The legalization of community radio stations has been an on-going struggle for Indigenous communities in Guatemala for almost 20 years. Community radio stations operate in the fear of being raided by the Guatemalan Public Ministry because the current telecommunications law does not allow for non-profit community radio—despite its guarantee in the 1996 Peace Accords, the Guatemalan Constitution, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
On January, 5 2015, Guatemala's former president and general, Efrain Rios Montt, appeared before a tribunal where he faces charges of genocide and crimes against humanity during his dictatorship in 1982-83. In May 2013 Montt was convicted for the massacre of thousands of Indigenous people during his regime.
On Tuesday, December 9, 2014, at around 10:30 am Radio Juventud was raided by the Guatemalan Public Ministry, while Olga Ajcalon was on air broadcasting her women’s rights and education program. Radio Juventud has been serving the rural community of Sololá, Guatemala for over 10 years and has greatly contributed to educating and informing the surrounding communities.
Cultural Survival’s sister organization, Asociación Sobrevivencia Cultural, in Guatemala works with our various networks of community radios to promote Indigenous rights. The team’s constant presence has helped to foster empowerment and support for the community radio movement. Asociación Sobrevivencia Cultural is working towards sustainability, taking a major step by hiring its executive director, who will continue to strengthen the structure of this young organization.
November and December are known to be the windiest months in Guatemala; they are also the months characterized by kites, corn pastries and coffee. November 1 marks the Day of the Dead in Guatemala, celebrated by many with visits to the cemetery, with flowers and food to honor their ancestors. Sumpango, Sacatepequez is known to celebrate this festive day with majestic, colorful, giant kites that depict social, environmental and political issues.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are headquartered on Massachusett land, in Cambridge, MA, and we thank the past, current, and future Indigenous stewards of this territory.
