AC FORUM 2008 UPDATE: Alternative Channel to Collaborate With Rigoberta Menchu
Rigoberta Menchu spoke with the press corps after addressing the guests of the Alternative Channel Forum at the Casa Convalescència in Barcelona.
I have now obtained a translated copy of the press release prepared by Alternative Channel.
Press Release - Barcelone, 30 April 2008
“Technology is a holy heritage of humanity, and it is the right of all to benefit from it.”
The Nobel Laureate Rigoberta Menchú was present today at the Alternative Channel Forum on Social Networking and Responsible Media, co-orgainzed by Alternative Channel and iWith.org which took place in Barcelona. According to her, the rights acquired by indigenous peoples are the fruit of their learning of new technologies. They no longer have a fear of participation.
Her declarations were made during the Forum at the time of a conference she gave on the theme “rights and protection of cultural minorities”.
Rigoberta Menchú did not hesitate to affirm “that during many years the indigenous people of Guatemala were humiliated into acceptance of oppression, slavery and injustice, all in forgetting their own value.” This lack of conscience is due, according to Rigoberta Menchú, to their lack of access to media of communication.
At the same time, the Nobel Laureate underlined the rights acquired, and invited the guests to be positive and to reflect upon the new possibilities of action which exist today. “In Latin America we have evacuated our fears: the fear to express oneself, the fear of losing our support, and the fear of ‘what will be said about it’. We have also learned to appropriate technology; in Guatemala, there is a virutal library at our disposal comprising more than 1000 works, and also a center of community internet access which daily offers access to hundreds of people.”
Rigoberta Menchú thanked Alternative Channel and the organizers of the Forum and saluted their initiative to facilitate the access of peoples to new technologies. She called upon participants to be conscious of this mission: “Today, nobody can control technologies and internet. It is a formidable task to put these tools at the disposal of peoples, and I congratulate you for your efforts. Technology is a holy heritage of humanity, it is the right of all to benefit from it,” she concluded.
At the time of this presentation, Alternative Channel and iWith.org also announced their future collaboration with Rigoberta Menchú in the familiarization of young indigenous Guatemalans with new technologies.
Support for Tibet
Rigoberta Menchú was introduced by Thubten Wanchen, a Tibetan monk and director of the House of Tibet in Barcelona. The monk comared the struggle of Guatemalans to that of the Tibetan people, and to symbolize their fraternity, he offered her a Medecine Buddha blessed by the Dalai Lama. Rigoberta Menchú saluted Thubten Wanchen and his people, wishing them the achievement one day of liberty: “There is nothing more sacred than the liberty of a people.”