Members of the Base Christian Community (BCC)The week began with plans and excitement surrounding el dia de independencia, or Mexico’s Declaration of Independence which took place on September 16, 1810. We were excited to head to the town center where most of the town gathers to hear the grito, which is the reenactment of the declaration of independence that is accompanied by the ringing of a bell shortly before midnight on Sept. 15th. In most major cities in Mexico, a person in political power delivers the grito. In Mexico City, the president gives the grito, while in Cuernavaca the governor was expected to deliver the grito.
Early the evening of the 15th, however, we learned that the grito had been moved from Cuernavaca to another city about an hour away. The grito was moved because the zocalo, or town center, has been taken over by a teachers strike for the past month or so. The public school teachers have set up tents and are living in the center of town in shifts in order to protest unfair wages, difficult teaching environments (i.e. large class sizes, poor government funding, etc.) and a variety of other issues.
The grito was moved because of fear of interference by the teachers strike. The scene of tents and makeshift homes clogging the main streets and the smell of food cooking has become my normal expectation for the zocalo, and I had not even thought of the possibility of it interfering with the grito. We headed down to the zocalo anyway, and enjoyed a night of festivities and revelry nonetheless.
After the festive start to the week, we experienced another form of community gathering. In our religion class, we have been studying Latin American Liberation Theology which I could cover pages writing about. Simply put, it is the movement to peacefully overcome social injustices through religious meetings that also focus on current events and the use the bible to interpret these events. We had the distinct pleasure of attending one of these group meetings, called Base Christian Communities. The laity generally runs these BCC, and our meeting was conducted by Alicia Arines at the home of one of the members of the group.
At the meeting, we began with songs and prayers from the gospel, and we then discussed some of the specific projects and initiatives that the group was working on. The current project we witnessed was the construction of tangible symbols to distribute as keepsakes at an upcoming conference. These objects consisted of small pieces of volcanic rock glued to wood as a symbol of the cornerstone upon which the church is built. The physical cornerstone and also the people, the rocks upon which ideas and community are built. The prevailing theme of the meeting was that We are the rocks, We are the church. The emphasis on the people and the struggle of the people was evident through the discussion of current events and the struggles of the poor everyday.
The inclusion that our group felt by the BCC was overwhelming, and the image that sticks with me is that of us all sitting in a tight circle under a tin roof as rain beat down so hard that we could hardly hear one another talk. The connection to basic elements was undeniable as water was bunching and shaping our group just as water shapes and carves rocks, and with us as the rocks, it seemed a fitting end to the evening.
Courtnie and Christy huddled together during the rainstorm at the BCC meeting
5 comments:
There’s a parallel chord of social justice violations all across the globe, but it seems to be a similar truth that they can be aided by a religious outlet. The Base Christian Communities reminds me of the nature of Buddhism here in Thailand. The concept of “peacefully [overcoming] social injustices through religious meetings” is not so foreign after all. The BBC is especially appealing to me in the organization of the movement, because really the more organized the group, the stronger and more helpful it can become. There are groups here, like the conversation club, which serve to end social injustices, but I have yet to see a specifically religious club. However, the religious element in Thailand differs from much of the world in that religion is so specifically woven through every aspect of Thai life, it in itself is a strong standalone force. When speaking with one NGO, P’Suwit, who works with many different communities affected by various social injustice and human rights violations, we learned of the Buddhist component to battle these ailments. The ways of simplicity and non-violence are not always possible when it comes to ending these problems, when people have simply reached their limit. But it seems, according to P’Suwit and other Thais, that the nature of Buddhism, being pacifistic, really reminds those tempted to violence to reevaluate the necessity of fighting aggression with peace. To this end, the smaller groups like the conservation club prove to be a vital source of support for these beliefs, and a necessity to those struggling to “save face”—an important aspect of Thai culture.
It sounds like you are having an incredible experience! I’m studying human rights issues related to development in Thailand and I found it very interesting to hear that communities in Mexico are using religion as a means of facilitating their movement. In Thailand, Buddhism plays a major role much in the same way as you described Christianity plays in Mexico. Our group spoke with a local NGO, P’Suvit who is helping to raise awareness among villagers about their human rights. In Thailand, due to the fear of the state and speaking out against the state, many villagers accept any project the state throws their way while many of their basic human rights are violated in the process. One means by which P’Suvit hopes to raise this awareness is through Buddhist practices. One of the major tenets of Buddhism is the goal of minimizing ones consumption, and P’Suvit explained that through Buddhism, he hopes that villagers look to this tenet as a way of decreasing the demand for large scale development projects that have disastrous effects on the villagers. It’s interesting to see how people in different parts of the globe are looking towards their religion, whether it is Buddhism or Christianity, and using it as a means of bringing people together with the common goal to “peacefully overcome social injustices”.
Although this is not the bulk of your entry, I'm really interested by your mention of teachers' strikes in Cuernavaca. The fact that it the strike and the teachers' movement was strong and organized enough to divert an important event like the grito is telling. I'm not sure how it works in Mexico, but in a lot of developing countries (sometimes in Thailand as well), the pollsite for elections are in schools because they're the biggest building in the village. As such, politicians usually try to keep teachers happy by not pressing them to be accountable to educational policies, necessarily show up to class, etc. Especially in the Northeast, Thailand has similar issues where teachers, while incredibly respected, are probably not the highest paid or with the easiest of environments. Thailand also still has a problem of centralization of education - most curricula are based out of Bangkok and have little relevance to local environments. Does Mexico have similar problems with educational centralization?
(and wow sorry, went totally off topic from your post...)
I personally found it very interesting the way you and/or the BCC referred to people as the "rocks". Here in Thailand, that is a concept that seems to articulate well something that I have been continually mulling over: the fact that we as humans are the common denominator; we are the constant and without people, the issues we see that are necessitating change would not be in existence. As students in a generation where education almost seems to be a requirement, I am thankful that we can be the building blocks of a new way of life. We have the resources to change injustices that we see, and have been equipped to think beyond the black vs. white way of thinking that seems to perpetuate our daily lives. Regardless of where we see the need for the biggest change, whether it be socially, economically, etc., in my opinion it is important to recognize the need for people to address each other; to recognize that behind every faceless corporation or government policy, there are people. I think our world would look significantly different if we began to think about these entities as made up of humans, because realistically it is people and not corporations or policies who are the oppressors of the oppressed.
It is really interesting to see how many of these issues are being formed and impacted by religion in Mexico. I am from Mexico City, as a native I was so oblivious to these issues that many face in Mexico. Being here in Thailand and seeing all the many different problems surrounding development I only see how, much these two distinct countries have in common. As I read your description of Mexico’s Zocalo I was in a dream. It was like I could smell all the different smells from the various vendors. It was a warm feeling of comfort. And of course the famous ¡Grito! What a feeling of power and long history. For a moment I felt that I knew exactly what you were experiencing and felt very connect but as soon as I realized that Mexico has more than what I had only known created a separation from what I knew to the hidden secrets. We don’t talk much about those issues and trying to have overcome such through a ghandian perspective. I am reconnected however through Thailand’s many struggles. It is great to hear of what are the issues surrounding Mexico.
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