Presentation of the documentary "Historia de Guatemala" with Dante Liano.
November 27, 2009. Interesting evening yesterday at the Public Library of Sesto San Giovanni (MI) where he was presented the documentary "Historia de Guatemala" produced by young filmmakers Anna Recalde Miranda and Nicola Brignani . In addition to
Nicola Brignani was present Prof. Dante Liano , Guatemalan writer, professor of English American literature that was presented and commented on the documentary starting from the statement that Latin America is today an interesting laboratory of what can happen anywhere in the world.
to manage the evening Cagliani Felice, president of the municipal council, which has strongly reaffirmed its conviction that the fear of each other and the other is defeated through dialogue, discussion and knowledge.
The documentary "Historia de Guatemala" is the expression of a journey in search of the true faces of Guatemala. Faces and evidence of abuse of human rights and the peaceful resistance of the Indians. A
the resistance that has endured civil war, which began in 1954 with a coup in which the multinational Unted Fruit Company has had an important role, and ended in 1996 with peace agreements. Dante Liano recalls that there is a war declared by the state. A war that has resulted in 200,000 deaths, 400 villages have disappeared, that is literally villages razed by soldiers who have killed men, women, children, even animals, 40,000 people disappeared, most of the disappeared Argentine, 1,000,000 refugees have fled to the mountains, 500,000 rifugianti in Mexico.
According to the Commission for Truth government forces and paramilitaries were responsible for 90% of human rights violations that occurred during the war. The UN has called this genocide.
Peace agreements provide for the delivery of weapons by the opposition, in return, the government undertook to respect the rights of indigenous peoples, to curtail the power of the army had made a commitment in the fight against extreme poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and finally declared its commitment to adopt a land reform for a more equitable distribution of land.
The opposition has laid down their arms, but after more than ten years, the Guatemalan government has not made any promises.
The Guatemalan oligarchy has emerged strengthened from the war, while the Indians have not seen to change their situation of marginalization and social injustice.
Dante Liano has also recalled the progress in the history of Guatemala in recent years. First
the existence of democratic elections that have produced governments of progressive die. Civil society is strengthened and many NGOs have sprung up.
The Mayan people, which represents 60% of the nearly 13 million people in Guatemala, is now aware of his rights, ready to fight without weapons to achieve them.
This consciousness is a force as "natural" intended, "says Dante Liano, to make Guatemala, within a few years, an Indian village as it is for example Bolivia.
highlights include the fees of historical memory: the tragedy of war is widely recognized. However the perpetrators of the atrocious human rights violations Human unpunished and live a life without fear. Many even sit in parliament. One of them is General Efrain Rios Montt, responsible for the deaths of at least 25,000 people.
Positive also a new environmental movement very strong opposing the devastation of the country. As an example of this movement activism Dante Liano recalls the campaign to save Lake Atitlan pollution produced by discharges from hotels.
The downsides are expressed primarily in the substantial weakness of the state . The peace agreements based on which the Guatemalan state were taken between the oligarchy, the military and the opposition. It is not a social status shared by all social classes in Guatemala.
The oligarchy traditionally land is now involved in cement and finance. The new elites are far-right and strongly support the free market: they are convinced that a society functions well when the market is left free to work alone. And this in light of the events of recent times, when the global crisis has seriously challenged this principle.
Dante Liano said that he had spoken with some members of the Guatemalan oligarchy. He noted that they are unaware of the state and not think about the good of the country, just think of their profits. Other aspects
negative powers parallel state: the power of mafia leaders who control the drugs, trafficking in human beings (migrants to the north), child trafficking, trafficking in human organs, trafficking in works of art maya.
The new rich, ex-military that are recycled in criminal activities, says Dante Liano, are better armed state. Also remember that 97% REMAINING unpunished crimes committed in Guatemala. All this growth in population a real sense of insecurity.
The UN intervened in the deal with the problem of justice by creating the " International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala" CICICG. A body, above the Judiciary, created to combat crimes and to clarify the most important.
Another negative: the rigidity of the social mobility that prevents the dialogue between the social classes that are increasingly divided as inequality increases. Another negative element
multinationals are exploiting the riches of the country with the support of the policy. An example, reproduced from the video, is the mining company that extracts gold in Montana Exploradora Sipakapa. 99% of profits go to the corporation, the rest remains in the state.
The production requires a lot of water after the stream that the multinational has given by the indigenous Maya live. Now water is scarce for the inhabitants of that region and has very strong traces of heavy minerals which are very harmful to health.
Last but not least the problem of feminicide . A bloody violence against women is growing in Guatemala, so even more of what happens in Ciudad Juárez in Mexico, considered the most dangerous city for women in the world. But it all remains silent, the media do not talk about it. It is a chronic violence. It is to blame the machismo and Marras, groups of youth crime. A guy who wants to get into marras must demonstrate enough fierce, the strategy must have the courage to kill a woman, even better if the woman of a rival, or even his wife.
Dante Liano claims that managers are not in the young guys, but Mafia chiefs who control the territory.
The point is that those who oppose injustice danger of dying. The only reference to people who oppose injustice and demand respect for their rights and the law remained the Church.
The Church represented by Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini Imeri , Bishop of San Marcos in Guatemala, former president of the Episcopal Conference of Guatemala, who was also the object of death threats. The Rev. Alvaro Ramizzini continues the long battle for justice from the outset taken by Bishop Juan José Gerardi Conedera murdered two days after the publication of the report "Nunca más" took place April 25, 2009. Report that collects testimonies of the horrors of the terrible civil war.
The video Historida de Guatemala "shows the faces of a people trying to live a dignified life in poverty, people who resist injustice, impunity, violations of his rights.
remains imprinted looked surprised, afraid of a little girl of perhaps four years old, dressed in colorful traditional Mayan dress. Looks at her mother listens to talk. They are found along with other indigenous people and talk about their personal experience of war. The woman, her face marked by a life of toil, speaking of the abuses committed by the military, recalls how before her killing men and women, old people and children . And remember how she is saved because the priest of the community had asked for mercy and offered food to the killers.
One has the impression that although the child is not able to fully understand the meaning of the speech, I take the extreme harshness of the words and feel the shock of his mother in the soul to remember what you can not forget. Other women have tears in their eyes, are clearly committed.
Also in a video journalist who points out that there are documents in which you give instructions to the military had orders not to use weapons to kill children under four years to save on the cost of bullets. Children, it is written black on white, had to be taken to his feet and had to bang their heads against the wall.
faces appear and the testimony of Mario Cardenas and his wife Micaela, the Cooperative Katoki. Human rights defenders threatened with death several times. Micaela tell us listen to that day when they found the walls of the educational center Monte Cristo smeared with blood, handprints and unambiguous death threats. But they continue their project is important where the literacy of children and young people.
Dante Liano says that martyrs are civilians and that until there will be civil these martyrs, such as Mario Cardenas and his wife, there will be hope for Guatemala.
asked to do by Italy to support the Guatemalan population, the immediate response from 'Association of Pavia Ains non-profit organization that organized the evening.
Monica Mazzoleni
Ains Onlus Association: Cooperative ainsonlus.blog.com
Katoki: www.katoki.org
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