Read for class.

The Zapatista are one of the most interesting groups today - their ideas are incredibly interesting, and their refusal to seize power and intent on 'one world which contains many words'. Their methods and their ideas are explained out here, very clearly and very interestingly.

Their main points are criticism of the exploitation of the country, corruption of the government, and protection of the rights of the downtrodden ethnic groups.

It is given to a rhetorical flourish, as manifestos typically are. But a very impassioned book, and one very much worth reading. ( )

The Zapatista Call for Change from Below

The Other Campaign is a collection of texts – in English and Spanish – by Subcomandante Marcos and his Zapatista compañeros that articulate a vision for “change from below,” a call to create social change outside and beyond the limits of electoral politics. Rather than depending on what they experience as an irreparably corrupt and out-of-touch political system, the Zapatistas are calling for change to come “from below,” from the power that will be unleashed when unrepresented and marginalized communities join forces.

The book includes a recent interview with Marcos, speeches made by Zapatista commandantes, as well as the full text of the Zapatistas’ “The Sixth Declaration of the Lacandón Jungle,” a collective statement that places the indigenous struggle for democracy in its historical context and articulates an evolving vision for democracy, dignity, and justice. "The Sixth Declaration" was released to the world in September 2005, putting out a call to all Mexicans and to marginalized groups around the globe, inviting them to join in a network of solidarity.

The Other Campaign is the living voice of revolutionary struggle in Mexico today – a passionate and powerful call for the creation of “one world in which many worlds fit.” More than ten years after their emergence as a compelling new voice, the Zapatistas continue to inspire and bring together individuals and groups around the world who believe that “another world is possible.”

"We want to tell all who are resisting and fighting in your own ways and in your own countries that you are not alone. Though small in number, we, the Zapatistas support you. We want to share what we've learned from our own struggles so that our experiences can help further your own work. We want the people of Latin American to know that we are proud to be part of the larger fight for justice. We remember quite well how the continent was illuminated some years ago by a light called Che Guevara, as it had previously been called Bolivar, because sometimes the people take up a name in order to say they are taking up a flag."

"We want to tell the people of Cuba, who have now been on their path of resistance for many years, that you are not alone, and we do not agree with the blockade. We are going to send you something, even if it is maize, to help your resistance. We want to tell the people of North America we know that your government does not speak for the many citizens who are in solidarity with the struggles of other countries. We want our Mapuche brothers and sisters in Chile to know that we are watching and learning from your struggles. To the Venezuelans, we see how well you are defending your sovereignty, your nation’s right to decide its future. To the indigenous brothers and sisters of Ecuador and Bolivia, you are giving a good history lesson to all Latin Americans, because you are, indeed, putting a halt to neoliberal globalization. To the piqueteros and to the young people of Argentina, we want to tell you that we love you. To those in Uruguay who want a better country, we admire you, and to those who are sin tierra in Brazil, we respect you. And to all the young people of Latin America, what you are doing is good, and you give us great hope." – from the Sixth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle

"Marcos is the voice for many voices. His words, fashioned from humor and poetry, reveal the deep roots and abundant branches of the Zapatista insurrection in Chiapas. It is an original language for an original movement that is transforming Mexico and is helping to change the world." – Eduardo Galeano

"Reading The Other Campaign changed my life. Fabulous." – Bernardine Dohrn, former member of the Weather Underground, co-editor of Sing A Battle Song The Revolutionary Poetry, Statements, and Communiques of the Weather Underground, 1970-1974 ( )