| THE ZAPATISTA CHALLENGE
CONFERENCE, LONDON, MARCH 7 & 8, 1998 |
IN THE SPRING OF 1998, there were two major gatherings of radical activists and revolutionaries in the UK which were inspired by the Intercontinental 'Encuentros' for Humanity and against Neoliberalism. They were the Bradford Mayday '98 conference and the Zapatista Challenge Conference. The latter was organized by the Ad Hoc Zapatista Challenge Group. The challenge to which the title refers is not just the struggle against global capitalism (with its 'neoliberal' panoply) waged by the Zapatista rebels and radical 'civil society' in the southeast of Mexico -- it is also the importance of responding to their revolutionary activity by organizing against the same enemy where we live, according to our own needs and traditions, and by linking such struggles around the globe.
The Zapatista Challenge Conference was held at the Praxis Centre, near Bethnal Green in East London. The Conference was held during the weekend of March 7 and 8, and about 200 persons participated in the two days of presentations and workshops. It was organized around three themes:
- public awareness of the political-economic situation in Mexico and the nature of the Zapatistas' rebellion against it;
- taking steps toward lasting, concrete solidarity work with the Zapatistas and struggling democratic institutions in Mexican 'civil society';
- considering the broader implications of the Zapatistas' rebellion, including the struggles against neo-liberal economic policies in the UK and efforts to build a network among these.
These themes were reflected in the structure of the group discussions at the conference. Generally, a presenter started with an introductory talk or visual presentation of about 30 minutes, after which the participants split into discussion groups of about 6-12 persons with designated facilitators. These small groups were supposed to consider especially the relevance of their discussion to local campaigns and projects. After about half an hour of small-group discussion, the workshop reconvened and each discussion group reported to the other workshop participants. The presenter then usually made concluding remarks.
The following organizations were invited to make presentations or to hold workshops: English Mexico Support Group, Irish Mexico Support Group, Bristol Chiapas Support Group, fHumaN, Peoples' Global Action, Nicaragua Solidarity Network, striking Magnet Kitchen workers, Reclaim the Streets!, Bradford Mayday '98 Conference, and AI Mexico Table. In addition, 'Hard Drive', a documentary on the role of cyber-space in the Zapatista struggle was shown and a talk given by its producers and directors, P. Day and D. Fox. There were also numerous spontaneous and informal discussions and networking sessions. A créche facility for children was available on both days of the conference, and Veggies of Nottingham provided delicious vegan meals and snacks throughout.
ONE IMMEDIATE RESULT OF THE CONFERENCE was the starting of an e-mail discussion group, 'Chiapas Link'. Chiaps Link is meant to be an on-line forum for the exchange of information about recent events in the Zapatista struggle, human rights abuses in the Chiapas and elsewhere in Mexico, and about how you can make a difference -- whether in Britain or by working in Chiapas. To join, just send e. mail to <chiapaslink@acephale.org> with the word 'subscribe' in the subject field.
FURTHER CONFERENCE PAGES:
Conference programme
Photographs from the Conference
