Revolutionary women of Latin America – lending our voices to their poems and songs. Powerful words of love, justice, equality and liberation: selection inspired by the women of the Oaxaca 2006 uprising.

Join us on Th3 Thursday, July 16th at 7pm for an evening filled with Latino music from Colleen Kattau and Caroline Kim. Otilia Ortiz, will present a video (short) about a young sandinista woman named Arlen Siu.  Other poets and singers include Violeta Parra, Giaconda Belli, Natalia Toledo, Gloria Martin and Jenny Terrero who will read from her book, “The big apple turns brown when you slice it”. Featured will be the poetry of Bertha Muñoz a sample of which we have printed here;

Poesía testimonial de Oaxaca

Porque fueron miles de pies
andando por el tiempo

pies de niños, de adultos,
pies de ancianos,

de jóvenes
pies de amas de casa, de empleados

de campesinos, de indígenas,
pies de burócratas y profesionistas

de pequeños comerciantes, de artistas, de desempleados

pies de maestros y estudiantes.

Aplanando las calles
sonando rítmicamente en un solo clamor

armónicamente unidos a la esperanza, pies musicales

los pies de un pueblo que
en busca de un sueño
decidió echarse a caminar.

Testimonial poetry from Oaxaca

Because it was thousands of feet walking through time,

the feet of children, of adults, the feet of the elderly,

of the young, the feet of housewifes, of workers, of farmworkers, indigenous feet.

The feet of bureaucrats and of professionals,

Of small business owners, artists, of the unemployed.

Teacher’s feet and student’s feet.

Leveling the streets, crying out rhythmically in a single voice

United harmoniously to hope;

musical feet-

The feet of people who in search of a dream, decided to start walking.

During the 2006 Oaxaca uprising Dr. Berta Muñoz, nicknamed Doctora Escopeta, created first aid stations to help the injured, later she broadcasted from Radio Universidad where she helped organized the people’s defense of the radio station. She had to go into exile for two years from Oaxaca because of threats to her life and to her family but went back to Oaxaca in 2008. You can find out more about Dr. Muñoz by visiting:
http://www.narconews.com/Issue54/article3259.html

You are also invited to listen to a presentation given by Barucha Callamity Peller at ArtRage gallery on June 17th about the role of women during the 2006 uprising in Oaxaca, Mexico by visiting: http://palabrasacentuadas.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/262/