Saturday, August 28, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Back from El Salvador
The delegation to El Salvador has returned. We are filled with inspiration and more determination than ever to help. We met with the brave anti-mining activist in Cabanas and several environmentalist and social activists working to make their country a better place. Here are a few pictures and words to describe our trip. More to come later.
The Mud of San Isidro
(Dedicated to Marcelo Rivera)
since he was young, the dogs were
so skinny and weak that seldom did
they bark, the water so polluted that
it was substituted for coca cola; the
children so malnourished and forgotten
and abused and exploited and deaden
that the pastime was sleeping, escaping
their country through dreams (of
disneyland and mcdonalds)
they used to use a one-story building
there in san isidro during the civil war
to store cadavers and pieces of cadavers
and after the peace accords, he saw
that it was no longer in use so he asked to
use it
he and his brother cleaned the building
swept, mopped and converted it into a
community center for the youth – so that
the children wouldn’t be so forgotten
and deaden and asleep
then came the free trade agreement
and the canadian pacific rim mining
company to steal the gold and silver
from the mountains but he knew that
the water was already poisoned and the
dogs already silent and skinny, the
children barely having awaken to life
he knew that cyanide was used for mining
that the water would be further poisoned
the workers would get paid $3 per day (as
opposed to the average canadian miner’s
salary of $30 per hour), the children further
deaden, the dogs would be converted
into walking, silent skeletons
so it goes as is the continuing violent
history of el salvador, for his protest
he was murdered, forever silenced by
the torturing hands of tortuous empires
and their serpentine, malicious and
transnational arms, but as his flesh is
returned to the earth, having been
borrowed, as the mud of san isidro swells
up to embrace him, the earth rumbles
with injustice, as the ants and worms
work away at his borrowed flesh, they
crawl away more inspired and fiery
with stomachs filled with rage and fire
and love and hope that knows no
beginning or end or flesh and may these
ants and worms serve to carry our his
reincarnated struggle and may the earth
shake with reclaimed determination
and vengeance.
Taking Notes
the smoke leaves their cigarettes
in thick, grey swirls, encircling the gyrating
sweating, young bodies and minds of
San Salvador, as entire communities are
left without political representation
the poor left to fend for themselves
as the old keel over from dehydration
and hunger, as skinny and hungry dogs
circle these bodies like vultures, as relatives
are murdered, as the repression from the
police rises and falls like a wave, they dance
to forget; they embrace and kiss and make
love passionately to remember that certain
things, every day growing fewer and fewer
still, are permanent and untouchable and
incorruptible,
and as a girl asks me to write a poem
describing this sentiment, the contradictions
of realities, the dichotomy, as she drinks her
Suprema and smokes her Delta with passion
but the poem has already been written
all I did was take notes.
The Poem Eight Lines Long
the act of poetry
is criminal
in nature
for when you capture
a moment, you steal
it away, corrupting
the memory with
inadequate interpretation
The Mud of San Isidro
(Dedicated to Marcelo Rivera)
since he was young, the dogs were
so skinny and weak that seldom did
they bark, the water so polluted that
it was substituted for coca cola; the
children so malnourished and forgotten
and abused and exploited and deaden
that the pastime was sleeping, escaping
their country through dreams (of
disneyland and mcdonalds)
they used to use a one-story building
there in san isidro during the civil war
to store cadavers and pieces of cadavers
and after the peace accords, he saw
that it was no longer in use so he asked to
use it
he and his brother cleaned the building
swept, mopped and converted it into a
community center for the youth – so that
the children wouldn’t be so forgotten
and deaden and asleep
then came the free trade agreement
and the canadian pacific rim mining
company to steal the gold and silver
from the mountains but he knew that
the water was already poisoned and the
dogs already silent and skinny, the
children barely having awaken to life
he knew that cyanide was used for mining
that the water would be further poisoned
the workers would get paid $3 per day (as
opposed to the average canadian miner’s
salary of $30 per hour), the children further
deaden, the dogs would be converted
into walking, silent skeletons
so it goes as is the continuing violent
history of el salvador, for his protest
he was murdered, forever silenced by
the torturing hands of tortuous empires
and their serpentine, malicious and
transnational arms, but as his flesh is
returned to the earth, having been
borrowed, as the mud of san isidro swells
up to embrace him, the earth rumbles
with injustice, as the ants and worms
work away at his borrowed flesh, they
crawl away more inspired and fiery
with stomachs filled with rage and fire
and love and hope that knows no
beginning or end or flesh and may these
ants and worms serve to carry our his
reincarnated struggle and may the earth
shake with reclaimed determination
and vengeance.
Taking Notes
the smoke leaves their cigarettes
in thick, grey swirls, encircling the gyrating
sweating, young bodies and minds of
San Salvador, as entire communities are
left without political representation
the poor left to fend for themselves
as the old keel over from dehydration
and hunger, as skinny and hungry dogs
circle these bodies like vultures, as relatives
are murdered, as the repression from the
police rises and falls like a wave, they dance
to forget; they embrace and kiss and make
love passionately to remember that certain
things, every day growing fewer and fewer
still, are permanent and untouchable and
incorruptible,
and as a girl asks me to write a poem
describing this sentiment, the contradictions
of realities, the dichotomy, as she drinks her
Suprema and smokes her Delta with passion
but the poem has already been written
all I did was take notes.
The Poem Eight Lines Long
the act of poetry
is criminal
in nature
for when you capture
a moment, you steal
it away, corrupting
the memory with
inadequate interpretation
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Open Letter for Help
“I joined the Semillas Project because I felt that it is a wonderful opportunity to put a stop to a destructive pattern.” Daisy
We have successfully achieved our goal of raising the necessary funds to help establish the non-profit seed bank and bee farm in Cuisnahuat, El Salvador. They've planted their first crop of indigenous corn on May 1, 2010.
We would like to extend our eternal gratitude to people such as you for being involved and helping the people of El Salvador. We would like to thank the generous people at Health Force (www.healthforce.com), KPFK (with special thanks to Uncle Ruthie at Halfway Down the Stairs Saturday morning program), The Los Angeles Workers’ Center (www.losangelesworkers.org), Nahui Ohlin (an Echo Park indigenous cultural store) and all those that see the importance of working collectively and in helping communities realize self-sufficiency.
Because of people like you, we were able to bring awareness of the problems and devastation agricultural transnational corporations have on communities around the world. Because of people like you, we were able to successfully show that if a community stands up for a just cause and develops bridges with other people, the seemingly daunting is possible.
But it’s not over yet. We are now raising funds to send a delegation to Cuisnahuat to witness the results that the Semillas Project and the people of El Salvador have worked toward. The trip is planned for August 12th to the 21st. Members of the delegation will take part in the harvesting of their corn, participate in their annual Corn Festival as well as visit other communities and historical sites.
But we are in urgent need of financial support to make this trip a reality as many are youth, with scarce resources. We ask you to donate any amount; and if you cannot donate, please send this letter to a close friend, a co-worker, a teacher, or a family member. Donations can be made through our PayPal account on www.semillasproject.blogspot.com. If you donate $25 or more, you get a free Semillas T-shirt.
In Solidarity,
The Semillas Project Collective
semillascriollas@gmail.com
DONATE HERE!
http://www.semillasproject.blogspot.com/
Semillas Project Event at Nahui Ohlin
This was one of our last scheduled events before embarking on our trip to El Salvador in less than 4 days. In addition to showing our documentary, we also showed The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived the Peak Oil Crisis.
We were able to raise some money at this event, but we are still needing more financial contributions. Please donate by going to our PayPal account.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Update
We are now in the process of organizing the delegation to El Salvador, due to leave August 12th and return the 21st, and we're in need of financial contributions of any size to help finance this trip. Please donate via Paypal.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Schedule and event with us.
To schedule an event in your community, contact us at semillascriollas@gmail.com
The Semillas Project Collective
The Semillas Project Collective
Update
Great News: we have successfully achieved our initial goal for funds. We are currently continuing our fund-raising efforts for organizing the delegation of interested people to be sent to Cuisnahuat, El Salvador, to see first-hand the success of the Semillas Project's efforts! For more information, contact us with your name, e-mail address, why you're interested and how you can help spread the message of the Semillas Project.
The Semillas Project Collective.
The Semillas Project Collective.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Past Events
3/20/10
KPFK - Halfway Down the Stairs with Uncle Ruthie
http://www.kpfk.org/programs/113-halfwaydownthestairs.html
3/27/10
Uncommon Good Event at Pitzer College
Claremont CA
No Pictures
2/21/10
Nahui Ohlin Semillas Project Documentary showing
featuring Maria Guardado
KPFK - Halfway Down the Stairs with Uncle Ruthie
http://www.kpfk.org/programs/113-halfwaydownthestairs.html
3/27/10
Uncommon Good Event at Pitzer College
Claremont CA
No Pictures
2/21/10
Nahui Ohlin Semillas Project Documentary showing
featuring Maria Guardado
Friday, March 19, 2010
Latest News!
3/20/10 Saturday
The Semillas Project Collective will be featured on KPFK http://www.kpfk.org/ to talk about our project, please tune in to 90.7 FM for LA and 98.7FM for Santa Barbara at 8:00am to listen in.
for more info please email me us at semillascriollas@gmail.com
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
What we are all about.
The Semillas Project is an organization that is creating awareness for independent and natural community farming in Cuisnahuat (Sonsonate), El Salvador. We are attempting to help out a farming collective cultivate their indigenous seeds by raising money through fundraising. The funds will be used for the purchasing of the indigenous seeds, establishing a non-profit community seed bank where community farmers can acquire seeds without payment and only with the agreement of returning the same amount of post-harvest seed, establishing a bee farm, transportation and all other necessities pertaining to the effort to grow independently and naturally. We will also be using the funds to send a delegation on a trip to Cuisnahuat, El Salvador. The rest of the funds that we are raising are only to aid the project to materialize; the project itself will be self-sufficient.
Currently, there are transnational corporations that are producing transgenic seeds and selling them to farmers through out the world including in Mexico, Bolivia, India and El Salvador. The ramifications of utilizing transgenic seeds are dangerous to the environment, the health of those that consume it and the sovereignty of a country’s people. Studies have shown that the mortality rate of livestock that consume transgenic seed are higher than those that consume natural foods. Because of the new nature of transgenic seeds, the extent of its consequences to the human body is currently unknown. The Monsanto corporation has developed a transgenic seed that is only good for one harvest; therefore the farmer must buy new seeds each year. In addition to this, only a specific fertilizer and insecticide are compatible with the transgenic modified seeds and the Monsanto corporation owns those as well. This undermines the sovereignty of a people by monopolizing the agricultural industry and creating consumer dependency. This is precisely what is currently happening in El Salvador. We have filmed a documentary on the people of Cuisnahuat and their struggle to cultivate their indigenous seeds. We have also made T-shirts that are available for purchase. We will have events scheduled through out the coming months where we will show the documentary, explain our cause and hold discussions with the audience.
In early August we will be organizing the delegation of interested people to Cuisnahuat to see first-hand the efforts of the Semillas Project and the independent farmers and their community. If unable to be part of the delegation, we will make a second film showing the results of the project.
Sincerely,
The Semillas Project Collective
Currently, there are transnational corporations that are producing transgenic seeds and selling them to farmers through out the world including in Mexico, Bolivia, India and El Salvador. The ramifications of utilizing transgenic seeds are dangerous to the environment, the health of those that consume it and the sovereignty of a country’s people. Studies have shown that the mortality rate of livestock that consume transgenic seed are higher than those that consume natural foods. Because of the new nature of transgenic seeds, the extent of its consequences to the human body is currently unknown. The Monsanto corporation has developed a transgenic seed that is only good for one harvest; therefore the farmer must buy new seeds each year. In addition to this, only a specific fertilizer and insecticide are compatible with the transgenic modified seeds and the Monsanto corporation owns those as well. This undermines the sovereignty of a people by monopolizing the agricultural industry and creating consumer dependency. This is precisely what is currently happening in El Salvador. We have filmed a documentary on the people of Cuisnahuat and their struggle to cultivate their indigenous seeds. We have also made T-shirts that are available for purchase. We will have events scheduled through out the coming months where we will show the documentary, explain our cause and hold discussions with the audience.
In early August we will be organizing the delegation of interested people to Cuisnahuat to see first-hand the efforts of the Semillas Project and the independent farmers and their community. If unable to be part of the delegation, we will make a second film showing the results of the project.
Sincerely,
The Semillas Project Collective
Indigenous Seed Project movie trailer
We are taking donations to help the people of El Salvador, full video documentary will be up soon for more information please feel free to contact us at semillascriollas@gmail.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)