First Encounter of the Zapatista Communities
with the Peoples of the World

On the thirteenth anniversary of the indigenous uprising that challenged the death sentence of the WTO with a passionate explosion of culture, rebellion, and the construction of another world, the Zapatistas invited peoples' from all over the intergalactic to share stories, struggles, hopes and connections.

Over 3,000 participants from more than 40 countries worldwide walked the muddy roads of rebellious territory in Oventic, planting new visions, old hopes, and fresh ideas into the newly fused community of rebels joined in intercommunal, or rather, intergalactic dreams as the Zapatistas hosted the public event for 4 days, free-of-charge.

The agenda for meetings that were held either in the auditorium-barn or the stage-stadium discussed Autonomy and an Other government, the Other education, the Other health, Women and the struggle for equality, the Other communication and the Other art and culture, the Other commerce, and the struggle for land and territory. Each meeting contained at least an hour in the end for people to share their own experiences from their own groups, to pose questions, and to share upcoming projects or actions.

Meetings were also held in the evenings amongst the participants, including a group that met for a No Border Camp, which will be realized in the fall of 2007 at the border between US and Mexico. The No Border Camp intends to integrate a variety of struggles into the construction of an autonomous space at the border that will remain for 4-5 days. The No Border Camp also will promote various autonomous actions and make alliances with indigenous and migrant groups, as well as a strong solidarity with collectives on the Mexican side, specifically the Mexican anarchist groups who will be building a camp of their own on the Mexican side. Solidarity actions across the world were also encouraged at the Encuentro, where the proposal was publically read. Two meetings will be held to further discuss the No Border Camp, in Tucson in mid-february, and Mexico, in April. For more info, see: www.deletetheborder.org

(Plans for this mobilization came out of the ongoing process of forming the deletetheborder network and the "Roots of Resistance" camp hosted by the organic collective in San Diego in September 2006.)

Several members of La Junta del Buen Gobierno expressed personal support for the No Border Camp, although an official statement of solidarity is pending. One of the women in La Junta commented that is was important to show that we are all brothers and sisters, that we can live together as in a family, and do not need a border dividing us. She stated that a Camp that expressed the diversity of cultures, arts and food of the peoples divided would be a great way to show that we are brothers and sisters and get people to think about what is happening at the border.

Connect with art and stories from or about Mexico

Connect with groups and initiatives in Mexico:

~ Zapatista Rebel Autonomous Education System

Connect with people in Mexico

Connect with analysis about and from Mexico