im wondering on the wisdom of this appeal. what is the point of sending them old prescription drugs? what kind of burocracy would this generate for the promotores de salud? how do you verify the contents of the uk chemical closet left over stock? and their use?
also if they are fighting for autonomy, shouldn't we be promoting alternative medicine, as they are doing and not a depencency on the multinational corporations poison.

i think it is a great flagging up of an area where the zapatista comunities need help. but send them cash. you get 24 pesos for a pound. they can buy their own drugs. mexico and enerally the whole of indoamerica is full of pharmacies. huge pharmacies, everywhere. the biotech are turning people into hipocondriacs. it is a better food regime they need, rather than their fragile combo of maize and beans. not drugs. they dont need huge amounts of drugs. neither the zapatistas nor indigenous peoples in general. they need to be paid fairly for their produce, so they can get some security from their income. it is fighting aginst the changes in the weather that farmers around the world are suffering, and which leaves them with nothing when their staple crops fail. it is fighting against a world trade system that is incredibly controlled for the benefit of the rich northern farmers, and their governements, and leaves southern farmers with no local or international market in which to compete, and with no future in the land.

in short, what the zapatista children and grandchildren need is international solidarity so they can keep on building their autonomy and their day to day struggle against neoliberalism and for dignity, but also and most importantly they need movements in the north to be strong, mature, effective and focused so that we can REALLY throw the neoliberalist system that we contribute to into the recycle bin, and not just pretend that we are doing something.

backpackers are bringing all sorts of chemicals into the isolated caracol of la realidad, for which the locals, living a hard peasant life growing maize, beans and small amounts of coffee, have little use, and most importantly they dont know how to use them. so at best they throw them away - and burn them. illnesses in the jungle or the highlands of chiapas are quite specific. pain killers are ok, but they have to be used sporadically or you buy a resistance to them, and you need more.

i think it is great to send them hospital equipment, they need it if you have loads lying around and can afford the postage, or show soidarity thu money, buy zapatista coffe, but NEVER, use this form of asistencialism as an excuse to avoid getting involved with a live of resistamce to your own neoliberal government, one of the g8, the companies that control them, like BP, bayer, syngenta, etc.

NEVER to avoid changing your cozy life style, work for your own autonomy, as they published sometime ago, activism is good for your health so you will be doing something for the zapatistas, for yourself, for dignity and humanity.

see you in the streets.

alegre rebeldia.

www.dissent.org.uk
www.risingtide.org.uk
www.skillsharing.org
www.agp.org