On the 10th and 11th June, people from Oaxaca gathered to watch the group “Voices from the Silence” read the play ‘Mujeres de Arena’ written by Humberto Robles based on feminicide in Ciudad Juarez. The performance brought the murders in Ciudad Juarez to a horrifying reality through the reading of testimonies of the victims and families of those more than 400 girls and women killed in the last 10 years in Ciudad Juarez. The pain of losing a daughter, sister, grandchild and the impunity of the justice system in the state of Chihuahua was presented to audiences in La Jicara and the Biblioteca Henestrosa. The performance was never set too far away from the reality of feminicide and impunity in Oaxaca, the presentation of ‘Mujeres de Arena’ was accompanied by the shocking reminder that cases of feminicide are frequently occurring within the state of Oaxaca, as Oaxaca occupies 2nd place in the number of cases of feminicide in 11 states across Mexico.

Here is a link to watch the performance “Mujeres de Arena” which took place on the 11th June in Oaxaca.

http://www.latoma.blip.tv/

Theatre of the Oppressed

Continuing the theme of impunity, a further piece of social-political theatre took place on the 13th June amongst the teachers’ sit-in in the centre of the city of Oaxaca. A theatre group made up of people from the state of Oaxaca, Austria, Wales and the U.S. performed a piece of participatory theatre based on the impunity suffered in the state of Oaxaca and the continuing idea that is forced upon us that since 2006, nothing is happening in Oaxaca, everything is peaceful and everyone is happy. In an attempt to demonstrate the “other face” of Oaxaca, this theatrical piece confronted such beliefs and attempted to engage the public to participate in thinking of new ways to change the reality that we are all living in Oaxaca today.