BY ARK

The radio has played a crucial role throughout the Oaxacan conflict. The predominant broadcaster for Radio Universidad is that of “La Doctora”, whose strong, deep voice calls for reinforcement for barricades under attack, reminds the people of their strength and courage and the justice of their demands, and serves to calm her listeners.

On November 7th we are sitting in the first aid station of the university, in front of the university radio. She is a 58 year old doctor and a mother of three. La Doctora is an extremely thin woman, whose face reveals her exhaustion. She has been known to broadcast for up to 20 hours a day on the tensest days. The struggle for social justice is nothing new to to her- la doctora was a first year medical student in Mexico City during the 1968 student massacre there.

ARK:How did you get involved with the radio and why?

La Doctora: We’ve had the first aid station here for a few months, practically since July. When they succeeded in getting the radio up and running again- it’s been twenty days since we got Radio Universidad back on the air- there wasn’t anyone to run it. So that’s when I began and ended up staying. I’ve been here [at the radio] for twenty days.

ARK: And before that you were here with the first aid station?

La Doctora: Yes, to help with emergency medical attention.
Why are you involved in the movement?
Because the situation in Oaxaca has become unsustainable. The last administrations- actually, I believe all of them- but the last few have been the worst: thieves, repressors, and the like. The breaking point was this current governor. He took office and there were political assassinations, political prisoners, and unmistakable robbery- practically in front of our faces. They channeled resources meant for social programs into their own pockets and for Madrazo’s presidential campaign. The destruction of the historic center of the capital city, the zócalo, the fountain of the seven regions, Llano Park- he’s destroyed many things.

The breaking point was when he violently displaced the protesting teachers from the zócalo. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
In your opinion, what is the importance of the radio for the movement?

The radio has served as a point of union among the different actors in the movement. Besides that, it has served as the voice of the people, because people talk and they denounce [what’s happening]. For the first time there is a space where we can denounce what’s wrong, where the people can say what they feel, and where they have the freedom to speak. The radio broadcasts the agreements of the APPO and serves as a space to analyze the problematic of Oaxaca from various points of view: from the indigenous perspective, cultural perspectives, from the perspective of healthcare- there are many messages to broadcast.
Now the problem has intensified since the arrival of the Federal Preventive Police, the PFP, or a few days before when the journalist [Brad Will] was assassinated. We are trying to return to our established programming, but we’re inundated with these incidents. We’ll see if we will be able to broadcast the normal programming tomorrow. But every day there are denunciations, every day there are attacks. We are overwhelmed by these events- everyone is. The truth is that we are very tired, but we all keep going.

ARK: How do you keep going? What gives you the strength?