THE AZORES ISLANDS, PORTUGAL, EUROPE

 June 11, 2021.
(Note: Times and dates are in accordance with Mexican geography.)

With a dusty face, a cleaned and refreshed exterior, and repaired sails, La Montaña departed Cienfuegos, Cuba, on May 16 and headed East. Skirting along the edge of the Las Coloradas beach, with the Sierra Maestra mountains to its left, the ship was accompanied once again by the dolphins convoked by Durito Stahlkäfer, who cursed as the vessel passed the US aberration in Guantánamo. They were greeted by whales near Haiti, and Durito and the Cat-Dog disembarked on Tortuga Island^[i] mumbling something about buried treasure… or treasure to be buried. In support of the support team, Lupita, Ximena and Bernal amicably threw up, though they would have preferred to offer support some other way. In Punta Rucia, Dominican Republic, La Montaña docked and waited cautiously for strong winds to pass. On May 24, at daybreak and propelled by its sails alone (“as not to scare the wind,” Captain Ludwig said), La Montaña set off northwards. This time orcas greeted the ship, waving farewell as it departed Caribbean waters. Between May 25 and 26, the schizophrenic ship [el navío] – who thinks he is a she as well as a mountain – navigated around the Bahamas and on May 27 turned Northeast, now on the open ocean, Duc in Altum^[ii].

On June 4, having exited the so-called Bermuda Triangle, the ship and its esteemed crew reoriented East toward the rising sun. Between June 5-9, they navigated waters where, according to legend, the mythical city of Atlantis lies.

It was 22:10:15hrs on June 10 when, through the haze of the European dawn, from the top of La Montaña’s crow’s nest, the outlines of a sister mountain became discernable: Cabeço Gordo on Faial Island in the Azores Archipelago, autonomous region of the geography of Portugal, in Europe.

It was 02:30:45hrs on June 11 when the coast of the port of Horta came into view, just a stone’s throw away, bringing tears to the eyes of the crew and passengers. It was 7:30am in the Azores mountains. It was 03:45:13hrs when a port authority motorboat approached La Montaña to indicate where to drop anchor. At 04:15:33hrs the shop dropped anchor in front of the other mountains. At 08:23:54hrs the Port Captaincy picked up the crew members of La Montaña and took them to shore for Covid PCR tests, and returned them to the boat to await the results. At all times the “Autoridade Maritima” of the port of Horta was friendly and respectful.

The crew and passengers are in good health, “in good spirits, happy, with no problems, gossip, or fighting. (In the 421^st Squadron) they take care of each other.”

It is now time to tell you who else, besides the crew of the Stahlratte and the Zapatista 421^st Squadron, have made the voyage. Tasked with documenting the maritime journey are María Secco, independent filmmaker and photographer, and Diego Enrique Osorno, independent reporter. In the role of support team for the Zapatista delegation is Javier Elorriaga.

In accordance with the traditional Zapatista ways and customs, and in addition to paying their own expenses, these three people were required to show written authorizations from their families, partners and children. Each letter was presented to Subcomandante Insurgente Moisés. Wives, husbands, mothers, sons and daughters wrote and signed the authorization letters. I got to read them. There was a little bit of everything, from philosophical reflections to children’s illustrations, including a little girl’s respectful request for a whale. Nobody requested beetles or cat-dogs, which is either an affront or a relief, I’m not quite sure. In the children’s writing you could detect pride in the fact that their mother or father had to ask permission from them (as the Zapatista saying goes: “the ducks shoot at the rifles.”^[iii]) I imagine you will have the opportunity to get to know María and Diego’s observations, their anecdotes, their reflections and their assessment of their participation on “the front lines” (both are filmmakers) of this delirium. New gazes are always welcome and are refreshing.

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When this news arrived in the mountains of Southeastern Mexico, the Zapatista communities sent a message to the crew of the Stahlratte via the captain: “Thank you, you all are fucking awesome.” They are still trying to translate it into German.

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Something to reflect on: the motto of the Azores is “Antes morrer livres que em paz sujeitos” (Better to die free than live in peace as slaves).

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In the distance, to the East, the Pillars of Hercules – which in their day were the limits of the known world – gazed in astonishment on a mountain that has made a journey by sea from the West.^[iv]

I testify.

SupGaleano.

June 11, 2021

[i]Small island off the northwest coast of Haiti which was a major center of Caribbean piracy in the 17^th century.

^[ii]“Duc in altum et laxate retia vestra in capturam” – “Cast out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4).

[iii]Phrase used when a subordinate attempts to go over the head of his/her boss.

[iv]The Pillars of Hercules was the name given in ancient times to the rocky mountains at the edge of the Strait of Gibraltar.

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Publicado en Camino al andar

Collage: Gabriela Banfi

El Escuadrón 421 ya va por su tercera semana en la mar.

Navegando a bordo de La Montaña, ya lejos del sureste mexicano y rumbo a Europa.

Navegando mares donde el wifi no funciona pero con el rumbo bien clarito. Y mientras aquí esperamos noticias, al otro lado de los océanos les compas corretean en mil preparativos para recibir a la delegación zapatista.

Faltan sólo unas cinco semanas para el desembarco. Por eso se organizan, enlazan, van y vienen alistando detalles.

En Madrid, España, se reúnen en pláticas y conversatorios con sonrisotas inocultables por los tiempos que pronto llegarán. También planean para este sábado Otros artes, otras medias, un evento cultural con talleres que ocurrirá este 29 en Vallecas.

En Atenas les compas también se reunieron y ya merito se organizan en Salónica.

Y en esta bitácora sin novedades desde el mar, les traemos en cambio un texto im-per-di-ble del maestro Juan Villoro. Lo tituló Ulises, zapatista zapatista y no queremos balconearles el final pero…nos revela adónde van los zapatistas.

Aún en el mar los zapatistas no quitan los pies de la tierra, ni por andar lejos dejan de mirar cerca. El EZLN junto al CIG y el CNI gritaron su solidaridad con las y los estudiantes de la Normal Rural de Mactumactzá con las y los estudiantes de la Normal Rural de Mactumactzá, quienes fueron reprimidos, detenidos arbitrariamente y víctimas de violaciones a sus derechos, incluida violencia sexual. “A nuestr@s herman@s de la Escuela Normal Rural Mactumactzá les manifestamos nuestra solidaridad completa y sin reservas”, les dijeron en un comunicado. Abrazaron también “la Campaña Nacional e Internacional por la Justicia y el Territorio en Azquetltán, municipio de Villa Guerrero, en el estado de Jalisco, México”.

Este colectivo, nosotres Camino al andar, también soltamos palabras para denunciar el atropello y abrazar a las y los normalistas de Mactumactzá.

Continuará…

Dolphins!

May 2021.

It was a dramatic moment. Cornered between loose ropes and the railing, the insect menaced the crew with his sword, while out of the corner of his eye he tracked the raging sea in which a Kraken, of the “kraken escarabujos” species (specialists in beetle-eating), was lurking. Then, the intrepid stowaway gathered his bravery, raised his multiple arms to the sky and roared, drowning out the sound of the waves crashing against the hull of La Montaña:

Ich bin der Stahlkäfer, der Größte, der Beste! Beachtung! Hör auf meine Worte! (I am the stainless-steel beetle, the biggest, the best! Attention! Listen to my words!)

The crew stopped short: not because a schizophrenic insect was threatening them with a toothpick and a plastic jar cap, nor because he spoke in German. It was because upon hearing their mother language after so many years of hearing only tropical, coastal Spanish, they were transported back to their homeland as if by a spell.

Gabriela would say later that the insect’s German was closer to that of an Iranian immigrant than that of Goethe’s Faust, but the captain defended the stowaway, insisting that his German was perfectly intelligible. And, since where the captain is in charge Gabriela is not, Ete and Karl approved, and Edwin, even though he only understood the word “cumbia,” agreed. What follows is the insect’s story translated from the German:

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“The indecisiveness of my attackers gave me time to rethink my defensive strategy, repair my armor (because it’s one thing to die in an unequal fight, and another to do so in rags), and launch my counteroffensive: a story…

It was several moons ago, in the mountains of the Mexican Southeast. Those who live and struggle there had set a new challenge for themselves, but at that time they were living under a cloud of worry and discouragement because they lacked a vehicle for their journey. That was how I, the great, the ineffable, the etcetera, Don Durito of the Lacandón Jungle, A.C. de C.V. de (i)R. (i)L. arrived at their mountains (the abbreviations, as you should all know, stand for “Knight Errant of Versatile Cavalry and Unlimited Responsibility”)^[i]. As soon as word of my arrival got out, a throng of women of all ages, from teenagers to the elderly, came running to greet me. But I remained firm and did not succumb to vanity. I proceeded towards the quarters of the individual in charge of the as-yet unsuccessful mission. For a moment I was baffled: the impertinent nose of he who checked and re-checked the calculations of the cost of the punitive expedition against Europe reminded me of the captain who later became known as SupMarcos, whom I spent years teaching and training with my wisdom. But no: although his appearance is similar, he who calls himself SupGaleano still has much to learn from me, the greatest of the knights errant. (Continuar leyendo…)

After months of preparations, a delegation of the Zapatistas has set sail from Mexico towards Europe. The “reversed conquest” has well and truly started.

It was a genuine surprise when the Zapatistas published their communiqué “A Mountain on the High Seas” on October 5, 2020, announcing a tour of the EZLN (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional) across five continents, starting with Europe. Even though the Zapatistas have not shied away from organizing initiatives in Chiapas and across Mexico — the March of the Color of the Earth just 20 years ago is a case in point — it is basically the first time since 1994 that they are leaving the borders of their homeland behind.

Then, on January 1 of this year, they published a Declaration for Life, co-signed with hundreds of individuals, collectives and organizations, outlining the objective of this voyage: making a contribution to the effort for anti-capitalist struggles — which are inseparable from the struggles for life — to converge in full consciousness of their differences and unhampered by homogenizing or hegemonizing forces.

In the past six months, extensive organizing has taken place at the European level, as well as in each individual country or “geography,” according to the Zapatista vocabulary. For instance, a francophone coordinating body has been established, which includes eight regional federations of collectives and local initiatives.

Meanwhile, the EZLN confirmed that a large delegation of more than a hundred members, three-quarters of which are women, was getting ready. The delegation is also said to be accompanied by members of the National Indigenous Congress–Indigenous Council of Government which unites Indigenous struggles across Mexico, as well as a contingent of the People’s Front in Defense of Land and Water of Puebla, Morelos and Tlaxcala which is fighting against the installation of a massive power plant that is threatening to divert water resources indispensable to the peasants in the region.

(Continuar leyendo…)

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Desde principios del mes de mayo, “La Montaña”, un navío en el cual viajan cuatro mujeres, dos hombres y una otroa, el Escuadrón 421, está surcando el Océano Atlántico, rumbo a las costas europeas dónde está previsto que llegue a mediados del mes de junio. Su objetivo: recorrer este continente que llamamos Europa, un primer paso al que seguirán otros en otras geografías, “buscando no la diferencia, no la superioridad, no la afrenta, mucho menos el perdón y la lástima. Iremos a encontrar lo que nos hace iguales”.

Desde nuestras geografías, territorios y espacios, les reiteramos la invitación a llegar a Europa, a visitarnos, a encontrarnos en estas tierras que no son solo las del capital salvaje y transnacional, sino que es el lugar desde donde luchamos, desde abajo y a la izquierda, para conseguir que la vida, y por lo tanto, el mundo, sea un lugar digno donde vivir.

En este año en el que se cumplen 20 de la Marcha del Color de la Tierra, que los zapatistas realizaron junto al Congreso Nacional Indígena, reclamando un lugar en esa Nación que los ignora, van a volver a navegar y caminar para encontrarse con otros, con otras, con otroas, para encontrarnos y decir bien alto que frente a la destrucción del planeta, una montaña navega la madrugada y en esa montaña viaja también nuestro corazón colectivo.

Desde nuestros territorios y pequeños espacios de lucha, esperamos con impaciencia la llegada de los y las zapatistas, portador@s del virus de la resistencia y la rebeldía, como ellos mismos dicen, su llegada a cualquier puerto del Atlántico, en este viaje por la vida en el que confiamos se rompan las fronteras, visibles y simbólicas.

Organizaciones, colectivos, individuos, firmantes:

(Continuar leyendo…)

At Sea

May 2021

Captain Ludwig, doing his due diligence in thinking of his passengers, recommended we set sail the afternoon of May 2. The storm surge forecast for May 3 was going to make the novice sailors suffer more than enough, which is why the captain proposed moving the departure up to 16:00hrs on May 2.

Subcomandante Insurgente Moisés listened attentively and agreed. Now that it’s fashionable to use the word “historic” for practically anything, and given that this is the first time ever that Zapatismo has carried out something we planned ahead of schedule (usually we get hung up and start late), we can say that this is a historic moment for Zapatismo.

Thus the 421st Squadron set sail at 16:11:30 on May 2, 2021. Here we present two different reports from the same stretch of navigation.

Report from the 421st Squadron to the Zapatista High Command
Itinerary of the ship La Montaña. Times correspond to official Mexico City time (UTC-5).

May 2, 2021. La Montaña begins its journey at 16:11:30 at a speed of approximately 4 knots (1 knot = 1.852 km/hour). La Montaña heads south-southeast at 16:21:30, and at 17:23:04, it initiates a slight curve to the east. At 17:24:13 it initiates maneuvers to deploy full sails. The crew, with support from the 421st Squadron, hoists the sails. At 17:34 the ship continues its curve and heads east. It completes the curve at 17:41 with the southern tip of Isla Mujeres to its north, and heads northeast toward the first free territory of the Americas: Cuba. With the wind in its favor, La Montaña maintains a speed of 8-9 knots, entering the Yucatan Canal at 23:01 at 6 knots.

May 3, pre-dawn. At 01:42 at a velocity of 8 knots, La Montaña approaches the Cuban coast near Cape San Antonio. At 8:18:00, a few miles to the south of the Roncali Lighthouse, the ship turns southeast at 5 knots. At 10:35:30 it turns to the north-northeast, speeding up to 7-8 knots, and gusts of wind damage the sails. A few miles southeast of Cabo Corrientes, the captain decides to enter the Bay of the same name. At 13:55 it nears Punta Caimán on its left. On May 3 at 14:25:15, the Captain decides to drop anchor off the coast of the Cuban town “María la Gorda” (latitude 21.8225; longitude 84.4987) in order to repair the damaged sail and wait for the wind to die down.

(Continuar leyendo…)

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Isla Mujeres. 2 de mayo de 2021. Medios libres acompañaron la travesía zapatista en aguas internacionales hasta el atardecer de esta jornada dominical histórica en el Caribe mexicano.

Muchas dudas surgieron desde el pasado mes de octubre cuando los zapatistas anunciaron su viaje por el mundo y, en plena pandemia mundial, muchos pensaron que se trataría de un viaje en sentido figurado. Sin embargo, hoy la travesía se volvió realidad e Ixchel La Montaña ya hizó sus velas y navega hacia el puerto gallego de Vigo cerca de la costa portuguesa. Después de seis semanas en alta mar, las y los zapatistas desplegarán una manta gigante con el mensaje: ¡Despertad!

Las y los rebeldes de Chiapas renombrarán a Europa como Slumil K’ajxemk’op, que quiere decir “tierra insumisa” o “tierra que no se resigna, que no se desmaya”.

La Montaña en alta mar. Foto: Amehd Coca Castillo

Cobertura colaborativa de Medios Libres: ¡Compas Arriba!, Centro de Lengua y Cultura Zoque-Medios, Espoir Chiapas, Radio Pozol y fotografías de Amehd Coca Castillo.

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Isla Mujeres, Q.R., 2 de mayo de 2021. Desde el muelle, cuando miraba al horizonte alejarse el velero del Escuadrón 421 en las aguas turquesas de Cancún, el Subcomandante Moisés, vocero del EZLN, diálogo con los medios libres y declaró que “habría que preguntarles a los que vamos a compartir con ellos […] si tiene importancia o no tiene importancia lo que queremos compartir”.

El Subcomandante Insurgente Moisés consideró que “estamos siguiendo la ruta en donde vino hace 500 años, en este caso estamos siguiendo la ruta para sembrar vida, no como hace 500 años, es lo contrario”. Participarán en la traversía “todos, todas, todoas, todos los Caracoles, todas las Juntas de buen gobierno, esa es la primera parte pues, la punta de lanza, pero sigue”.

A las y los europeos, “les vamos a compartir que está en riesgo la vida tanto para los de la ciudad como del campo, es tiempo de despertar. Si no hay vida, no habrá nada, eso es lo que vamos a ir a decir”.

Además, el vocero comentó que hay que “luchar contra el capitalismo porque destruye a la madre naturaleza. Nosotros no, están los hechos que en los 500 años que no hemos destruido, pero el capitalismo sí, lo ha destruido, lo ha contaminado, cada vez peor, por eso dijimos de que se va a desmoronar un día, y es ahí donde así a todos nos va a llevar a la fregada”.

Añadió que el trabajo de organización con las y los compañeros de Europa “está caminando, pero falta que encamine más pues, por eso ahí vamos, vamos a ver cómo va, qué tanto de fuerza va a haber”.

El Subcomandante Insurgente Moisés confirmó que niñas y niños zapatistas van a participar como delegadas y delegados. “Estamos luchando por sus pasaportes, todos, todas y todoas”. Con la niñez europea, “van a jugar, van a pintar, como el cayuco que se está mandando, ahí los niñas y los niños zapatistas pintaron ellos e igual compartirán allá”.

En medio de muestras de cariño y apoyo a la travesía zapatista, el Subcomandante Insurgente Moisés despidió a la tripulación, estando al pendiente de todas las actividades de preparación de la delegación marítima, como el cuidado de los cuatro cayucos chiapanecos y, en especial, del Escuadrón 421 que navegan ahora hacia Europa.

Les deseamos un buen viaje y quedamos al pendiente de los próximos reportes de Tercios Compas.

Contribución colaborativa de Medios Libres: Radio Pozol, ¡Compas Arriba!, Centro de Lengua y Cultura Zoque-Medios, Espoir Chiapas, Regeneración Radio y fotógraf@s independientes.

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2 de mayo. Isla Mujeres, México. La tarde de este domingo el la caravana marítima zapatista, dejó tierra mexicana para dirigirse a territorio europeo. La delegación indígena chiapaneca: recibió el mandato de los pueblos zapatistas para llevar lejos su pensamiento, es decir, su corazón, compartió el subcomandante Moisés. «Nuestr@s delegad@s llevan un corazón grande. No sólo para abrazar a quienes en el continente europeo se rebelan y resisten, también para escuchar y aprender de sus historias, geografías, calendarios y modos», agregó el vocero zapatista.

Entre observadores de derechos humanos, organizaciones sociales, prensa nacional e internacional y sociedad civil solidaria, el primer contingente zapatista partió hacia el continente europeo.

«Siete personas, siete zapatistas, forman la fracción marítima de la delegación que visitará Europa. Cuatro son mujeres, dos son varones y unoa es otroa. 4, 2, 1. El escuadrón 421», informó el subcomandante Galeano, sobre el grupo de zapatistas de la delegación marítima que arribará a Galizia, el próximo mes de junio.

«Los 7 son nacidos en el continente que llaman “América”, y el hecho de que compartan dolores y rabias con otros pueblos originarios de este lado del océano, los hace Latinoamericanos», abundó Galeano, sobre l@s siete integrantes de la primera travesía.

«Cuenta una de las leyendas mayas que Ixchel se tendió sobre el mundo en forma de arcoíris. Eso hizo para así darle al planeta una lección de pluralidad e inclusión, y para recordarle que no es uno el color de la tierra, sino muchos, y que todos, sin dejar de ser lo que son, juntos iluminan la maravilla de la vida. Y ella, Ixchel, la mujer arcoíris, todos los colores abraza y los hace parte de ella», compartió el otrora Sub Marcos, en el comunicado La Ruta de Ixchel, al hacer alusión al motivo de la travesía zapatista y su intención de dialogar con personas del continente europeo.

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2 de Mayo / Isla Mujeres.

Una Montaña a punto de zarpar…

En las geografías y calendarios muy Otroas viven personoas sin igual y suceden situaciones extraordinarias: un escarabajo que filosofa, gatoperros que…. navegan barcos rebeldes en montañas autónomas (pero no a la manera de Fitzcarraldo), crecen los sueños en la tierra y encuentras esperanzas como frutos colgadas árboles, esperanzas que alimentan a toda una flota de miradas donde se reflejan a Loas Otroas Mundoas que llegan a surcar estas aguas con sed de justicia y dignidad.

Durante… la gente leyó un relato de lo que siempre estuvo pasando, pero que ahora ya ES y ya ESTÁ pasando ¿otra vez? sí (pero que hasta esta fecha del dos de mayo de 2021, muchoas personoas podemos puede ver, escuchar y oler, porque de por sí ya se sentían como peces en el nuestros estómagos y lo veníamos saboreando con cada palabra que salía de las montañas del sureste mexicano.

(Continuar leyendo…)