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The Zapatistas - they still exist! In the occupied, autonomous areas of South Mexico, they are dedicated to building a civil and autonomous self-government. The insurrectionists from the southeastern Mexican state Chiapas, named themselves after the general of the Mexican Revolution, Emiliano Zapata. After their uprising in 1994, the Zapatistas, who are largely indigenous small farmers, declared a ceasefire. This continues, although the harassment by the Mexican government and military does not subside. The government increases militarization in the Zapatista regions. "This is part of their strategy to fight the Zapatista insurgency and has as an objective to invalidate the autonomy projects in Chiapas," observers from the human rights organization Frayba have said in this regard. This year, in the summer of 2021, a delegation of over hundred people has left for Europe – the occasion being the 500th anniversary of the destruction of Tenochtitlan, i.e. Mexico City, by the Spanish conquistadors. According to reports by the Spanish occupiers, Tenochtitlan was one of the largest and most splendid cities in the world at that time, before it was destroyed by Hernán Cortés and his troops and the Aztec empire was overthrown. That was in 1521, and now the Zapatistas are paying a return visit to Europe, in order to network, to exchange experiences with European groups, and - as they put it - to confront the global threats of our time with a worldwide network to save the planet and humanity. Austria is one of their stops; right now they are here, in Vienna. Details about this unique journey of the Zapatistas can be found at zapalotta.org, along with information about events in which the visitors from Mexico participate. And there is also the speech Subcomandante Moisés gave when he and the fellows arrived in Vienna on September 14, 2021: "We want our brothers and sisters in the city and in the countryside to see what exploitation and capitalism mean," he said, "However, we Zapatistas, women and men, see not only capitalism, but also the problem that capitalism has created: the problem of life, and the problem of nature." Two Austrians who have traveled Mexico and studied Zapatista philosophy and activism are author and artist Tim Sharp and visual artist and photographer Lisl Ponger. For today's Kunstradio, Ponger & Sharp have produced a radio collage of statements, speeches, music, historical accounts, and the poetic texts from Old Antonio, written by Zapatista revolutionary and spokesman Subcomandante Marcos. The stories of Old Antonio are parables that represent the political attitude, philosophy and motivations of the Zapatistas. Also incorporated into the radio piece ""¡Ya basta!" are excerpts from Lisl Ponger's monumental work "The Master Narrative and Don Durito", a multi-hour, illustrated sound work that uses a complex associative structure to create a meta-narrative on the history and the "stories" of colonialism.
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