EDUCA is proud to present a brand new microsite about creativity and resistance to the threat of mining in Oaxaca. It includes video, radio, infographics and original reporting in Spanish and English. This year, Indigenous Zapotec communities recuperated the popular, collective spirit of the Guelaguetza and organized their own “Guelaguetza against Mining” to celebrate 10 years of resistance to extractive projects in Oaxaca’s Central Valleys region. Apart from a report and a new video showcasing this colourful event, the microsite contains reports & videos about how zapotec communities managed to pass a prohibition on mining in their territories, as well as about this year’s event on October 12, the Day of Indigenous Resistance: Communities of Oaxaca gathered to commemorate 527 years defending their territories, cultures, languages and ways of life. They discussed López Obrador’s vision of development, which they say “is nothing more than a new stage of savage capitalism that seeks to take over our territories.” Faced with the threat of an extractive model, which violently imposes mining permits, Indigenous communities are reinforcing traditions of collective work and celebration that for centuries have been the pillars of communal life in Oaxaca. They are also organizing to strengthen their mechanisms of self-governance and exercise their right to self-determination. The new microsite illustrates the variety and creativity of the ways communities’ respond to the threat of mining in Oaxaca. Another new report explores the links between mining, tourism and cultural events in Oaxaca. Canadian owned mining companies, responsible for paramilitary violence and environmental disasters caused in Oaxaca, sponsors tourist events like this year’s Oaxaca Film Fest. Local communities accuse the company of appropriating their culture to whitewash a record of violations.Visit our microsite: Creativity & Resistance to the threat of mining
