This morning, January the 5th, 2007, I decided to donate some presents for poor people's children in our poor State. Tomorrow is January the 6th, Epiphany of the Wise Kings, and traditional children day for getting presents in the Hispanic tradition. Dia de Reyes. There were two posibilities.
One, a state goverment sponsered site at the main city square, the Zocalo. With TV support, lots of balloons and popular singers, it was a showy statement about who has the political power in our State. Unfortunately nobody was donating presents there. It was as desolate as a cemmetery.
The other site, was at Santo Domingo Square, another of our traditional squares, mainly for rich people but now, thanks to our great artist Francisco Toledo and to its flag institution the IAGO (Oaxaca Institute of Graphic Arts) located in this square, a heaven for the popular struggle to get a just society.
The site for gift donating was very pooor: a group of nice ladies, some few balloons, but lots and lots of joy and sharing. The square started to get full of presents for the poor kids.
And what happened? Our loved goverment, feeling threatened by people's attendance, decided to prohibit the presents delivery. They sent the armed police to stop the flow of presents! At this time they are positioned at the square under the strong sun (thanks God it is very hot and sunny!), showing very proudly how to step on everybody's rights! Francisco Toledo opened the IAGO library (free and one of the best in Latinamerica) to provide a place for all the gifts...
How poor an image for a tourist city! What a culture! I lamented not having a camera to take thousands of pictures and register this shameful act! Is delivering presents for children a terrorist act? Is not Mexico the president of the UN council on Civil Rights? Has not Mexico signed all kind of treaties supporting the defense of those rights? What kind of civil education can we teach our children with this official acts?
I'm full of rage and shame. It is impossible to express it in a right way. I hope that some powerful people there, in the wide world will react and will demand to our goverment stop acting as criminal gorillas (I'm sorry gorillas for this but I can not find any other word, maybe Mexican politicians would be better).
With a bitter shame....
Álvaro
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