A Day In History

Dear Friends,

I write from the back porch of my casa in Aragon, Mexico City, about one hour away from the heart of the city amidst the sound of barking dogs and building traffic noises on this morning of the celebrated anniversary of the Mexican Revolution. 

Mexico’s Revolution Day (Dia de la Revolución) is a national public holiday that celebrates a 10-year revolution that began in 1910 to end the struggle against dictator José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori. 

Outdoor events such as bazaars, festivals and parades are part of the celebrations, where shouts of “Viva la Revolución!” and “Viva Mexico!” are heard. Stories are told or sung about the revolutionary heroes who ended the struggle and helped to reform Mexico. Festive foods include enchiladas, tostadas, tacos, and fajitas. The Mexican flag – a tricolor of green, white and red with the national coat of arms in the center of the white stripe – is flown on Revolution Day."

This is particularly poignant to my current project that highlights the efforts of all of the women involved during that 10 year battle that were crucial in the revolutions success, Las Soldaderas. To this day those women still largely go unrecognised and for the most part have been labelled 'Adelitas'. The 'ita' part of that name references them as small and 'small' they were most definitely not.

Author Elena Poniatowska celebrated the soldaderas' courage and fortitude. Poniatowska wrote, "Without the soldaderas, there is no Mexican Revolution—they kept it alive and fertile, like the earth." 

"Vulnerable to abduction and rape at home, Mexican women chose to go to war to fight, care for the wounded, and keep the fires burning. Valued by Emiliano Zapata but reviled by Pancho Villa, who massacred 90 soldaderos one dark day in December 1916, Mexico's revolutionary women soldiers have been all but excised from history. "  - www.cincopuntos.com

Poniatowska succeeded in preserving the soldaderas' dignity, strength, and beauty to reclaim them as women of valour with grace and precision. My wish is to draw similar attention to these amazing women within this fictional album I am creating right now with Twin Tones.

But today has taken a different turn. 

For the first time in Mexico's history Dia de la Revolución is cancelled. Perhaps some of you in other countries may be unaware of the Ayotzinapa incident last September but it would appear as if a new revolution is afoot and for very, very good reason; A mass strike!

"Protests surrounding the disappearance of 43 students from a rural teaching college in Mexico have raged on for weeks with no signs of slowing. Originally centered in Mexico's southern state of Guerrero, the demonstrations have now expanded nationwide, including a march last week in which thousands of protesters stormed the main square in Mexico City and set fire to the door of the National Palace. A national strike is planned for Thursday, Nov. 20, Mexico's Revolution Day. Thousands are expected to participate." - http://mashable.com/2014/11/20/ayotzinapa-timeline-mexico-disappearance/

 

My heart bleeds for the people here and although I am tempted to attend the main protest I have been squarely advised to not go. My friend Gabriel's amigo was jailed for 7 months last year for attending a protest and it is not uncommon for plain-clothed police to be planted in order to incite violence (not to mention tourists getting deported!). A sad truth I am bitterly aware of. Instead I have chosen to stay indoors and write to you in the hope my words can help in some small way.

My pledge music crowd-funding for the new album is 10 days away from reaching the 100% goal. Perhaps this album highlighting the common peoples success overcoming Government oppression is more relevant now than ever before. 

If you would like to hear the music, read the story and see the art come to life please join the journey from as little as $10 at http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/a-spaghetti-mex-western

If you wish to join the protests in the different cities of Mexico and safer ones around the world for this November 20 global day of action please see the list below.

Mucho amor,

Abbie Cardwell

 

1. Zocalo, Mexico City, Zocalo reach 3 Caravans National Brigade normalistas parents and students who are touring the country
2. Kansas, USA, Consulate of Mexico 10:00 a.m.
3. Dallas, USA, Consulate of Mexico, 5pm
4. Los Angeles, USA, from Olvera Street to the Consulate of Mexico, 4 pm
5. Minnesota, USA, Murphy Square Park, 4 pm
6. Washington, USA, 2132 3rd Avenue Seattle, 10 am
7. Toulouse, November 20 at 12h45 appointment output Palais de Justice, dressed in black "Une photo pour une prize de prize de conscience"
8. San Antonio, Tx on November 20 At 11 am.
9. Madrid, 18:30. Metro Callao
10. Monterrey N.L. 5 pm in the Plaza de la Purisima, located between Hidalgo and Father Mier corner Serafin Peña TERMINATION POINT: Missing Square, located in Washington and Zaragoza, where an act of artistic expression will also perform.
11. Toronto, 7:30 pm, Consulate of Mexico,
12. Orlando, Florida, 2:30 pm, Consulate
13. November 19 12:30 Kings College Students' Union (KCLSU) in London, United Kingdom
14. Guadalajara, 18:00 Red / Revolution Park in Guadalajara
15. BARCELONA, 18.30, 1400 boulevard René-Lévesque Est, Montreal H2L 2M2
16. TIJUANA, 5:30 pm, Cuauhtemoc Monument
17. Guayaquil, Ecuador 4:30 p, Plaza San Francisco
18. Santa Ana, CA USA, 4 pm, Mexican Consulate
19. Barkeley CA 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time at UC Barkeley city hall.
20. SAN FRANCISCO CA 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time Ferry Building at Powell station .....
21. ROME: 18:00 HOURS IN PIAZZA DELLE CINQUE LUNE IN ROME
(A 70 meters from Piazza Navona)
22. HOUSTON, USA, 11 a.m. 4539 SAN JACINTO ST
23. CANCUN, 18 hrs Malecon Tamajar
24. Segelstorg STOCKHOLM in Stockholm at 16:00
25. MUNICH, GERMANY 13:00 tentative starting point is Odeonsplatz and then march together to reach Stachus.
26. San Salvador, El Salvador, 8 am, Divine Savior of the world
27.-LAS VEGAS; EU 16:00 S.6th 823 st. Mexican Consulate in Las Vegas, Nevada
28. NY, November 20, 3pm, Mexican Consulate
29. Durango, Durango. 10 am, We aglomeramos in the garden of San Antonio, and from there begin the march down to the Plaza de Armas
30. San Luis Potosi, Main Square, 1pm
31. Red GUADALAJARA 18 hrs at Federal Palace Park
32. Tlaxcala, 16 HRS Stairways
33. Santiago, 8: 00 hours versus USACH. Bernardo O'Higgins and Av Matucana
34. Valencia, November 21, 19 hours. Consulate of Mexico in Valencia, Spain
MARCHES ON REGIONAL Chiapas, 9:00 a.m.
35. Tuxtla Gutierrez
36. San Cristobal de las Casas
37. Comitan
38. Ocosingo
39. Tapachula
40. Palenque
41. Pichucalco
42. Tila
43. Motozintla
44. Carranza
45. Villaflores
46. Seattle Wa. Thursday, November 20 24:30
47.- 17:00 Celaya Celaya Home Garden
48. Torreón., Will be a march, citing the crow city square that is in revolution boulevard club at 12 noon
49. Poza Rica, 4 om, clock 20
50. Irapuato 2pm flagpole
51. PITTSBURGH PA Center for American Studies 20 and November 21
52. Tower .20 November 2014 ... 12am departure crown plaza in front of the hotel (where the horse was estuatua)
53. DALLAS 5 pm MEXICAN CONSULATE
54. CHICAGO 6pm 18th and Blue Island to the Arch in Little Village
55. PARIS Place de la République à Paris à partir de 18h
56. Sweden on November 20 in 4 cities:
Uppsala: Stora Torget, 17:00
Umeå: Rådhustorget 1 at 17:00
Stockholm: Sergels Torg, at 16:00 to 18:00
Gothenburg Humanisten, University of Gothenburg, 12:00

UPDATE!

After only 30 minutes of posting this I have received some bad news. (Trying HARD to not write expletives here) but the military are already in position here dressed in PLAIN CLOTHES!!!!!!!

Plain Clothed Military Awaiting Todays Protests in Mexico City!

​




Tulum, Oaxaca and Mexico City...

Hola amigos,

I have been in Mexico now for over 2 weeks travelling through the pristine beaches and cenotes of Tulum, the heartfelt land of Oaxaca and it's most cherised Dia De Muertos (Day of The Dead) celebrations and now am based in Mexico City for the next chapter to finish writing and recording the Spaghetti-Mex-Western story album we have been creating long distance for almost 2 years.

If you are one of the lovely souls that have pledged towards my Pledge Music campaign to help raise the money towards this project I thank you dearly and hope you are enjoying my movie updates so far. Without the funding this music will just remain exactly that; a recording without a CD, record or picture book. I am here for the love of creating and making music regardless of the outcome or monetary return. 

This is my first Mexico update on my official  website due to attention being focussed on the PledgeMusic fundraising campaign updates instead but I am driven to focus now on something other than raising money for a new album and other than posting glorious photo's of my adventure thus far. 

I want to share a little bit of what is really going on right now and how it feels for a 'guera' / 'gringa' like me in the midst of Mexico's heartbreaking news that was delivered yesterday.

 

Diary Entry || 8.11.2014 || 10:20AM || Mexico City

"A distant siren, fridge hum, boiling pot of water and fingers lap-top tapping are my soundtrack. Mexico feels suspended. The absence of traffic, street peddlars and barking dogs is noticed. Highlighting this oddness is the fact I’m eating Pan De Muerto (Bread of the Dead); a slightly sweet bread made only at this time of year for Dia De Los Muertos. I can’t help but think of each of the 43 students. 

After an excruciating month and a half of protests all over Mexico demanding their whereabouts the government announced it officially yesterday afternoon that they were indeed killed and burned. I can’t imagine how Oaxaca is coping with this news as it was littered with peaceful teachers protesting by camping in tents throughout it’s cobbled calles  (streets) as I wandered around the main zocalo last week.

The weight in the air was palpable last night. The band I live with here decided to cancel their show in silent protest. We headed to the venue to inform any fans that may have still attended. By midnight we read about their cancelled show in the news but unfortunately no-one else seemed to make cancelations or silent protests. We searched YouTube into the wee hours of this morning watching raw footage from some of the students that were killed and it is undeniably reminiscent of the 1968 massacre of peaceful protesting students at Tlatelolco, Mexico City. 

The day before this ghastly news was announced I brought up the subject of Tlatelolco and Gabriel, the guitarist in my band here Twin Tones, introduced me to the film made all about it.

It was as chillingly accurate as my tour guide had described three years ago . I remember feeling breathless and covered with goosebumps as I stood in the centre of that plaza imagining the hundreds of students trapped and trying to run away from the rain of fire.

There is fear here and understandably so but I now see the powers that be have far greater fear that drives them. Fear of Mexican people that are educated and intelligent.

I have never been inclined towards politics and news. My father was an Australian News anchor man on Channel 9 so for me he was my source of information on current world events (if I ever needed to ask) but now I am filled with questions and am slowly grasping the depth of impossible layers that are here between government, poverty, ignorance, intelligence and the powers of the Narco.

Dia de Los Muertos is a deeply spiritual, rich and heartfelt tradition in the Mexican way of life and the dark side of this breaking news is a stark contrast that I am struggling to comprehend just days after wandering through candelit cemeteries with costumed locals, thick floral scents and the soulful sound of rancheros as we all celebrated the lives of loved ones passed over. 

I love this country no less with this sad news however. I don’t believe there is or has been any country without a shameful dark side throughout history or even at present!."


Here is a link from the New York times for deeper insight for those of you hungry for more information : Mexico’s Deadly Narco-Politics

Photos:

Top: A Guadalupe adorned tombstone decorated in flowers, candles and sugar skulls in a Oaxacan cemetery for Dia De Los Muertos 2.11.14

​Bottom: A sweet niña dressed up as Catrina in the main zocalo of Oaxaca 29.11.14