
circle of injustice, Heads of State and Economic Ministers gathered here in
February 2001 for a round of talks on the further liberalisation of Latin
American markets. Outside Anti-Globalisation protesters were savagely
beaten by riot-police.)
Domestic turmoil engulfed little Rosa's household as Palestino, having
completed two months hard labour in Cancun got paid, got drunk and got
robbed. Adelita despaired when he returned empty-handed. Donations from
church groups and civil society, as well as some collectivisation of the
village's scant food supplies meant Rosa did not go hungry that year.
The impressive church and community centre, the first concrete building in
the community- was completed in 1999. The people gathered proudly to view
their work. With its solid foundations, the building symbolized the
consolidation of the village: Diez De Abril, like the church, was here to
stay. And as the colourful murals dotted around the main square sing out-
Viva Zapata! Viva el EZLN! Viva la lucha Zapatista! (Long live the
Zapatista struggle!).
But still there was no room for complacency. The torrential and persistent
rains of '99 caused the river to rise, breaking its' banks and flooding a
large portion of the Milpa (collective corn plantation). Some key bridges
were also washed away. Life in the village became a misery as the paths and
dirt roads became mud swamps. The small wooden homes leaked and the wood
for the kitchen fires was damp.
Nevertheless, a group of enthusiastic younger villagers created a new
community nearby. Calling it Cauahtemoc in honour of the legendary Aztec
Chief who resisted the Conquistadors to death 450 years ago, the new
village represented how the struggle continues, and how it expands.

Diez De Abril For A New Century

The New Year of 2000 was ushered in by the Zapatistas with quiet
resilience and tempered hope. The echo of Zapatismo had resounded on the
streets of Seattle a month previous. The cause of Anti-Globalisation was in
ascendancy, and the Zapatistas were not just a banner, but a key example of
alternatives to neo-liberal globalisation, with their practice of autonomy
in action.
Diez prospered little by little, the harvest was good and the local and
regional cooperatives continued. The price of coffee at an international
level fell dramatically, so the coffee collective branched out to a product
less vulnerable to the fluctuations of the global market; fattening pigs
appeared snorting around the place. (Rosa liked to try to ride on their
backs).
The dramatic defeat of the governing PRI (Institutionalized Revolution
Party) in the August elections was a cause for great celebration. The
inauguration of the new regime of the conservative PAN party was viewed
with much skepticism, but at least the new President, Vincente Fox seemed
more interested to addressing the Chiapas conflict than his predecessor- at
least from a pragmatic angle. The new Governor of the Chiapas, the
Independent Pablo Salazar was promisingly even more sympathetic with
finding a just peace.
In Diez, the assembly decided not to vote in the elections- not for the
vaguely left PRD, and certainly not the right-wing PAN. "They're all the
same in the end," said Palestino as he headed off to help construct a new
school in the village centre. Rosa and her contemporaries will have the
enlightened prospect of schooling by the Zapatista Autonomous Educators,
who teach in both Indigenous languages and Spanish incorporating a radical
syllabus catering for the needs of rural children.

National Triumphs and Local Disputes.

While the 23 Commandantes of the EZLN and their huge Caravan traveled to
the Capital to address Congress engulfed in massive popular support, a
local struggle convulsed Diez during 2001. It is a sad story.
The neighbouring community of La Florida, 3km deeper in the mountains,
broke from the Zapatista organisation. A firm pillar of Zapatista
philosophy is not to accept handouts from the State. To do so is to
automatically cede from the organisation. La Florida allowed some state
government schemes into the village.
Relations between the neigbours quickly degenerated from mutual aid to
conflict. The source of the problem was some disputed territory, part of
the booty of expropriation from the '94 land-takeover. The dispute
intensified and at one point threatened to break out into violence. Both
sides armed, regional negotiators were called in to oversee a settlement
and the conflict ebbed. Internecine fighting is always one of the most vile
aspects of revolutionary struggle.
Rosa fell ill. Suffering from diahorea and fever, probably caused by the
lack of sanitary water in the village, her worried parents called in the
Health Promoter.. The rate of infant mortality for preventable diseases is
very high in rural Chiapas, a problem predominantly attributed to the lack
of potable water. The Health Promoter, trained in Zapatista health
workshops, offered herbal remedies and more conventional fever-reducing
pills. It helped, but still Rosa cried persistently, late into the nights.

The Dialectics of Everyday Life.

The council of elected authorities went to the regional Zapatista
Autonomous Municipal Assembly to argue their case for soliciting a water
system project to Diez. There are several non-governmental teams of roving
water technicians who install potable water systems in Zapatista
communities. The demand is high, so water projects are allocated by the
Autonomous Municipalities based on necessity and merit.
The Diez authorities pressed upon the Municipal Assembly the urgency of
their need for good water. The Assembly contemplated; Diez is considered a
rebel community among the rebel Zapatistas. Their penchant for spontaneous
direct action against logging companies or local corrupt officials has in
the past caused upset with the EZLN command. Nevertheless Diez is
considered a staunch and well respected Zapatista support base.
The water technicians arrived in Diez early in 2002, much to the delight of
the inhabitants. It is the women and the children who do most of the
hauling of water from the river to the homes. Despite the stalled peace
process and the ongoing massive military presence in Chiapas, the prospect
of good water, even if they have to dig a ditch for 7km to pipe in the
spring water from the mountains, is a most welcome development-
particularly for the health of the children.

And Balanced With That Death, This Life.

But I digress, this was meant to be the story of a child called Rosa. See
her there standing in the sun smiling radiantly. Why is she so happy?
Because the good water is coming? No. Most probably she is happy because of
the arrival of a new sister in her home. The newly born baby will be called
Petrona, in honour of the Grandmother whom Rosa never knew, but who carried
her to the safety of the mountains when three years ago, the military
invaded.
From that trauma, Rosa moves ahead, carrying in her heart, like Diez de
Abril, a new world."