Ene 03 2018

Convocation to the First International Gathering of Politics, Art, Sport, and Culture for Women in Struggle

Communique of the Indigenous Revolutionary Clandestine Committee, General Command of the Zapatista Army for National Liberation

Mexico

December 29, 2017

To the women of Mexico and the World:

To the originary women of Mexico and the World:

To the women of the Indigenous Governing Council:

To the women of the National Indigenous Congress:

To the women of the national and international Sixth:

Compañeras, sisters:

We greet you with respect and affection as the women that we are—women who struggle, resist, and rebel against the chauvinist and patriarchal state.

We know well that the bad system not only exploits, represses, robs, and disrespects us as human beings, but that it exploits, represses, robs, and disrespects us all over again as women.

And we know that things are now worse, because now all over the world we are being murdered. And there is no cost to the murderers—the real murderer is always the system behind a man’s face—because they are covered up for, protected, and even rewarded by the police, the courts, the media, the bad governments, and all those above who maintain their position on the backs of our suffering.

Yet we are not fearful, or if we are we control our fear, and we do not give in, we don’t give up, and we don’t sell out.

So if you are a woman in struggle who is against what is being done to us as women; if you are not scared (or you are, but you control your fear), then we invite you to gather with us, to speak to us and listen to us as the women we are.

Thus we invite all rebellious women around the world to:

The First International Gathering of Politics, Art, Sport, and Culture for Women in Struggle

To be held at the caracol of Morelia, Tzotz Choj zone of Chiapas, Mexico, March 8, 9, and 10, 2018. Arrival will be March 7 and departure on March 11.

If you are a man, you are listening or reading this in vain because you aren’t invited.

With regard to the Zapatista men, we are going to put them to work on all the necessary tasks so that we can play, talk, sing, dance, recite poetry, and engage in any other forms of art and culture that we want to share without embarrassment. The men will be in charge of all necessary kitchen and cleaning duties.

One can participate as an individual or as a collective. You can register at this email: encuentromujeresqueluchan@ezln.org.mx. Include your name, where you are from, if you are participating as an individual or a collective, and how you want to participate or if you are just coming to party with us. Your age, color, size, religious creed, race, and way of being don’t matter; it only matters that you are a woman and that you struggle against the patriarchal and chauvinist capitalist system.

If you want to come with your sons who are still small, that’s fine, you can bring them. The experience will serve to begin to get it into their heads that we women will no longer put up with violence, humiliation, mockery, or any other fucking around from men or from the system.

And if a male over 16 years of age wants to come with you, well that’s up to you, but he won’t get past the kitchen here. He might be able to hear some of the activities and learn something though.

In sum, men can’t come unless they are accompanied by a woman.

That’s all for now, we await you here compañeras and sisters.

From the mountains of the Mexican Southeast.

For the Indigenous Revolutionary Clandestine Committee—General Command of the Zapatista Army for National Liberation and on behalf of all the girls, young women, adult women, and women elders, living and dead, councilwomen, Good Government Council women representatives, women promotoras, milicianas, insurgentas, and Zapatista bases of support,

Comandantas Jessica, Esmeralda, Lucía, Zenaida and the little girl Defensa Zapatista.

Mexico, December 29, 2017