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Mexico: Zapatist Station Radio Insurgente Back on Air

Posted on: Tuesday, 3 January 2006, 12:00 CST

Radio Insurgente, voice of the EZLN, Zapatist National Liberation Army, has resumed broadcasting on shortwave, FM and the internet, according to a 16 December 2005 communique from subcommander Marcos, the public spokesman for the Clandestine Indian Revolutionary Committee-General Command of the EZLN, Mexico City Canal 11 TV reported on 21 December.

The radio station was previously closed on 20 June 2005 under the orders of the Zapatist leader but the 21 December news bulletin on Canal 11 TV confirmed that the broadcaster had returned to the airwaves.

The communique stated that FM radio stations will broadcast to the indigenous communities in the various Zapatist zones in Mexico's southeastern Chiapas state. Further, those indigenous peoples in the area will receive training in radio production techniques. The local population will decide on the content of local FM programmes, according to Marcos.

The EZLN will be responsible for the other main shortwave programme. The website said "After 30 December we will return to weekly transmissions on Fridays at 3pm in the afternoon [local time] on 6 MHz, 49 metreband."

The Zapatist website is at www.enlacezapatista.ezln.org.mx/ category/ezln

An archive of the shortwave broadcasts is available at http:// www.radioinsurgente.org/index.php?name=archive within the main website at www.radioinsurgente.org

The station website, accessed on 21 December 2005, gives more detail:

Background from Radio Insurgente website

"Radio Insurgente is a FM project which transmits from various places in Chiapas directed to the Zapatist bases, the insurgents and militias, the commanders and local people in general. This programme is broadcast not only in Spanish, but also in the indigenous languages Tzotzil, Tzeltal, Chol and Tojolabal. The programme mixes local, national and international news with music, educational and political messages, short stories and drama. Radio Insurgente is the media through which the Zapatist communities spread their own music, words and thoughts.

"Radio Insurgente is the only independent radio station in Chiapas transmitting in the various indigenous languages, and for this reason can be understood by women, men and children. In Chiapas, due to the catastrophic educational politics of the official Mexican government, approximately a third of the men and half of the women cannot read and write. Most women do not speak or understand Spanish.

"The Radio Insurgente signal reaches isolated regions that have no electricity, where no newspaper goes and where entertainment mainly consists of playing basketball or soccer. For these communities, Radio Insurgente opens a window to the world, and brings information about the struggles of other peoples in other countries. The dozens of letters which reach the studios every day demonstrate how important its programme is for the indigenous people of Chiapas.

"Radio Insurgente broadcasts daily on various frequencies in FM (according to the region).

For the Zona Altos de Chiapas (Tzotzil, Tzeltal, Chol) [local languages] on the frequency 97.9 MHz on FM

For the Zona Selva Fronteriza (Tzeltal, Tojolabal) on the frequency 97.9 MHz FM

For the Zona Selva Tzeltal on the frequencies 100.1 MHz and 89.3 MHz FM

For the Zona norte (Tzotzil, Tzeltal, Chol) on the frequency 102.1 MHz FM

For the Zona zotz choj (Tzeltal, Tojolabal) on the frequency 92.9 MHz FM

Shortwave radio

"Its weekly shortwave programme in Spanish is particularly directed to the people of Mexico and the Americas, but also to all interested parties from civil society in Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It has regular reports on actual events in Chiapas, on the progress of constructing a Zapatist autonomy through the Juntas de Buen Gobierno and the autonomous rebel municipalities, on the history of the National Zapatist Liberation Army, indigenous women's rights and many other subjects.

"It also entertains with a variety of music and short stories from Chiapas. On shortwave, Radio Insurgente transmits one hour per week on Fridays from 3 pm (Mexico official time, gmt -6) on the frequency 6.0 MHz, 49 metreband.

The web site

"On this web page [www.radioinsurgente.org] you can listen to or download the weekly shortwave Radio Insurgente programmes, as well as some special programmes and samples of the FM programme. You also can send an email to the Radio Insurgente team with your comments. The audio archives are in mp3 format (mono), compressed to 64 kbps for download and retransmission, and 32 kbps for listening. [Passage omitted]

"The National Zapatist Liberation Army invites all free and community radio stations to rebroadcast Radio Insurgente's programme on their local frequency. Retransmission is free as long as the contents aren't changed."

Programme summary of Zapatist National Liberation Army, EZLN, Radio Insurgente

The recording, monitored from the audio archive on the website on 22 December 2005, but labelled as the 19 December 2005 programme, lasted just over one hour.

1. Introduction with music: "You are listening to Radio Insurgente, the voice of the Zapatist National Liberation Army".

2. "Once again we are broadcasting Radio Insurgente, the voice of those with no voice, the voice of the Zapatist National Liberation Army, broadcast from the mountains of southeast Mexico".

3. The date of 19 December [2005] was chosen for the relaunch because it marks the 12th anniversary of the Zapatist uprising in Chiapas and the declaration of the autonomous Zapatist rebel municipalities.

4. Zapatist groups will now be trained so they can have control over the FM radio broadcasts in their area. Main broadcasts will still be broadcast on shortwave and will be available from the webpage (http://www.radioinsurgente.org).

5. Will discuss the new campaign laid down in the 6th Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle. But first "some nice music so you can dance in your house".

6. Have to join all the civil groups in Mexico and abroad to fight against the advance of neo-liberalism which is destroying humanity.

7. The Other Campaign is a campaign to create a grassroots movement in Mexico "from those below".

8. In June 2005 the EZLN released the 6th Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle, in which the Clandestine Indian Revolutionary Committee-General Command (CCRI-CG) of the Zapatist National Liberation Army announced a new phase in the struggle. The new phase includes joining up with other groups in Mexico and abroad to create a fairer more dignified world.

9. As part of "The Other Campaign", a Zapatist committee has been meeting other civil, social and political groups to build consensus.

10. Trail for Radio Insurgente with music.

11. Revolutionary singer describes his lyrics.

12. Woman speaks of discrimination against women and calls for reduction in family size to free women from the home.

13. Different speakers give short speeches on revolutionary politics and against capitalism, neo-liberalism and the international credit agencies such as the IMF, World Bank, interspersed by clips of music by Spanish rock musicians such as Manu Chao and Amparanoia and Mexican cumbia songs.

14. Speaker decries deaths of Mexicans in "Uncle Sam's war in Iraq". Calls on Mexicans to protest outside the "Yanqui embassy" in Mexico City and say a loud no to the war.

15. Woman speaks out against "lesbophobia", calls for more open society. Gay man calls for freedom for people of non-heterosexual orientation.

16. Member of Zapatist punk collective discusses new ideas for workshops on cultural issues, praises new direction in 6th Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle.

17. Leader of collective groups calls for recognition of slain comrade.

18. Speaker calls for education for poor.

19. Presenter says speakers featured in programme spoke at a meeting in August in La Garrucha, Chiapas, where the "Other Campaign" was launched.

20. Music.

21. Presenter says the "Other Campaign" does not only include the Zapatists but "many other voices".

22. Interview with members of "Radio Sabotaje" [http:// www.radiosabotaje.tk; http://sabotaje.blogsome.com], a pro-Zapatist community radio station based in the Literature and Philososphy Faculty of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City. Jose Arteaga and Romeo Lopez of Radio Sabotaje explain why they joined the "Other Campaign".

Presenter thanks listeners for tuning in and plays a lively Afro- Cuban song to end of broadcast.

Source: BBC Monitoring Media

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