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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| June 13-14, 2004 |
Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala – Cultural Exchange in Martires del Pueblo |
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| The community of Martires del Pueblo, the largest slum in Central America, welcome Peace Boat for a one-day cultural exchange |
Visiting Guatemala for the first time in over ten years, Peace Boat participants saw another side to the volcanic "land of green" on a study tour and cultural exchange to the largest slum in Central America. Home to many of the indigenous people forcibly removed from their land and villages during the 1994 civil war, Martires del Pueblo is a crowded township of concrete houses on the outskirts of Guatemala City. |
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| Marlon Cordo, at The Centre for Justice, shows videos used to educate Guatemalan people that "lynching is wrong" |
Leading community campaigns against domestic violence and drug abuse, Marlon Cordo, from Centro de Justicia (the Centre for Justice), explained to Peace Boat participants how the history of conflict in Guatemala has shaped a culture "that accepts violence as a solution to problems." As well as promoting non-violent alternatives to resolve conflicts, the Centre for Justice is a refuge to battered women, offering counseling, police advice and a safe place to stay - though only for a short time, as the Centre is often overcrowded with the number of abuse victims rapidly increasing |
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| Campaigns to restore trust in the justice system hope to keep younger generations of Guatemalans living in peace |
The lawless devolution of society after the 1994 civil war led to a brutal system of "vigilante justice" and lynching as both trial and punishment for criminals. At the Centre for Justice, Peace Boat participants listened to Marlon Cordo and other members of the organization talk about their efforts to re-educate the people that this form of mob rule is wrong and only creates a never-ending "cycle of violence and retribution." With presentations at schools and community centres across Guatemala, promoting the court system and the police as "guardians of the people," Marlon Cordo hopes that non-violence will replace bloodshed as the proper means of achieving justice and peace. |
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| Charred toes and burnt ankles in a display of ancient Mayan hockey |
Decked out in brightly coloured streamers made from scrap paper and plastic bags, the Martires del Pueblo community centre welcomed the Peace Boat study group with a carnival-like atmosphere of traditional Mayan music, food, dancing and an ancient kind of hockey played with a wooden ball doused in oil and set on fire. |
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| Balance, poise and power from the Martires del Pueblo Karate club |
Both groups exchanged energetic dance performances to express their culture, but it was the children of the local karate club who stole the show, displaying balance, power and their obvious commitment to the martial art - a spirit vital in a community where many young people turn to drugs, gangs or crime as an escape from poverty. |
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| No brushes, no problem. Young painters from the community help Peace Boat participants create a giant mural |
While some participants took part in a soccer match with a local team, painters on the study tour splashed a technicolour mural onto the wall surrounding the pitch. Local children, Peace Boat participants and the guiding brush of professional Japanese artist, Eiji Macaroni, transformed the drab, concrete space into a dazzle of floral swirls.
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| All the colours of the rainbow in the work of art left to remember the cultural exchange between Peace Boat and Martires del Pueblo |
Thanking the people of Martires del Pueblo for hosting the exchange, Peace Boat staff member Ryota Morimoto hoped that peace would continue in Guatemala, and that a study group could return again in September during Peace Boat's 46th Global Voyage. Community leaders expressed their thanks and farewells, also hoping that the exchange was "not the end, but the beginning of a friendship." |
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