This project strengthens meaningful bonds between local youth and their indigenous community culture, involving participants in creative research and accurate representation of community ways of life. It is developed by a network of 21 community museums of Oaxaca in Southern Mexico, which foster cultural awareness, cohesion and a shared vision for the future. Funds raised will support in-person workshops as COVID restrictions diminish, and help re-establish collaborations with local schools.
The cultural survival of the indigenous and rural communities of Oaxaca is threatened by long-standing discrimination, migration, and weakening of intergenerational bonds. Children and young people are becoming increasingly estranged from their unique ancestral culture. If the current generations of young people do not identify with practices that sustain community reciprocity and commitment to the common good, their community's way of life will be lost.
In this project 4,120 children and young people in 14 Zapotec, Mixtec, Chocholtec and Mixe communities have dialogued with elders, explored their territories, and participated in community practices that honor their ancestors, their communal lands, and the importance of community service. Through exhibitions, murals, radio programs, theater, poetry and song, they express what they have learned. Youth are empowered by a new awareness of the contributions they can make to their community's future.
The young people who participate in this project develop confidence, communication skills and creativity, becoming a bridge to transport their culture into the future. They become part of a collective community effort to cherish their own way of life, and soon assume responsibilities as members of official committees that promote education, health, and local culture. Thereby, they are able to carry forward a vision for the future that builds on, recreates and strengthens their cultural identity.
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