1 12 1 https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/d17f7ce2cabcd3c46dc8217f617b25e1.pdf b44882c6402906dfbefa2aacc6be051e PDF Text Text Page 4 GUATEMALA THE WIDOWS OF WAR ~G~~ In September 1988, the National Coordinating Committee of Widows of Guatemala (CONAVIGUA) held its first assembly. According to Native activist Rigoberta Menchu, "CONAVIGUA is the hope of so many widows in our country-it is bringing together a great force." The following is a statement issued by CONAVIGUA: "We held our assembly in order to make our voices heard, and to exercise our legitimate rights. The cruel history of repression which our people have suffered for the last five centuries has left many thousands of Guatemalans kidnapped, disappeared, tortured, assassinated, and massacred. Many others have died of illnesses formerly unknown, from pesticides which come from the United States and Europe, spread on large farms where coffee, sugar cane, and cotton are produced. (See following article.) Thousands of women have lost their husbands, and when we return home to eat tortillas with salt and herbs it hurts and moves us to hear the cries of our children from so much suffering, seeing them with stomach aches, fevers, backaches, bellies swollen with malnutrition, and without the ability to buy them even an aspirinThese injustices and the love of our husbands who have been taken away from us by the repression and illness. For these reasons, we have begun to talk among ourselves, uniting to think of what we will do, to look for solutions to alleviate our problems because each day our situation gets worse". �Action which took place last October, these widows took the podium to denounce the violent acts of which they are victims: •'' in the town of Chucaman, in the state of Quiche, Manuel Us and Crispin Gomez, through innumerable threats, forced the dissolution of the Coordinating Committee of CONAVIGUA, declaring their actions illegal; • in the town of Canto Carrizal in Quiche, the military chief, Sebastian Calel, is accusing the widows of being spokeswomen for the guerrillas, and · · · · them to not hold · .-·h''.. "i~.:.~:..'\. •·. . . is persec:utingj.J women and girls 8, 9, and 10 years old, and going to· the cornfields and eating their com, in order to .. frighten the people; • in the Tululche hacienda, Chiche-Quiche, administrator is intimidating people at meetings, saying that they are "acting against the .·· >-. ·~.s.~"' -~g The Widows of Guatemala call for "international and national solidarity at this critical moment, ./~~~ 1 ::::::: . '"' and support in writing letters, so that people will know about the Committee-CONAVIGUA-its struggles and its fighting, and if possible to join with us to find solutions for our situation." ;::...... . ® � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 4, Nos. 2&3 (Fall 1988 & Winter 1989) Zotero Volume 4 Language English Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Widows of War (Guatemala) Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1988 & Winter 1989 Zotero Title The Widows of War (Guatemala) Item Type Journal Article Attachment Title Vol. 4, nos. 2 &3 (4-5).pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Issue 2 & 3 Language English Volume 4 Abstract Note 500 years of fighting have caused many women to lose their husbands to kidnappers, disappearances, torture, assassination, and massacre, in addition to diseases caused by pesticides funded by the US and Europe. Pages 4-5 Publication Title SAIIC Newsletter assassination Disease Fall 1988 Guatemala Massacre pesticides torture Widows of War Winter 1989