Customer Reviews

The Other Campaign: la otra campana (City Lights Open Media) (Spanish Edition)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Other Campaign outlines Delegate Zero's(Subcommandante Marcos) campaign to bring autonomy and power to the indigenous people of Mexico and to free them from a corrupt government bent on serving foreign exploitation of indigenous lands and resources. La Otra took the Zapatista message beyond Chiapas and the effort to create a national law to respect the rights of indigenous people. My version is in both English and Spanish - opposite pages facing each other - which i pretty convenient.
On my last trip to Chiapas the Other Campaign was successful in providing relief to flood victims in Chiapas where the government of Chiapas and Mexico failed to perform. The people of Chiapas have long been ignored and neglected by National Mexican politics. Chiapas is not alone in this regard. Marcos initial Zapatista movement played a huge part in getting attention for the conditions in Chiapas and improving them. Many of those on the edge of supporting the EZLN have taken these improvements as adequate and the strength of Zapatista movement has suffered. The meager improvements are not adequate but compared to previous conditions they seem positive improvements, and they are - just too little too late. They don't make up for massacres committed by the Mexican military for example.
This book outlines the campaign and its promise.
Americans should become aware of this struggle and its promise especially since the U.S. supports NAFTA(One of the problems Mexicans face.) and Calderone's ineffective pro corporate policies, including the failing "War on Drugs".