jacobito's Journal

Oventic, el caracol resistencia y rebeldía por la humanidad

Bienvenidos a Oventic
Originally uploaded by jacobito.

How to volunteer in Oventic
If you want to study in Oventic at this school, you can fill out this application and send an email to
this guy. If you don't want to study here, but still want to come, you can volunteer at the clinic and stay for free as you do it. From San Cristobal, go to the open market off of General Utrilla street, catch a colectivo van to Bochil, and get off in Oventic. It should cost 16 pesos ($1.50). You'll need your passport at the gate to enter.

Camp
The atmosphere in Oventic is reminiscent of a camp. Many animals,mountains, murals, kids, counselors, sports, music, cafeteria, learning, and exchange. Oventic is not an autonomous Zapatista community; it is a Caracol. An experiment in autonomous community building where youth come to learn in autonomous schools, community members come to make proposals to the Junta of Good Government, meetings take place, festivals, concerts, and more. Guitars are played and the Himno Zapatista can be heard all around. For the internationals, its surreal. Engrossed within a sustainable paradise while there are three military encampments right outside.

Ephraim
Our teacher is a wise man. He says he helped edit John Holloway's book Change the World Without Taking Power. The manuscript is on his desk. He teaches us, all in Spanish, about the history of the EZLN and Zapatismo in the Caracoles; we watch "videos" of Zapatista communities and the EZLN from 1994 all the way to 2003. We read stories of Marcos, poetry of the indigenous communities, discuss Plan Puebla Panama, and talk about those pinche neoliberals. I just finished reading this story in english.

Water = Coca Cola
You know whats even worse than having Coca-Cola litter rural communities with not only their drink, but their advertising as well? Having the major bottled water company in Chiapas be owned by Coke! Shit. Ciel is a Coke product, yet its water, and its the only thing here.

Animals
There's many animals here. Chickens, horses, birds, sheep, cats, dogs, and
bull. The chickens really like me.

Culture of Resistance
Everything here is inundated with the power of zapatista resistance, indigineous community building, democracia, justicia, and libertad. From the library to the basketball courts, from the classrooms to the little shops, murals

What is Autonomy
Over and over again, this question comes up. And over and over again, our teacher responds, (not exactly, but somewhat), "Many try to elaborate on the concept of autonomy and then impose that concept onto a situation, a context, a location, or a people. Hector Diaz-Polanco had the idea of regional autonomy before the Zapatistas stormed San Cristobal, but the concept was vacuous, for it was lacking the constructive element of its definition. We must construct autonomy as well as our schools, libraries, and bathrooms. We are always constructing here. Even our own identities we construct step by step.

Similarities and Differences between Oventic and San Diego
Haven't conceptualized this yet. Anyone want to help me?

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