On July 28th and 29th, more than a thousand women gathered in the community of San Lorenzo Nenamicoyan in the State of Mexico to participate in the First National Encounter of Women convened by the National Indigenous Congress (CNI in its Spanish acronym) and the Indigenous Government Council (CIG in its Spanish acronym). Its objectives included: “Weaving national and international networks of women committed to anti-capitalist and anti-patriarchal struggle from below and to the left”; “Reflect to bring into action the nine working themes of the Indigenous Council of Government from our perspective as rebellious women”; “Exchange our experiences of struggle to continue articulating our organization as anti-capitalist and anti-patriarchal women”; and, “Generate agreements and concrete actions that allow to continue weaving this network of women”.

In a final statement, they declared themselves “in struggle against patriarchy, neoliberal capitalism and neocolonialism with the conviction that, if women do not liberate us from slavery, society will never be free.” They recognized that “We are faced with the challenge of not reproducing the patriarchal power relations between us and valuing us all as subjects of our own lives, with great respect”. They rejected “this capitalist and patriarchal society that has “reified” us and has fed itself from our hopes and our dreams” and stressed that “the participation of women in all areas of life is essential”.

They finally declared that “the agreements taken at the tables of the nine working groups of the IGC: Land and Territory, Autonomy, Women, Youth and Children, Sexual Diversity, Justice, Persons with Disabilities, Migrants, Labor and Exploitation, will be a fundamental part to strengthen our daily and organizational tasks and of the struggle to achieve our flourishing as peoples, communities, neighborhoods and colonies ».

For more information in Spanish:

Declaratoria final del Primer Encuentro Nacional de Mujeres del CNI y el CIG (CNI, 30 de julio de 2018)

“Si las mujeres no nos liberamos de la esclavitud, la sociedad nunca será libre”: Encuentro de Mujeres del CNI y CIG (Desinformémonos, 30 de julio de 2018)

Programa para el Primer Encuentro Nacional de Mujeres del CNI y el CIG

For more information from SIPAZ:

Nacional : CNI plantea que no apoyará a ningún candidato a la presidencia ; llama a los pueblos a seguir organizándose (3 de mayo de 2018)

Chiapas/Nacional : Conversatorio “Miradas, escuchas, palabras: ¿prohibido pensar? (27 de abril de 2018)

Nacional : CNI convoca al “siguiente paso en la lucha” (17 de marzo de 2018)