[van-announce] Vancouver Speaking Tour Schedule for Rafael Gonzalez Yoc: General Co-ordinator of the Committee of Peasant Unity (CUC), Guatemala.

[mia amir]

Vancouver Speaking Tour Schedule for Rafael Gonzalez
Yoc: General Co-ordinator of the Committee of Peasant
Unity (CUC), Guatemala. 

***Look below for more info on CUC and Rafael***

Saturday April 5th
12 noon 
Interview on Co-Op Radio 109.7FM on America Latina al
Dia


Monday April 7th
3-4pm 
Talk on the Campesino (Peasant) land reclamation
movement in Guatemala
@ the Theater in the Museum of Anthropology,
University of British Columbia
6393 N.W. Marine Drive
Vancouver


Monday April 7th
Unidos en la Lucha / United in the Struggle
7pm
Dogwood Centre Clark Drive 706 at Georgia

A cross cultural, multi-media event meant to
strengthen solidarity and links between the struggles
of peoples here within BC and those of the majority
world

featuring:

Rafael Gonzalez, speaking on the Campesino (Peasant)
land reclamation movement in Guatemala
a theatre presentation by HIJOS Vancouver (Identity
and Justice against Oblivion and silence)
Rosalin Sam from the St’at’imc Nation, Mount Currie
and much much more!

Ending the night with the music of Leoncio Ventura and
others!

This event will be sliding scale ($20 - $5) at the
door... but no one will be turned away

Tuesday April 8th

An informal dinner for organization and union
representatives, as well as interested individuals is
being organized for the evening of Tuesday April 8th. 
This dinner is meant to act as a venue for people to
meet and talk with Rafael regarding the work that he
is doing in Guatemala, and how the work he
participates in is connected to the struggles of
unions/organizations here in BC. The idea is to create
greater solidarity between movements of the majority
and minority worlds, and between diverse struggles,
but in a more informal way. If you or your
union/organization would be interested in attending
this dinner, please contact mia amir (contact info
below).

If your organization would be interested in meeting
with Rafael during his time here in Vancouver, outside
of the events being organized, or if you or your
organization would be interested in helping to support
the work of CUC through a donation (monetary/supply
based) please don’t hesitate to contact speaking tour
organizer mia amir: miaspora at yahoo.ca 
604.433.4489.  We will be more than happy to receive
any donations as we are still trying to cover the
costs of travel expenses for Rafael.

CUC - A brief history:

The work of CUC began in the 1974 with it’s origins
rooted in the work of the Catholic Church -priests,
monks, catechists, Mayan priests and poor ladino and
indigenous peoples.  The organization was involved in
the revolutionary struggle on many different fronts. 
The main bulk of the work that CUC now focuses on are
the struggles for a more just salary on the fields and
in the city, fighting the oppression of land owners
and the government and discrimination of Indigenous
peoples.  CUC now aids in the organization and support
of land reclamation carried out by impoverished
communities of agricultural workers. It currently
supports 12 different communities in their struggle
for land redistribution on the legal and community
organizing levels - supporting communities as they
negotiate with el Fondo de Tierras, the governmental
organization set up to 'help facilitate' the legal
transfer of land from large land owners to land
occupiers.  CUC also provides communities with
workshops on collective farming models, gender
inequity, health, legal rights, etc. 


Rafael Gonzalez Yoc

Rafael González, 49 years old, born on the rural area
of Escuintla, in the south west of Guatemala. A
peasant, a worker in the farms growing sugar cane,
coffee, cotton and beef cattle, as well as in the
sugar refineries and other export producing factories.
Since he was from a poor family, he wasn’t able to get
more education than the first grade of elementary
school. However, as an adult he studied further,
completing elementary and then junior high school.

He is father of 3 children, 8, 4 and 2 years old, and
his life’s companion is 44 year old Norberta García.

Rafael’s activities:

Ø    1975 - joins in discussions about their situation
of poverty;  participates in preparing the conditions
for the formation of the Committee of Peasant Unity.

Ø    1978 - continues this grassroots work,
encouraging the formation of the organization CUC and
supporting the struggle in the sugar cane plantations,
demanding that the owners obey the Labour Laws
regarding minimum salaries.

Ø    1980 - member of the regional commission of
coordination CORRCO in the southern coast. He was with
a group of peasants preparing for the occupation of
the Spanish Embassy January 31, 1980 but was unable to
be there because of other commitments. Prepares the
conditions for the sugar cane cutters’ strike in the
southern coast in February 1980. Captured and
tortured, close to being assassinated, while held  4
days incommunicado in captivity.

Ø    1982 – participates in the international work of
CUC en Nicaragua and Mexico, seeking refuge because of
the repression occurring in our country.

Ø    1990 - returns to the work in CUC in the southern
coast of Guatemala

Ø    1991 - named member of the National Commission of
Coordination of CUC until 1992, and delegate to the
Executive Commission of another organization: UASSP -
the Unity of Labour and Grassroots Action.

Ø    Active participation in the 4th assembly of CUC,
as well as in the extraordinary assembly in which a
division took place in CUC, some members forming CONIC

Ø    1997 - further work and co-ordination in Coban
and Alta & Baja Verapaz

Ø    1998 – elected to the National Committee of CUC
in its 6th assembly in October 1998 – later elected as
General Coordinator.

Ø    Participation in a variety of events on the
national and international level, representing CUCV
and CNOC  in the themes of Land, Rural Development,
the ALCA, PPP etc. in the following countries:
Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, Spain and Cuba.

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