Zapotec Post-Earthquake Reconstruction | Oaxaca MX

"My name is Rudiel, when I was young I didn’t understand why my mother went to the traditional parties with enagua (long casual traditional skirt) and a simple huipil (traditional shirt) instead of the gala suits, she told me, “Those clothes are very expensive and we can’t afford them. Is either clothes or food”. Since then, I decided to learn embroidery. Now she wears a new suit for each important traditional party” 

For Rudy, his mother was the motor for learning crafts. Gloria, one of the students of traditional embroidery in the communitary center, she was amazed with the mural: 

“It is said in the town that Rudy is like a human embroidery-machine. He is a total inspiración for everyone. I met the muralist, a young girl @cristina.deluna, she painted a girl with her traditional clothes, but with the flowers, she expressed embroidery as free threads floating in the sky. I really believe it is like that. Last May I lost my job but since then, finding fair trades in our region has been impossible for me. My sister Lety, asked me to join her in UMPO’s traditional embroidery workshops for zapotec women. She told me: “Gloria, it will be a good way of de-stressing yourself.” In my town people say that to avoid having bad thoughts it's better being busy: “Ponte a hacer algo y mira cómo dejas de pensar tonterías”. I used to say a lot “I can’t do that, neither that. I just can’t”. Seeing Iris, the teacher, passing the hook for one side to other was so challenging. But when I started to trying it, it was so satisfactory, when I ended my first huipil, I noticed that my self-confidence was renewed. Manual labor brings me tranquility and calm.

I loved this experience because it wasn’t just learning a craft. Together, we all women built a space for sharing and support. We had a class of bio-dancing with the teacher Mari Cruz, who makes us feel free through the movement of our body, I have always loved to dance but with this kind of exercises I felt fulfilled. It was very funny for all the women, at the beginning they were a little ashamed because the weather was so hot so we were like a sea of swet, but after the first dancing styles, everybody was merequeteando (moving energetically). Also we have workshops that help us know ourselves better, we talk about dreams and the way we can chase them. We thought about how we can help our girlfriends achieve their goals, we even made the logo of our future entrepreneurship. But what I liked the most was that when I shared my life story, its cheerful to know your difficulties can be easily overcome, the art of embroidery gave me the gift of a peaceful mind for over coming whatever happens.” 

Supporting this campaign gave the possibility to join and recognize Rudy as a guard of traditional crafts in our community and  Gloria to have the opportunity of following the same passion than Rudy but in her very own way. We appreciate it infinitely.

Links:

• https://www.facebook.com/manoparaoaxaca/

"My name is Vanessa, 

I am 11 years old and I lost my home during the earthquake of 2017. I have been part of the traditional music guitar workshop of Una mano para Oaxaca, since 2018. Our teacher, professor Giovanni Gutierrez, is a great local musician who developed a teaching method to introduce children into guitar playing, practicing our native language, called zapoteco, through singing. What I like more from what we have learned, is that I can play guitar as companion of my grandpa’s zapoteco singing. Now, everyone wants to play too, even my cousins bought a guitar. During my school graduation I offer myself for playing so my friends could sang in zapoteco, for saying goodbye to the school. Even one of my youngest partners, Zahir of 7 years, told me that when someone bothers him at school, he keeps calm by thinking in “El torito”, a song that Giovanni compose to teach us about traditional festivals. 

Last May Una mano para Oaxaca organized a festival for traditional zapotec bands. We were the hosts, so our parents helped with tamales and horchata water. They were proud because me and my class played in front of many people, almost a thousand. There were seven other communities participating, we were more than a hundred of kids playing traditional music. I got very nervous at the beginning but everything went well, we even gave our teacher a recognition plate during the concert, because we were very proud of what we have achieved. The festival was called “The river’s Song” because all the visitors were from the towns with which we share pass of the river, Guigu Bicu or Dog’s river. The river is very polluted and we want to save it. This festival was for remembering people that if we work together we can make incredible things for changing our world.  It was beautiful, I believed traditional music keeps us safe and close to our culture, like a tie beneath our families and their hearts."

Thanks to your support, the workshop of traditional guitar and zapotec singing  have been part of our community center activities during 2019. Also the festival River's Song was a dream that came true. Thanks a lot! 

Links:

• River's Song Festival Video
• Festival notice
• Professor Giovanni's channel