Bordenphoto… the blog

Thursday. October 1, 2009
Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico

I should like to start this entry by recapping the incident preceding my arrival to Buena Vista on Monday the 28th. I arrived with the Maestro Teodoro, one of the school teachers who commutes the two hour trek daily. We were approaching the town at approximately 8:30 when we discovered the road to be blocked. There were about five cars and pickups parked in front of and just beyond a hazardously muddy patch in the dirt road (which for our luck happened to continue uphill at a slight incline). The two vehicles already past the mud patch had driven through a milpa (crop field). A third truck barely made it through the now ravenously abused mud of the milpa after numerous attempts. Maestro Teodoro soon followed to no avail. He then elected to ride through the other side of the road, unused for crops but more hazardous for vehicles. Three more men attempted to drive their vehicles through the milpa. Two made it through while the third two the other side.  Needless to say, as each crossing necessitated the pushing and pulling of all spectators present, a considerable percentage of the milpa was left destroye, perhaps and area of 25′ x 40′.

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Tuesday. September 29, 2009
Buena Vista de Santiago Tlazoyaltepec, Etla, Oaxaca, México

I am currently sitting in on a questionnaire by SEDESOL asking current beneficiaries what appear to be questions addressing quality of life and/ or level of development. The representative told me this is a follow up procedure for people whom have already been given cement floors up to a year ago. It appears most people lack running water and electricity. Most roofs are aluminum, wall are wooden planks. Half the people present are giving their thumbprints in place of signatures for lack of literacy. I see “x”s in place of signatures on these peoples’ voting cards (IFE). This may indeed be the first time I have met people who sadly do not have the basic skills of reading and writing.

The project has taken over all my time I had to dedicate to writing. Fortunately, this means my paper is nearly completed… though at the expense of the blog updates. The big news is that I have successfully selected two communities for my research sites. Starting with the first, I will type up my field notes and upload digital images of analog photos from the visit.

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(Teotitlán del Valle as seen from the Sierras, 7:28 AM)

At 3,050 meters above sea level, Benito Juárez is one of eight pueblos mancomunados in the Northern Sierras of Oaxaca. I joined Maestro Perfecto Mecinas, a friend of my mentor’s, Maestra Patricia Mena, on one of his biweekly visits to his home town. What does it mean to be part of the mancomunidados? It loosely means to say the associated municipalities together refer to a common, local, judicial authority. Additionally these communities, separated by physical geography, pool resources in projects concerning business and community building. Tourism, the most prominent income sector, appears to be the mainstay of for-profit jobs.

Ecoturism is especially popular in the pueblos mancomunados. Reviewing a paper written by a 2006 student of the UC field research program, I have learned that the local union has reaped the benefits together in soliciting grants from the federal government that aid the growth of small-scale “green” businesses such as those in Benito Juárez. Together these eight communities offer a network of services including: guided nature walks, canopy tours, horse back riding, bird watching treks, and accommodations. It appears the government began granting small businesses that had proven track records for success. It is unfortunate for me that there appear to be no micro-finance services offered because the atmosphere is simply stunning.

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Monte Albán is the site of what was once the capital of Zapotec society. Having been inhabited from about 500 BCE to 1500 CE, this site has witnessed sweeping revolutions in culture spanning the past 2500 years. The ancient Olmecs arrived essentially establishing as Zapotecos locally. The Nahuatl-speaking Mexica of the central Mexican valleys conquered the site around 1000 CE. It was until the Spanish Conquest of the 16th century that Monte Albán remained one of the many Mexica satellite centers of administrative/ economic/ religious activity.

While I find archaeology to be rewarding personally, I still prefer socio/cultural anthropology. My bike ride up to the top of Monte Albán was foremost for exercise.

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_DSC2956 copy, originally uploaded by bordenphoto.

…is a day celebrated by Oaxaqueños as a day to give thanks to the Catholic God for having given them animals as pets and beasts of burden. But exactly whom they are thanking has proven a bit of a mystery. I was told that Saint Raymond is the patron saint of animals, but that cannot be true as it is Saint Francis of Assisi whom holds that title along with that of being the patron saint of the environment and Italy. I was also told that this Saint Raymond was born of a miraculous cesarean section. The only saint I could find to whom this miracle is attributed is Saint Raymond Nonnatus- though he is the patron saint of childbirth, midwives, and children. If catholic.org can be understood as an authoritative source, August 31st (the day celebrated here) is attributed to this Raymond Nonnatus among others. My questions are: Who is this Raymond? And do people know whom they are praying to?

Regardless, el día has evolved into something completely novel on its own. Locals have taken up the practice of bringing their pets to mass for a blessing by the priest. I went in with the assumption that this odd day was something sacred and more traditionally indigenous. The newspapers, radio shows, and foreign tourists arrived about half an hour before the 5:00 mass. Oaxaqueños appeared forming critical mass just before the priest´s first prayers at 5:15. It was a chaos in front of the church’s front doors (La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Merced). The priest kept dedicated, enunciating through the PA system. Judging by peoples’ clothes, pets, pets’ clothes, mannerisms, and demeanor, it would probably be fair to say most people were of higher than low class and came for the spectacle. There were few who I perceived as genuinely interested in a holy blessing. I witnessed two dog owners talking, making plans for their dachshunds to breed! for a profit! at church! Then again, to assume the two categories are mutually exclusive would probably be erroneous. What ever the case, parrots, iguanas, turtles, rats, rabbits, weasels, cats, and of course dogs of every breed filled the small plaza for hours providing excellent photo opts and entertainment…

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Aquí es Oaxaca.

So I have been here for a week and I do not have much to show just yet. The main reason is that I have been shooting in film lately. Mexico just seems to beg for film photographs. The colors are so rich, the light so bright, the textures so nuanced… not to mention film and processing is very affordable here.

Aside from that. I took my digital out for a tour at night. Here you can see a fine example of the graffiti that is so plentifully scattered throughout the city. Most of the current murals and muralists have their starts in the 2006 protests that is to say much of the art is political. I was surprised to find such an active graphic arts scene here. Everywhere you walk you see posters, flyers, lithographs, murals on everything. I have already been to a few galleries/workshops and museums and I am very impressed with the depth and variety of subject matter as well as technique. If all goes according to plan I will be taking a litho class myself while here.

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Street, Cosalá, originally uploaded by bordenphoto.

Very exciting news, friends and readers…

Firstly, I am in México for a while. Secondly, I have finally figured out an easy way to stream line photo blogging- all thanks to flickr really.

For the Interested:
I am currently in Oaxaca, a very culturally distinct southern state of México. I arrived on the 22nd and will remain here until the 3rd of November. I am currently conducting research on the microfinance industry that has recently boomed in Oaxaca among other regions and countries.

My photographic goal is to make a visual ethnography about the issue which will include the players: lenders, clients, investors, and administrators, the lending models, a look at power relations and what sort of industry is being supported by this new form of finance.

Here we are in the middle of June. It is the end of another academic year and the beginning of another summer. I relish this time having accomplished a successful quarter of studies and  unwinding, pondering the possibilities of the three months to come.

As I have mentioned before, part of my summer will be dedicated to conducting a visual ethnography. Prior to this, I will be embarking on a trip to Israel. My camera and I will be seeing the Holy Land thanks to the Birthright program. I have been reading Frommer’s guide to Israel in preparation for my trip. You wouldn’t believe the wealth of history and culture that lie in store. To say that I am excited is an understatement.

Additionally, a few friends and I are contemplating a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico. Separated from the rest of Mexico by the Sierra Madre del Sur Mountain Range, the area has produced a distinct culture of its own over the millennia.

So look back here in a few weeks for updates from Israel and further details on Mexico.

If you are one keeping up on politics of the Middle East, perhaps you have heard of a young Palestinian boy by the name of Muhammed Al Dura. It was eight years ago in the pre-9/11 world that the state-owned media company, France 2, broke the award-winning story of Israeli soldiers shooting the 12-year-old Al Dura in cold blood. It was later publicized on stations such as CNN and the BBC. Since this story broke, Al Dura has become the rallying cry for extremist behavior throughout the Muslim world. His image has appeared on postage stamps, statues were erected in his memory, Jewish temples were burned, and countless suicide bombers ended their lives in attempting revenge for his death. The only problem is that Muhammed Al Dura never died. As Philippe Karsenty, French Jew and founder/president of media watch-dog-group, Media Ratings, explains, Al Dura’s death is nothing more than a hoax.

Philippe Karsenty appeared at UC Santa Cruz May 13th to give a speech regarding what he has coined “The Al Dura Affair”, an insightful look at the “power of a single image to incur hate” and the “power of individuals to denounce lies” (Karsenty May 13, 2008). Karsenty first spoke out about this years ago with his first claim against France 2 regarding the authenticity of the news report. He named names involved in the affair including: Talal Abu Rahma- the filmer, and Charles Enderlin, the narrator, self-hating Jew, and most well respected Mid-East journalist of our time. With Jacque Chirac (good friend of Enderlin) holding the presidency, and France’s well known history of antisemitism, France won the 2006 legal case against Karsenty for defamation.

Since the 2006 case, Karsenty has appealed. With the entirety of France 2’s own footage of the event (reluctantly granted only by court order of course), France’s top ballistics expert, Jean-Claude Schlinger, independent journalist examinations, and Nicolas Sarkozy now in power, Karsenty made his case against the state. With the verdict in favor of Karsenty made public just last week (May 21st) we cannot yet rest in peace. To know that it takes eight years of court cases to find the truth behind such an influential piece of media, let alone the fact that this appeal is getting next to no attention compared to the original story, is upsetting. The unwarranted hatred, killing, and ill will caused by any propaganda is unacceptable. As explained in my previous post, “What is Truth” (April 28th), it is important to take the news media as a single perspective, or in the case of CNN and BBC little more than trust standing on unchecked assumptions.

The following is a short taste of Karsenty’s presentation:

Al_Dura