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“Artists for Food Sovereignty”: Inviting Artists around the world!
by La Via Campesina 13 Aug '21

13 Aug '21

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* "ARTISTS FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY" ------------------------- "_Art must show the world as changeable. And help to change it". _Ernst Fischer ------------------------- This year, La Via Campesina is celebrating 25 years of peasant-led efforts and campaign in our communities to bring food sovereignty to reality - healthy diets, healthy soils, healthy seeds, agroecology etc - and continue to resist the capitalist model. This vision, of relating to nature and with one another harmoniously, practiced for thousands of years was put into words by La Via Campesina and allies at the 1996 World Food Summit [1] in Rome. We defined "Food Sovereignty" as the right of people to autonomously produce healthy, nutritious, climatically, and culturally appropriate food, using local resources and through agroecological means, primarily to address the local food needs of their communities. Throughout the past 25 years, the formation of Food Sovereignty has contributed to strengthening a model of society that prioritizes life. Food sovereignty, among the multitude of ideas that it encompasses, is also about defending the billion diversities that exist on this planet, and is a celebration of our many unique practices, tastes, cultures and customs. An important pillar in this struggle for food sovereignty is the role played by popular rural cultures, of peasants, fisher-folk, family farmers and Indigenous Peoples. Art and popular communication [2] are vital tools of expression, exchange and resistance in peasant and indigenous cultures worldwide. It is in this context that La Via Campesina launches its international call to action, "ARTISTS FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY", as we build up our efforts towards _OCTOBER 16, 2021 – THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR PEOPLES' FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND AGAINST TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS_. "ARTISTS FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY" attempts to gather audio-visual expressions of the historical struggles and resistance led by peasants, food artisans, indigenous peoples, fishers, shepherds, the landless, women, agricultural wage earners, migrants, and youth worldwide, to defend our way of life and livelihoods. ------------------------- > THROUGH THIS INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR SOLIDARITY ACTION, LA VIA CAMPESINA IS ENCOURAGING PROGRESSIVE ARTISTS AROUND THE WORLD TO SEND US DIVERSE MATERIALS IN THE FORM OF MUSIC, VIDEO CLIPS, POETRY, PAINTINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, ILLUSTRATIONS, DOCUMENTARIES AND PODCASTS. ------------------------- ARTISTS AND MULTIMEDIA PRODUCERS COULD TAKE INSPIRATION FROM ANY OF THE THEMES LISTED BELOW: 1. Specific experiences of Food Sovereignty- Peasant Cooperatives, Rural fairs, Seeds, Agroecological Schools, Community Radio, etc. 2. Challenges and Threats posed by Industrial Agricultural politics and its impact on agrarian reform, land grabbing, climate change and criminalisation of social movements. 3. The dispute between the peasant agroecological model of production and the industrial model of agribusinesses. 4. The urgency of a new society that is built on the principles of global solidarity, internationalism and social justice ------------------------- [3] In 2016, the musical group Che Sudaka dedicated the song "Cuando será" (When it will be) to La Vía Campesina in their fight for Food Sovereignty. > "_You that cultivate fields_, _You that cultivate dreams_ _You with your friends_, _Collect the food_ _For you, I present this song_, _So that you feel inspiration_ _That you know you are not alone_, _There are many fighting against time_." [4] Additionally, several supporters, activists, friends and allies of LVC have been inspired by our fight. They have captured this art in paintings, poems and murals, songs and various other forms of expression. Last year, during the COVID 19 pandemic, Francisco Daniel, a friend of Movement Without Land, painted the main image of our campaign #TimetoTransform. We want to unite these beautiful artistic expressions in favour of Food Sovereignty and share them with you all in a VIRTUAL GALLERY DURING OCTOBER 2021 AS PART OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE ACTION – FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY, AGAINST MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES. We have set out to gather all the materials from August until September of 2021. ------------------------- These materials also will contribute to the spread, communication and political formation of La Via Campesina, uniting collective forces for a transformation and liberation project. It is an attempt to break away from the alienation caused by a mass-media culture. These art forms are symbolic of our resistance against the corporate-political nexus and their economic, cultural, and political oppression of the rural areas. This call for artistic expression centres around the theme of Food Sovereignty. The text below serves as a close guide to how we understand Food Sovereignty within the movement. Artists are free to interpret this vision of Food Sovereignty and base it in their socio-cultural and political context. _WHAT IS FOOD SOVEREIGNTY? _ _Food Sovereignty "is the people's right to healthy food and culturally suitable products through sustainable and environmentally friendly methods. It is also the right of the people to define their agricultural food systems. Food sovereignty is intrinsically linked to the debate over what we envision for rural areas and what type of development should be applied. It is about defining what kind of food to produce and why? To prioritise production for local markets, in line with a culture of local and regional consumption. It defends the interests and the inclusion of future generations. It offers a strategy to resist and dismantle the current regime of corporate food trade and points at the nutritional, rural, pastoralist and fishing systems determined by local producers. Food Sovereignty prioritises the local and national economies and markets, empowers rural and family agriculture, traditional fisheries and shepherding and the production, distribution and consumption of food based on environmental, social and economic sustainability. Food Sovereignty promotes transparent trade that guarantees a fair income to everyone and the rights for the consumers to food and nutrition. It assures that the rights to collectively own and manage our lands, water, seeds, livestock and biodiversity so that these means of production remain in the hands of those who produce the food. Food Sovereignty involves new social relationships free from oppression and inequality between men and women, differences, peoples, racial groups, social classes and generations. "_ Let this be a moment to transform our resistance through music, poems, documentaries and inspiring images that expose the urgency of Food Sovereignty as a solution against hunger, climate change and authoritarianism. ------------------------- * INFORMATION: title of the work, full name, country, organisation (optional), social media profiles (optional) * LANGUAGE: mainly in Spanish, English, French but local languages are welcome with the respective translation (Reduce the text for best accessibility) * FORMATS: Video, audio, Word, Jpg or PDFs, without borders, backgrounds or watermarks. * DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 16 September 2021 * EMAIL: Email all the materials with the subject _"Llamado Artistas por la Soberanía Alimentaria"_ to lvcweb(a)viacampesina.org with a copy (CC) to Viviana.rojas(a)viacampesina.org. ------------------------- La Via Campesina will select and curate from the compiled material and exhibit them in a virtual gallery that will be available on the website of LVC. The curated work will also be distributed as a digital catalogue, acknowledging the contribution of each artist. [5] [6] [7] [8] Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/1996-Rom-en.… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/nyeleni-newsletter-communicating-for-food-sover… [3] https://youtu.be/JwB0PXM8NMg [4] https://vimeo.com/440624449 [5] http://www.facebook.com/ViaCampesinaOfficial [6] http://www.twitter.com/via_campesina [7] http://www.instagram.com/la_via_campesina_official [8] http://viacampesina.org/en

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La Via Campesina demands an end to the blockade against Cuba and denounces the destabilization campaign
by La Via Campesina 23 Jul '21

23 Jul '21

As stated by National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP) "the losses that the blockade has caused to Cuban agriculture in these 62 years are enormous. But it has also demonstrated the capacity of farmers in the search for alternatives and solutions to the problems caused by the blockade imposed on Cuba". CUBA HAS WORKED NON-STOP TO IMPLEMENT POLICIES TOWARDS FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND FOOD SECURITY WHICH HAVE EVEN BEEN DESCRIBED AS ADVANCED PROGRAMS BY INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE FAO. In the midst of the complex epidemiological situation that the country is going through, the call for sabotage, vandalism and violence is nothing more than a vile act of opportunism and intervention. As La Via Campesina we join the international community in demanding an end to the immoral blockade against Cuba, and we call on our member organizations, friends and allies to mobilize in solidarity and to remain alert to any kind of interference and attack against the sovereignty of Cuba. Solidarity is the tenderness of the peoples! Read the Full Statement [1] Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-demands-an-end-to-the-blockade…

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La Via Campesina denounces Israeli military raid on UAWC headquarters
by La Via Campesina 12 Jul '21

12 Jul '21

LA VIA CAMPESINA DENOUNCES ISRAELI MILITARY RAID ON UAWC HEADQUARTERS 11 JULY 2021 INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY [1] (Harare, 10 July 2021) La Via Campesina condemns the Israeli military raid, the damage done to the headquarters of its member organisation, Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) on Wednesday 7 July. The Israeli military ordered the office to be closed for six months. We denounce the continued persecution and harassment of UAWC in attempt to disrupt their work. The raid and closure order represents a provocative assault on Palestinian sovereignty, considering the fact that UAWC headquarters are located in Area A of the West Bank, which is under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli military raid and closure order is part of a well planned aggressive defamation and defunding campaign against not only UAWC but the Palestinian civil society at large. It is aimed at neutralizing any form of peaceful organization of the Palestinian people. UAWC is not only one of the most active organizations in Palestine, but also spearheads the struggle for food sovereignty and peasant rights in the Arab region and North Africa (ArNa). It also coordinates La Via Campesina's regional articulation process of peasant movements the region. Through its work in and across rural Palestine, UAWC has made extremely valuable and life-changing contributions to the lives of thousands of smallholder peasants, fishers, herders and agricultural workers. Following the recent military attacks against Gaza in May which damaged many infrastructures, UAWC is actively involved in rebuilding the livelihoods of the affected communities. In response to UAWC success, Israeli entities continuously engage in sustained and brutal incitement campaign against the organisation as it provides peaceful and rightful agricultural support to Palestinian peasants, especially those in area "C"- an area facing accelerated Israeli occupation through land grabbing and annexation. We call on our members, as well as allied organizations, to raise awareness on the Palestinian situation, and increase their voices in denouncing Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and call for an end in violence against the Palestinian people. We also call on the international community and human rights organisations to demand that the necessary measures be taken to stop the violence and advance in the construction of peace. In solidarity with the Palestinian people, we increase our call to strengthen the BDS movement to undermine the terrible policy of apartheid that our Palestinian sisters and brothers suffer today. This is urgent, it cannot wait any longer! Lets join and commit to the Boycott Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign [2] in order to end Israeli Apartheid and its war crimes. First and foremost, join BDS now [3]! The boycott is economic, academic and cultural [4]! La Via Campesina stands in solidarity with Palestinian people and their legitimate organizations as they resist the oppressor! GLOBALIZE THE STRUGGLE! GLOBALIZE HOPE! Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/international-solidari… [2] https://bdsmovement.net/ [3] https://bdsmovement.net/get-involved [4] https://bdsmovement.net/get-involved/join-a-bds-campaign

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UAWC Statement after Israeli military raid on headquarters
by La Via Campesina 09 Jul '21

09 Jul '21

UAWC STATEMENT AFTER ISRAELI MILITARY RAID ON HEADQUARTERS 9 JULY 2021 INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY [1] 9 July 2021 (Download PDF UAWC statement [2]) On Wednesday 7 July 2021 at around 3:00 am, Israeli occupation forces raided the headquarters of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) in Ramallah/Al-Bireh, leaving behind a standard military order dictating the closure of our main office for 6 months. When invading, the Israeli occupation forces demolished our entrance door, caused a mess in the office and damaged part of our furniture (see photos and this video [3]posted on twitter). In addition, they stole five hard drives, one laptop, a digital video recorder, as well as several books and documents. UAWC condemns the Israeli raid, the damage done to our office and the military closure order in the strongest terms. This order is illegitimate and clearly politically-motivated. It targets our headquarters in order to disrupt our organization as a whole. The raid and closure order represents a particularly provocative assault on Palestinian sovereignty, considering the fact that our headquarters are located in Area A of the West Bank, which is under full control of the Palestinian Authority, to which we respond. We have moved to another office, where we are continuing our work with high determination to fulfil our obligations and commitments towards thousands of vulnerable Palestinian farmers and their families in Area C. The Israeli raid and closure order cannot be seen detached from the aggressive defamation and defunding campaign by the Israeli government and organizations affiliated with it, directed at UAWC and Palestinian civil society at large. These campaigns have been documented [4]by international NGOs and been recognized [5]and condemned [6]by the UN. More specifically, the Israeli raid on our headquarters cannot be seen in isolation from the 'review' the Dutch government has launched last year into UAWC, in response to pressure from the Israeli government and organizations affiliated with it. This investigation has had a catalysing effect on the defamation and defunding campaign UAWC has been exposed [7]to for years, to disrupt our work in Area C. While UAWC has cooperated with the Dutch review, we cannot ignore it has already done tremendous damage to our organization, partners and and beneficiaries - without any wrongdoing or neglect on UAWC's part having been established so far. We call on our partners and donors, and the Dutch government in particular, to condemn the Israeli raid and closure order against UAWC and to pressure the Israeli authorities to retract that order, so we can restore our organizational capacity. Doing so is also relevant to protecting Palestinian civil society at large against the escalating Israeli campaigns and measures, aimed at entrenching the Israeli occupation and annexation of Palestine and at defeating the Palestinians in their struggle for freedom, human rights and dignity. Following the Israeli raid on and closure of our headquarters, we have received countless solidarity calls and e-mails from local and international civil society organizations and diplomatic missions. We are most grateful for these heartening expressions of support for UAWC. In addition, we warmly welcome all international solidarity and fundraising campaigns (see La Via Campesina Fundraising Campaign [8]) in support of UAWC - they are essential at this critical hour. _UAWC headquarters in Ramallah/Al-Bireh, after Israeli military raid on 7 July 2021 around 3:00am:_ -- Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/international-solidari… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/2021-07-09_S… [3] https://twitter.com/RZabaneh/status/1412678967467913217?s=20 [4] https://target-locked-obs-defenders.org/IMG/pdf/obs_palestine2021ang-1.pdf [5] https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=21279&amp… [6] https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-operations-undermined-delegiti… [7] https://www.972mag.com/palestinian-funding-uawc-israel-lobby/ [8] https://viacampesina.org/en/act-now-to-support-gazas-farmers-farmworkers-an…

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LGBTQIA+ Peasants in Struggle: Free Our Land, Free Our Bodies
by La Via Campesina 07 Jul '21

07 Jul '21

Umut Vedat, La Via Campesina LGBTQIA+ PEASANTS IN STRUGGLE: FREE OUR LAND, FREE OUR BODIES BUILDING PRACTICES FOR LIBERATION AND TACKLING LGBTQIA-PHOBIA IN RURAL AREAS ARE ONGOING PROCESSES IN LA VIA CAMPESINA. By Capire Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual. June 28th is International LGBTQIA+ Pride Day. The LGBTQIA+ struggle is diverse and faces different challenges in different parts of the world. The LGBTQIA+ grassroots feminist peasant struggle encompasses and transcends the sense of pride one feels in their own existence--it's about the action of a collective will to promote change toward a world without the fences that control the land and without those that control bodies and sexualities. But this peasant struggle is usually hidden behind hegemonic discourses about who LGBTQIA+ subjects are, as if this were an urban or individual issue. CAPIRE spoke with Paula Gioia, Yeva Swart, Cony Oviedo, and Alessandro Mariano, members of La Via Campesina in Europe and South America, about the participation and the contributions of LGBTQIA+ people to the collective political knowledge of the peasant movement. Paula Gioia is a Brazilian migrant apiarist in Germany, a member of the Association for Peasant Agriculture (_Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft--_AbL), and a representative for Europe in the International Coordination Committee of La Via Campesina. Yeva Swart is a Dutch sheepherder in France and a member of Farmers for the Future _(T__oekomstboeren)_. Cony Oviedo is an educator, communicator, poet, and member of the National Coordination of Indigenous and Rural Women Workers' Organization (_Coordinadora Nacional de Organización __de Mujeres __Trabajadoras Rurales __e Indígenas_--CONAMURI) in Paraguay. Alessandro Mariano is an educator and a member of the National LGBT Collective of the Landless Workers' Movement (_Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra--_MST) in Brazil. THE REAL LIVES OF LGBTQIA+ PEASANTS In the world we live, coming out as gender nonconforming often means feeling lonely. Gender binarism and heteronormative family standards often become obstacles to experiencing diversity, a control that can lead to silence, violence, depression, and alienation. The media and religious sectors promote prejudicial stereotypes that dictate what an LGBTQIA+ person "looks like" or "doesn't look like." "There is an association with an image of someone who likes to have fun, and not someone who can be disciplined or have a life project," Cony Oviedo says. > When people find out you are a lesbian, they say, "you don't look like it" In several parts of the world, people leave rural territories to escape precarious wage work and conflicts with destructive megaprojects imposed by big corporations, pursuing promises of a "better life" in the city. Additionally, family traditions and moral standards in the countryside are also reasons that lead LGBTQIA+ peasants to leave rural areas. "Although in Europe there is not the same level of violence that LGBT people face in other countries, rural areas are often still not a welcoming place for gender diverse people," Paula Gioia says. "It's important to understand and highlight that, when you don't need to worry about hiding yourself, your sexuality, and gender identity, you can contribute much more to our common struggle towards food sovereignty [1]." Especially after the hardships that emerged during the pandemic, many young people are willing to return to the countryside. Organizing communities is a possible strategy to come back stronger and promote mutual support. "Building and living as communities is already such a queer way of living and working together." > For fear of the stigma, many sisters and comrades hide themselves and will only say "I'm lesbian," "I'm bisexual," when they are in spaces they trust... In the communities, there is a culture that passes on from generation to generation. We must promote a cultural change in our behaviors and roles and formulate ways to stop seeing these commands that seem right as if they were natural. Cony Oviedo _Laís Alann, MST, Brasil_ Rural areas are diverse and vast [2], although this is often invisibilized. Indigenous communities, people from traditional Black communities, peoples from forests and waters, small farmers, herders, fishers, beekeepers, migrants, and seasonal workers, who have such diverse ways of living and forms of experiencing their sexuality. In the global South, these multiple possibilities have been and continue to be obstructed by colonial, slave-like, imperialist interventions. "How does the violence imposed against our ancestors' bodies continue to this day against our bodies as well?" Alessandro Mariano asks. FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND FREEDOM TO BE AND LOVE THE WAY WE WANT LGBTQIA+ people are struggling to continue to live in rural areas, resisting agribusiness [3] and producing healthy food and healthy relationships. "Between capitalism and patriarchy, they want to tell us it's all divided, that we are not one," Cony says. For La Via Campesina, these are not different fronts, and separating them into different "boxes" leads to fragmentation that blocks change. The peasant, feminist, Black, Indigenous, migrant, and LGBTQIA+ struggle is a comprehensive struggle for the liberation and self-determination of _body-territories_ and _land-territories._ There is a direct relationship of solidarity between those who produce food and struggle for food sovereignty and the people who need food the most. Yeva Swart says, "often the rhetoric around LGBTQ people is about love, and I think it is much more than that. LGBT struggles and food sovereignty is also about questioning certain powers." Paula adds, "the problems that we have are based on patriarchy and power relations, not on what nature actually offers." MST Brasil THE LGBTQIA+ STRUGGLE IS FEMINIST AND ANTI-PATRIARCHAL For many years, La Via Campesina has been building grassroots peasant feminism [4] as a tool for women's struggle and organizing [5]. In Europe, the movement is also working on the concept of queer feminism, fighting the binary model of patriarchy. By promoting a feminist conversation and practices that are rooted in their territories, the women in the movement face violence and the sexual division of labor, while playing a key role in food sovereignty, producing food, protecting seeds, and sustaining life. According to Cony Oviedo, "La Via Campesina's grassroots peasant feminism is built from the needs of our sisters. It's feminism from everyday life, struggling against agribusiness, mining, and extractivist companies, and it carries the flag for agroecology [6] and food sovereignty." "We live in a binary world where genders overlap. Transsexuality disrupts that, including nonbinary," Alessandro Mariano adds. Sexual and gender diversity is not just about being able to love whoever you want, but also about being able to exist as you are: trans, homosexual, bisexual, intersexual, or asexual. The struggles waged by women and LGBTQIA+ people come together as they challenge the control and violence perpetrated by racist and heteropatriarchal capitalism against bodies and territories. They also come together in the desire to promote change toward an equal and free society. > Peasant feminism is actively fighting against intersectional prejudices faced in today's society. The core of it is that LGBT people and women are questioning gender roles, and the imposed division of work Yeva Swart Grassroots organizations are tasked to radically change society, and this includes building relationships of camaraderie, respect, and parity. This way, organizing spaces can be territories that are free from inequality, exploitation, and discrimination. "In the long-established tradition of the peasant struggle, which is deep-rooted in the idea of male leaders, there is a process of expanding this struggle to include women and all this diversity. More women, more trans, lesbian, and bisexual people," Alessandro says about the challenges facing La Via Campesina. The experience in Europe also points to the need to change the bases of patriarchal relationships. "The roles for male and female on the farms are often very strict. There are a lot of similarities in the different European countries and the discussion that we launched in the European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC) was important to realize and understand that each of us is not alone and, secondly, to start developing strategies to strengthen ourselves and our contributions to the movement as well," Paula says. European Coordination Via Campesina [7] (ECVC), 2018 GRASSROOTS PRACTICES IN EVERYDAY LIFE TO FACE LGBTQIA-PHOBIA Around 2015, different organizations with La Via Campesina started to discuss an LGBTQIA agenda and organization [8]. It took courage and sensitivity to conduct this process, considering the cultural, age, and regional diversity of La Via Campesina across the 81 countries where it is present. In Europe, the conversations about these topics started during the 2015 Women's Assembly in the framework of the ECVC General Assembly, where the debate really started to get traction. "One of our member organizations, _Sindicato Labrego Galego _[Galician Peasants' Union], immediately adopted this agenda to their work and, as they usually say, 'they came out as an organization,'" Paula says. In 2017, the Basque Country hosted the 7th International Conference of La Via Campesina, which became a milestone as the starting point for building the LGBTQIA+ struggle on an international level within the organization [9]. Paula explains that "gender diversity was not part of the official agenda of the conference. We managed to prepare, previously to the conference, some actions for the conference. We organized an exhibition with pictures, articles, and materials from different regions. People were walking around the conference with stickers and pins with the rainbow flag. Our strategy was to start bringing this agenda in 'homeopathic doses' to the movement." This process eventually led to the 1stLGBTIQ Meeting of the European Coordination Via Campesina [10], in 2018, dedicated to building spaces for sexual and gender diversity within peasant organizing. On June 28th, La Via Campesina Europe takes the opportunity on International LGBTQIA+ Pride Day to launch the publication _Embracing Rural Diversity: Genders and Sexualities in the Peasant Movement_ [11],in Spanish, English, and French, featuring militants' political stories about their personal and collective experiences and reflections. The seed of the LGBT collective of La Via Campesina Brazil [12] was planted in 2015, when it started to organize seminars and meetings. The collective was effectively established in 2020, with the participation of ten organizations, holding monthly meetings and formulating a synthesis that was organized in a publication [13]. In Paraguay, the CONAMURI started to collectively build a process in 2016 to tackle LGBTQIA-phobia, inspired by the Brazilian experience. That same year, the _Aireana_collective, an organization of lesbian peasant women, proposed that the CONAMURI should organize a landless LGBTI meeting in Paraguay. Later, in 2017, the CONAMURI also became closer to the Panamby collective of trans women who create art interventions. The exchanges and activities were fundamental for the national coordination of the CONAMURI to take on the topic as part of its agenda. Today, the militants of the two countries are organizing to build a regional effort of LGBTQIA+ people with La Via Campesina in South America. This way, LGBTQIA+ peasants feel more welcomed by the organization, because their existence is no longer defended just individually, but by the entire movement. In May this year, in Brazil, the MST lost Lindolfo Kosmaski, a militant, peasant, teacher, and gay man who was killed in his own community. For militants, the murder of Lindolfo is a consequence of the hate resulting from the rise of conservatism. > Patriarchy destroys, capitalism wages war, LGBT blood is landless blood too! MST According to Yeva, talking about gender diversity is the right thing to do in face of the current political situation. "There is a growing right-wing in Europe with a lot of anti-LGBT laws being adopted. People are struggling against patriarchy and religious ideas as well about gender and about sexuality. From the situation of women or LGBT people, the same issues arise when it comes to peasants' rights, for example regarding access to land and inheritance." About this international movement building, Paula recalls that, "in some countries where we have membership, being homosexual or transexual is still reason for you to go to jail. In some places it's so prohibited that people are killed." This is why the struggle is not homogeneous. Paying attention to specific aspects that are different in every place is a powerful way to build a multiple and diverse organization of LGBTQIA+ peasants, who are political actors fighting for food sovereignty. "That's why it is so important for us to build very strong regional processes of discussion. Once we have different strong regional processes we can build it at the international level. We are working in that direction and the work from some regions can serve as inspiration to other regions." _Manon Roland illustration on "Embracing Rural Diversity," 2021_ Words by Helena Zelic and Bianca Pessoa Translated from Portuguese by Aline Scátola Original languages: Portuguese, Spanish, and English Links: ------ [1] https://capiremov.org/en/tag/food-sovereignty/ [2] https://capiremov.org/en/multimedia/gallery/peasant-struggles-and-food-sove… [3] https://capiremov.org/en/analysis/the-struggle-for-food-sovereignty-is-the-… [4] https://capiremov.org/en/interview/pancha-rodriguez-food-sovereignty-is-abo… [5] https://capiremov.org/en/analysis/popular-peasant-feminism/ [6] https://capiremov.org/en/experience/peasant-women-nurturing-feminism-and-ag… [7] https://www.facebook.com/ECVC1/?__tn__=-UC*F [8] https://viacampesina.org/en/gender-diversity-in-the-peasant-movement/ [9] https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-peasants-initiate-debate-gende… [10] https://viacampesina.org/en/peasants-and-farm-workers-in-europe-call-it-tim… [11] https://www.eurovia.org/embracing-rural-diversity-genders-and-sexualities-i… [12] https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL/videos/543765863171822 [13] https://www.cptnacional.org.br/attachments/article/5462/PDF_CARTILHA_LGBTI_…

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Act Now to Support Gaza’s Farmers, Farmworkers and Fisherfolk! Help Gaza Feed Itself!
by La Via Campesina 22 Jun '21

22 Jun '21

ACT NOW TO SUPPORT GAZA'S FARMERS, FARMWORKERS AND FISHERFOLK! HELP GAZA FEED ITSELF! 22 JUNE 2021 INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY [1] The recent spate of bombings by Israeli forces in Gaza has killed over 260 people, including 60 children and 40 women and forcibly displaced more than 120,000 people from their homes. Missiles pounded the region for 11 consecutive days inflicting catastrophic damages to the lives and livelihood of the people of the area. Gaza's Ministry of Agriculture estimated around $27 million in damages, including greenhouses, agricultural lands and poultry farms. Union of Agricultural Workers Committee (UAWC), a member of La Via Campesina, informs that thousands of peasant workers, farmers and fisherfolk in Gaza have suffered crop losses and damages to farm and fishing infrastructure. Agricultural facilities such as animal farms, wells and irrigation networks have been severely damaged. A full closure of the sea and destruction of fishing boats have disrupted fishing activities and threaten the food security of over 3600 fisher families. A rapid assessment by UAWC in Gaza estimates crop loss in over 50 hectares. Missile attacks have impacted the soil heath and inflicted severe damages on irrigation and transmission networks. Hundreds of greenhouses have been destroyed. The assessment team also informs that scores of agricultural ponds are polluted or covered under rubble. Extensive damage to sewage stations, sewage networks, water wells pose a humungous challenge and leading to health risks due to unsanitary conditions. The United Nations said approximately 800,000 people in Gaza do not have regular access to clean piped water, as nearly 50 per cent of the water network was damaged in the bombing. HOW CAN YOU HELP? Gaza's food system is in ruins. Palestinians now seek to restore their water wells, greenhouses, animal barns and fishing boats, among other needs, and La Via Campesina wants to help by contributing USD $250,000 by August 31st, 2021. By contributing funds through THIS LINK [2], you can directly help the people of Gaza, particularly the family farms and fisherfolk, to rebuild and reclaim their dignity and livelihood. Every amount counts. As compassionate citizens of this planet, let us stand with the people of Gaza in their struggle to rebuild their lives and access justice. GLOBALIZE THE STRUGGLE, GLOBALIZE HOPE! LA VIA CAMPESINA Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/international-solidari… [2] https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/gaza-appeal-farmers-fishers-2021

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New edition of the Nyéléni Newsletter is now online!
by La Via Campesina 16 Jun '21

16 Jun '21

NYÉLÉNI NEWSLETTER: COMMUNICATING FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY The new edition of the Nyéléni Newsletter is now online! Food sovereignty, among the multitude of ideas that it encompasses, is also about defending the billion diversities that exist on this planet, and is a celebration of our many unique practices, tastes, cultures and customs. An important pillar in this struggle for food sovereignty is the role played by popular rural cultures, of peasants, fisher-folk, family farmers and Indigenous Peoples. These communities are inheritors of a rich and diverse tradition of oral and visual forms of communication, whether in the form of folklore, legends, tales, proverbs, songs, murals and more. These varied forms of communication are also the recorded histories of human struggles and survival. However, this diversity is, today, under threat. Just as the agro-industrial complex pushes for a homogeneous, singular view of a global agrifood system, the international-corporate-media complex has also resulted in a singular, centralized form of mainstream communication. A handful of corporations today control much of what we read or watch and how people access information. Despite the challenges, organized peoples and communities around the world are countering this marginalization of peoples' culture. The current edition of the Nyéléni newsletter focuses on the wide variety of popular, community-driven communication approaches, drawing inspiration from local symbols, context and culture. It explores how these approaches are integral to pedagogy among peasants, family farmers, Indigenous Peoples and fisher-folk, crucial for political formation and popular education, and an essential element of our struggle for food sovereignty. _Click here to download the English edition_ [1] or read it directly on the website at www.nyeleni.org [2] ! Links: ------ [1] http://www.nyeleni.org/ccount/click.php?id=158 [2] http://www.nyeleni.org

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Newsletter #4 | Colombia Peace Agreement Monitor
by La Via Campesina 07 Jun '21

07 Jun '21

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* This newsletter is the result of La Via Campesina's collective effort to make visible and accompany the implementation of the Peace Accords in Colombia. To subscribe click here [1] COLOMBIA: DESPITE STATE VIOLENCE, THE STRIKE CONTINUES Protests unleashed by President Duque's tributary reform have turned into a nationwide protest for historic injustices and the deepening economic crisis behind the pandemic. read the full press release [2] of La Vía Campesina. COLOMBIA: IS ACCESS TO LAND DEMOCRATIZED? Sub-point 1.1 of the Peace Agreement establishes mechanisms for access to land for the benefit of peasants without land or with insufficient land, mainly through land allocation processes and formalization of rights. READ MORE... [3] COLOMBIA: IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON PEACE The crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has had various impacts, amongst them, the increase in poverty numbers, the deepening of food insecurity, the deterioration of the security crisis and the limitations in the implementation of the Peace Agreement. READ MORE... [4] COLOMBIA: GLYPHOSATE AERIAL SPRAYING FORCES COMMUNITIES TO SEEK LEGAL ACTION The processes of voluntary eradication of illicit crops are supported, but marginally, compared to the force eradication operations prioritized by the government. READ MORE... [5] SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS DENOUNCE LIMITATIONS ON PARTICIPATION IN TERRITORIAL FOCUSED DEVELOPMENT PLANS (PDET) IN COLOMBIA Territorial Focused Development Plans - PDET, in Spanish, are designed by the Agreement as participatory territorial planning instrument to implement as a priority the components of Integral Rural Reform - RRI. READ MORE... [6] COLOMBIA: ARMED CONFLICT REACTIVATED IN 2021 During the year 2020 acts of violence with great intensity are recorded, there has been an increase in the assassination of social leaders, massacres, and confrontations among armed groups. READ MORE... [7] RURAL INTEGRAL REFORM IS EXCRUCIATINGLY SLOW IN COLOMBIA The assessments of the implementation of the Peace Agreement made by different institutions and social organizations highlight the lack of political will for the materialization of what has been agreed and the constant failings on the part of the government regarding principally the Rural Integral Reform - RRI, in Spanish. READ MORE... [8] COLOMBIA: CALL FOR LIFE, DEMOCRACY AND PEACE! La Via Campesina stands in solidarity with the struggles and protests of the Colombian people in the NATIONAL STRIKE that began on April 28th and remains active even now. READ MORE... [9] COLOMBIA: END THE STATE-SANCTIONED VIOLENCE, INVESTIGATE THE CRIMES OF THE COLOMBIAN STATE! A month into the National Strike against the neoliberal reforms that seek to undermine rights, promote privatization and labor flexibilization. READ MORE... [10] SOLIDARITY WITH THE WORKING CLASS OF COLOMBIA We, the undersigned popular organisations of the peoples of the countryside, of the waters and of the forests, and other organisations of the whole world, lend our solidarity to the peasant, indigenous and Afro-descendant people who, allied to the working class of the cities, are demonstrating in Colombia to defend human rights as basic as the right to live in peace and dignity. READ MORE... [11] [12] Omar Moreno, life and peasant struggle [13] HYMN OF THE INDIGENOUS GUARD YOU ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE AUTONOMY OF OUR MOVEMENT ------------------------- As a supporter who has contributed financial resources to La Via Campesina, and as an activist who joins us on the streets and in the fields, your support is always welcome and put to good use. YOU CAN RENEW YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO LA VIA CAMPESINA BY CLICKING HERE [14]. [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here [1] For questions or comments, email LVCWEB(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG WEBSITE: www.viacampesina.org TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here [1] Links: ------ [1] https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/colombia-despite-state-violence-the-strike-cont… [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/colombia-is-access-to-land-democratized/ [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/colombia-impacts-of-covid-19-on-peace/ [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/colombia-glyphosate-aerial-spraying-forces-comm… [6] https://viacampesina.org/en/socia-l-organizations-denounce-limitations-on-p… [7] https://viacampesina.org/en/colombia-armed-conflict-reactivated-2021/ [8] https://viacampesina.org/en/rural-integral-reform-is-excruciatingly-slow-in… [9] https://viacampesina.org/en/colombia-call-for-life-democracy-and-peace/ [10] https://viacampesina.org/en/colombia-end-the-state-sanctioned-violence-inve… [11] https://viacampesina.org/en/solidarity-with-the-working-class-of-colombia/ [12] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhOgyaHgiJc [13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwR6VgQ1mOE [14] https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/viacampesina [15] https://viacampesina.org/en/donations/ [16] https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL [17] http://www.twitter.com/via_campesina [18] https://www.instagram.com/la_via_campesina_official/ [19] https://viacampesina.org/

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05 June, World Environment Day: Call for Mobilization | La Via Campesina
by La Via Campesina 02 Jun '21

02 Jun '21

05 JUNE, WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY: CALL FOR MOBILIZATION | LA VIA CAMPESINA 2 JUNE 2021 CAMPAIGN AGAINST AGROTOXICS [1], CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE [2], LAND, WATER AND TERRITORIES [3], TRANSNATIONAL COMPANIES AND AGRIBUSINESS [4] _THIS WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY, LA VIA CAMPESINA CALLS FOR ACTIONS TO PROTECT MOTHER EARTH AND DEMAND THE URGENT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UN DECLARATION FOR THE RIGHTS OF PEASANTS AND OTHER PEOPLE WORKING IN RURAL AREAS._ LIFE OVER PROFITS – THIS PLANET IS OUR ONLY HOME! (Harare: June 2, 2021) By now it is evident that the capitalist system causes predatory actions against the environment, leading to severe damage to our planet. The extractive industrial model, together with increased militarization to keep imperialist hegemony, destroys our lands and rivers, forests and seas, reduces biodiversity, pillages our territories and criminalizes our struggles. The effects of this model are becoming more and more serious: violent storms, cyclones, droughts, heat waves, floods, migrations, over-consumption and food waste, as well as toxic foods that cause illness and kill across the world. Moreover, high-cost diseases (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome [SARS] such the current COVID-19 pandemic with over 3.3 million deathsso far) seem to be linked to contaminated food and livestock, and particularly affecting people with underlying health conditions such as malnutrition, obesity, and diabetes. We can affirm that industrial farming methods have led to untold environmental and social destruction globally as they oversimplify complex systems. This has nothing to do with feeding people, since the number of people affected by hunger and malnutrition continues to raise, but it's about accumulation of power and control by a few. Worldwide, we the peasant and indigenous communities of every nation feed 70% of the world's population while having access only to 25% of agricultural resources. Women and migrants represent more than 60% of laborers in agricultural production, yet they continue to suffer exploitation, racism, violence and a systematic violation of their human rights. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! We, peasants, indigenous peoples, women, migrants and rural communities want food sovereignty based peasant agroecology to reduce emissions and achieve social justice. The fight for food sovereignty is a social, political and ecological vision that brings together multiple groups within a single movement to challenge capital, build relationships with nature and defend systems of shared control over and access to the requirements of life. NO TO FALSE SOLUTIONS! We denounce and reject all the false solutions being put on the table to face the environmental and climate crisis by our governments working closely with transnational corporations (TNCs). Climate Smart agriculture, soil sequestration programs, Nature based solutions, payments for environmental services (PES), etc., allow capitalism to keep polluting to the detriment of the environment and our rights. These false solutions increase the risk of land grabbing the control of seed diversity by transnational corporations and the use of agrotoxics and expanded genetic manipulation. All this has led, among other things, to the emergence of superweeds and superbugs, putting the survival of life as we know it on a cliff's edge. TIME TO TRANSFORM! NO FUTURE WITHOUT FOOD SOVEREIGNTY! As La Via Campesina, we believe that action must be taken without delay for a complete turnaround, transforming our societies, changing the capitalist system that exploits, pollutes and uses up our commons, which are the heritage of peoples throughout the world. This urgent and much needed change must be implemented through a real social transformation that will only be possible if the rights of peasants, indigenous peoples, women, migrants and all those working in rural areas are fully respected. This means ending all forms of violence against all people and having access and democratically controlling land, water, territories and other common resources WE, THEREFORE, CALL OUR MEMBERS, ACTIVISTS AND ALLY MOVEMENTS AND ORGANIZATIONS, ON JUNE 5TH THE WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY, TO SUPPORT OUR ACTIONS TO PROTECT MOTHER EARTH AND OUR EFFORTS TO ENSURE THE FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF PEASANTS AND OTHER PEOPLE WORKING IN RURAL AREAS (UNDROP) BY NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS. WE MUST ALSO URGENTLY UNITE AGAINST THE FORTHCOMING CORPORATE LED UN FOOD SYSTEM SUMMIT AS IT PROMOTES FALSE SOLUTIONS WHICH WILL NOT ONLY WORSEN THE CURRENT CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS BUT WILL ALSO CONSTITUTE A SERIOUS ATTACK TO OUR RIGHTS AS PEASANTS, INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, WOMEN, MIGRANTS AND RURAL COMMUNITIES. LET'S ORGANIZE SOLIDARITY ACTIONS ON JUNE 5TH AT 12.00 MIDDAY #INDEFENSEOFTHEPLANET, INCLUDING PLANTING TREES. HASHTAG #InDefenseOfThePlanet #NoFuturewithoutFoodSovereignty DOWNLOAD AND READ THE INTERNATIONAL WEEK OF ANTI-IMPERIALIST STRUGGLE MANIFESTO IN DEFENSE OF THE PLANET IN ENGLISH [5], SPANISH [6], PORTUGUESE [7] GLOBALISE THE STRUGGLE, GLOBALISE HOPE Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-against/transnational-comp… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/climate-change-and-agr… [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/agrarian-reform/ [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-against/transnational-comp… [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/en-5-june-manifesto-the-planet-before-profits-o… [6] https://viacampesina.org/en/es-manifiesto-5-de-junio-el-planeta-por-encima-… [7] https://viacampesina.org/en/pt-manifesto-5-de-junho-o-planeta-acima-do-lucr…

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Call for International Solidarity with Colombia & Palestine | La Via Campesina
by La Via Campesina 28 May '21

28 May '21

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* La Via Campesina | Call for International Solidarity with Colombia & Palestine 28 MAY 2021, HARARE: A month into the National Strike against the neoliberal reforms that seek to undermine rights, promote privatization and labor flexibilization, La Via Campesina joins social organizations and movements to express our solidarity with the people of Colombia and demand an immediate halt of the brutal state and parastatal violence exerted on young people, women, farmers, workers and indigenous peoples who have been manifesting tirelessly in defense of their rights. Read the full statement [1] 23 MAY 2021, HARARE: La Via Campesina calls for a United Nations fact-finding mission to investigate human rights violations in occupied Palestine and for the entire movement and committed allies to join the Global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israeli apartheid in our beloved occupied Palestine! Apartheid is a crime! Read the full statement [2] www.viacampesina.org [3] To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here [4] Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/colombia-end-the-state-sanctioned-violence-inve… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/solidarity-with-palestine-now/ [3] http://www.viacampesina.org [4] https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en

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