Document: The International of hope
Mexico's Zapatista rebels have convened continental conventions "Against
Neoliberalism and For Humanity" for April in Berlin, Tokyo, Sydney, Africa and the
Americas. These meetings will prepare an intercontinental meeting in the Zapatista base of Aguascalentes, in South-East Mexico, in June. We reprint the declaration establishing the initiative. During the last years, the power of money has presented a new mask over its criminal face. Disregarding borders, with no importance given to races or colors, the Power of money humiliates dignities, insults honesties and assassinates hopes. The historic crime in the concentration of privileges, wealth and impunities is renamed "Neoliberalism". It democratizes misery and hopelessness. A new world war is being fought, against humanity. As in all world wars, what is being sought is a new distribution of the world. They call this modern war which assassinates and forgets "globalization". The new organisation of the world consists in concentrating power in power and misery in misery. The new organisation of the world excludes "minorities". The indigenous, youth, women, homosexuals, lesbians, people of color, immigrants, workers, peasants; the majority who make up the basements of the world are disposable, as far as those in power are concerned. The new organisation of the world excludes the majorities. The modern army of financial capital and corrupt governments advances: conquering in the only way it is capable of. By destroying. The new organisation of the world destroys humanity. The new organisation of the world has only one place for money and its servants Men, women and machines become equal in servitude and in being disposable. The lie governs and it multiplies itself in means and methods. A new lie is sold to us as history. The lie about the defeat of hope, the lie about the defeat of dignity, the lie about the deteat of humanity. The mirror of power offers us an equilibrium in the balance scale: the lie about the victory of cynicism, the lie about the victory of servitude, the lie about the victory of neoliberalism. Instead of humanity, it offers us stock market value indexes, instead of dignity it offers us globalization of misery, instead of hope it offers us an emptiness, instead of life it offers us the international of terror. Against the international of terror representing neoliberalism, we must raise the international of hope. Hope, above borders, languages, colors, cultures, sexes, strategies, and thoughts, of all those who prefer humanity alive. The international of hope. Not the bureaucracy of hope, not the opposite image and, thus, the same as that which annihilates us. Not the power with a new sign or new clothing. A breath like this, the breath of dignity. The flower of hope. The song of life. Dignity is the nation without nationality, the rainbow that is also a bridge, the murmur of the heart no matter what blood pumps through it, the rebel irreverence that mocks borders, customs and wars. Hope is the rejection of conformity and defeat. Life is what they owe us: the right to gover and to govern ourselves, to think and act with a freedom that is not exercised through the slavery of others; the right to give and receive what is just. For all this, along with those who, beyond borders, races and colors, share the song of life, the struggle against death, the flower of hope and the breath of dignity, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation speaks... To all who struggle for human values of democracy, liberty and justice. To all who force themselves to resist the world crime known as "Neoliberalism" [...] To all individuals, groups, collectives movements, social, civic and political organizations, neighborhood associations, cooperatives, all the lefts known and to be known; nongovernmental organizations, groups in solidarity with struggles of the world people, bands, tribes, intellectuals, indigenous people, students, musicians workers, artists, teachers, peasants, cultural groups, youth movements, alternative communication media, ecologists, tenants, lesbians, homosexuals, feminists, pacifists. [...) We call you together to the First Intercontinental Gathering for Humanity and Against Neoliberalism. To be celebrated between the months of April and August of 1996 in all five continents. Continental preparation assemblies will be held in April 1996 in Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceanea and the Americas. The Intercontinental Gathering for Humanity and Against Neoliberalism will take place from July 27th to August 3rd of 1996, in
Mexico * the Zapatista "Aguascalientes", Chiapas, Mexico. The agenda will cover the economic, political, social and cultural aspects of life under neoliberalism, resistance, struggle and proposals for struggle against neoliberalism and for humanity. The preparation meetings in Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania will be organized by the Committees in Solidarity with the Zapatista Rebellion, related organisms, and citizenship groups interested in the struggle against neoliberalism and for humanity. We call upon groups of all countries to work united in the organization and achievement of the preparation assemblies The intercontinental gathering for humanity and against neoliberalism, to be celebrated from July 27th to August 3rd of 1996 in Chiapas, Mexico, will be organized by the EZLN and by citizens
Mexican non-governmental organizations that will be made known in opportune time. Accreditation for the preparation assemblies in the five continents will be made by the organizing committees formed in Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and America, respectively. Accreditation for the gathering in Chiapas, Mexico, will be done by the committees in solidarity with the Zapatista rebellion, with the people of Chiapas, and with the people of Mexico, in their respective countries; and in Mexico, by the organizing commission, which will be made known in opportune time. All details not fixed in this convocation will be resolved by the respective organizing committees, regarding the continenta preparation assemblies, and by the intercontinental organizing committees regarding the gathering in Chiapas, Mexico. Brothers and Sisters: Humanity lives in our chests and, like the heart, it prefers to be on the left side! We must find it, we must find ourselves. It is not necessary to conquer the world. It is sufficient to make it new. Us. Today. * Democracy! Liberty! Justice! From the mountains of the Mexican Southeast, Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos, Clandestine Indigenous Revolutionary Committee , Genera Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. Source: First La RealidadDeclaration Against Neoliberalism and For Humanity, La Jornada, January 30, 1996. This (and many more Zapatista texts) are made available in English by
<moonlight@igc.apc.org>
International Viewpoint n° 275 19