From: Ojo de Agua Comunicación <comin@laneta.apc.org>

WE ARE EXPRESSING OUR CONCERN FOR THE PHYSICAL SAFETY OF CRISANTO MANZANO AVELLA, PRODUCER OF INDIGENOUS VIDEO, AND HIS FAMILY

      Crisanto Manzano Avella, friend, colleague, and important international influence in indigenous video, is currently suffering threats and aggressions by the caciques of his village, Tanetze de Zaragoza, Oaxaca, Mexico.

      Crisanto has made some ten video films that express the realities of the region where he lives. Some titles of his work are "A Stewardship", "Traditional Wedding in Tanetze", "Achievements and Challenges", "Don Chendo", and "Guia Tóo." Crisanto's work has been shown and premiered in Guatemala, Ecuador, the United States, Canada, France, Spain and Mexico, as well as in other countries.

      Besides having achieved well-merited recognition, the Zapotec producer is a founding member of "United Villages of the Rincón of the Sierra Juárez", which has for 20 years struggled to improve living conditions in its region.

      Unfortunately, local entrepreneurs and caciques, together with the (federal) government delegate and two (state) deputies, seek political and economic profit from the disintegration of the organization. We fear that the tensions their actions are generating will culminate in serious and violent confrontations.

      We are issuing a call to those who know of the efforts of United Towns of the Rincón, as well as the important work of Crisanto Manzano, to send letters by fax to the President of the Republic, the Secretary of the Interior and the Governor of the State of Oaxaca.

VICENTE FOX QUESADA, Presidente Constitucional de la República - Fax: (52)5703-2171
SANTIAGO CREEL MIRANDA, Secretario de Gobernación - Fax: (52)5516-9537
JOSÉ MURAT CASAB, Gobernador Constitucional del estado de Oaxaca - Fax: (52)(9)514-0414

      We present below an open letter that the newspaper La Jornada published (Illustrative Mail Feb 18, 2001).

      For any question or clarification, you can communicate with us.

MANY THANKS,

OJO DE AGUA COMUNICACIÓN Tonatiuh Díaz-González, Juan José García Ortíz, Ceberino Hipólito Morales, Sergio Julián Caballero, Guillermo Monteforte Bazzarello, Clara Morales Rodríguez, Roberto Olivares Ruiz, Bruno Varela Rodríguez y Fernando Guadarrama Olivera.

comin@laneta.apc.org
(52)-(9)-513-9050