By Radio B'alam - Voces Mayas
In the neighborhoods of Oakland, California, you’ll hear the rhythms of marimba music, see colorful traditional clothing, and hear the distinct sounds of the Mayan Mam language being spoken. Fleeing the civil wars in Guatemala during the 1980s, many Mam people sought refuge in the U.S. Over the decades more have continued to migrate, and today Oakland is home to thousands of Mam people—one of the largest concentrations of Mam people outside Guatemala.
Del 19 al 23 de mayo 2025, la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos celebró su 176° Período Ordinario de Sesiones en la ciudad de Guatemala, en la que revisó el cumplimiento de la sentencia Pueblos Indígenas Maya Kaqchikel de Sumpango y otros versus Guatemala, relacionado al reconocimiento legal de las radios comunitarias indígenas en Guatemala
La audiencia se realizó este viernes 23 de mayo de 2025 en las instalaciones de la Universidad Rafael Landívar a las 11 horas
The recent attack on April 23, 2025, on ancestral Indigenous institutions in Guatemala through the criminalization of two of their former leaders is illegal and contrary to national and international law. Cultural Survival demands respect for ancestral Indigenous mayoral offices and the immediate release of those detained.
Por Colectiva Lemow
Las narrativas de los pueblos originarios en Guatemala han sido plasmadas, a lo largo de la historia, a través de la pintura, la escultura, la música, la escritura, el muralismo y la tradición oral. Estas expresiones han permitido guardar la memoria colectiva de nuestros pueblos.
By Ellen Moore. Reposted from Earthworks.
The Maya Ch'orti' Indigenous Council of Olopa is fighting for recognition as Indigenous communities and for the recovery of their spirituality, the defense of their territory, and their right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent to mining projects before they begin. They also seek to minimize the negative impacts of mining activity on the health of the people in their communities, denounce illegal logging, and fight against gender-based violence in their communities.
The Asociación Comunitaria de Desarrollo Integral Maya-M aims to bring community development to the Mam area through its programs in health, education, culture, agriculture and livestock, children, environment, communication, and international politics. Its current work is in education, health, and communication with young people. Their project will focus on the training of young people via a series of five workshops that will be held with community leaders and ancestral authorities.
Radio Comunitaria Naköj is an Indigenous collective and nonprofit media outlet dedicated to disseminating the cultural expressions of the Santo Domingo Xenacoj region. Through the exercise of the right to freedom of expression and thought as an Indigenous Maya Kaqchikel People, the station focuses on social and cultural issues, promoting the strengthening of the Maya Kaqchikel language among the population of Santo Domingo Xenacoj as well as the region’s cultural identity.
This project seeks to strengthen the new leadership of women and young people through the radio, encouraging their active participation at all levels to ensure the sustainability of the station and its projection in the communities. In addition, it aims to contribute to the strengthening of cultural identity by disseminating the rights, history, language, art, culture, and traditions of Indigenous Peoples.
The main activities of La Niña community radio focus on the custom and traditions of the Maya K'iche' Peoples, the promotion of the Mayan K'iche' language, the defense of life and territory, and the dissemination of human rights, particularly women's rights, with emphasis on promoting their community and political participation. The project seeks to improve the station’s transmission capability by replacing deteriorated equipment that has compromised sound and signal quality.
On April 11, 2024, Columbia Global Freedom of Expression (CGFoE) revealed the winners of the 2024 Columbia Global Freedom of Expression Prizes in the categories of Significant Legal Ruling and Excellence in Legal Services, recognizing remarkable contributions to the advancement of freedom of expression worldwide.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are headquartered on Massachusett land, in Cambridge, MA, and we thank the past, current, and future Indigenous stewards of this territory.
