ZAPATISTA WOMEN SPEAKING TO THE INTERNATIONAL CARAVAN OF OBSERVATION AND SOLIDARITY TO THE ZAPATISTA COMMUNITIES

A meeting and representation took place in Garroucha Caracol where Zapatistas women from 4 different autonomous self – organised municipalities of Garrucha Caracol came,
as they mentioned
“to get organised better so none goverment can stop them”.
During their reprsentation they said :
“Many women didn´t manage to arrive to the meeting as they didn´t have the money to travel , to take the bus. With law or without law we will manage everythng , with state law or without state law we will maintain our indigenious cultures. We don’t need to ask anything from any political party or state , we can do anything we need by ourselves, that´s why we organize, that´s why we have to be organized better and better, that’s why we came here to express directly to you all our friends our needs.We work with all Zapatista women they want to participate, their participation is not obligatory. We work in 3 sections. The cultivation of corn and potatoes. The sustaining of knowledge and use of the local medical plants. The Health programmes, genocologia and giving birth process. ”

“We don´t want to loose what our ancestors have given to us. Our ancestors knew how to use the leafs , the seeds , the branches , the roots of the plants. Our ancestors were not taking pills when they got sick but they were using the medical plants. The goverment wants to eliminate the plants, to destroy the plants, to eliminate our culture and our knowledge.We will defend our plants, our earth, our knowledge.We will continue to learn more and more about each specific plant and how we can use it.Some botanologists help us. Many of us don´t remember anymore, we learn, we will learn better and better. We have decided to learn about the medical plants because we don´t want to buy medicines from the goverment´s pharmacy.We struggle for the right of women , we struggle for the right of women to health and not being alone and locked in their house when they are sick.We fight for the right of the abused women.Our ancestors cannot see us but we will continue to resist.”

As , they want to save their civilazation that their grandfathers left behind the zapatistas men make a documentary video archive for the medical plants of Chiapas and the history of their efforts to resist and create.As they told :
“Our kids have to know about their culture and their historty , this documentary archive video and the book is important for them.We , the Zapatistas men , are in resistance together with the Zaopatistas women about the medical plants.We work together with the women as a media infromation”.
Also they want to create a book about the plants so their kids and all the people will know how to use the medical plants.

They explained to us their specific needs :
1) medicines
2) surgury instruments for birth process
3) clinic instruments, beds and bed sheets
4) blankets
5) water tanks
6) financial help for the nurses
7) specific doctor knife for the cutting of omphalus during birth process
8) hospital chairs for the handicaped and the unable

for the nurses that are responsible for the birth process:
1) gloves
2) needles
3) stithoscopio

for the medical plants project
1) instruments and material to create paste and various herball liquids
2) bottles for herball liquids
3) stickers for labels of the products
4) a building to accomodate properly their work