Profesora Norma Yanina Parada en Minneapolis hablando de la Resistencia Hondureña (Parte I de VI)

Honduras is a Central American country with a population of about 7.5 million people, on a land mass slightly smaller than the state of Minnesota. Contoured by small mountain ranges and rivers, the land is rich in mineral wealth and the potential ecological diversity of many different growing zones driven by altitude, lake and river terrain, and a long stretch of Caribbean coast. Like many other post-colonial nations, Honduras has a very un-equitable distribution of wealth and resources. Aided by a century of military dictatorships, a small number of families and international companies have held control over major resources, leading to inequality that is on a par with Haiti, the worst in the world. The continuation of this system is heavily supported by the U.S and Canada which have agricultural, mining, and asymmetrical trade interests throughout the region.

In the 1980's Honduras held "Democratic" elections, heavily manipulated by its North American neighbors. A leading candidate died mysteriously one week before the election, and a cycle of neoliberal candidates have been elected into office, furthering the power of the Honduran and transnational oligopoly. In 2006, Manuel Zelaya was elected and it was thought that he would carry on the projects of privatization, exploitation and repression of his predecessors. There was a shift however, and backed by tremendous popular support, the president began to dismantle some of the oppressive structures, starting with an increase in the minimum wage, and working to restore land rights to indigenous peoples, removing U.S. military control, and supporting changes in social welfare projects. On June 28, 2009, Zelaya was removed from office in a U.S. backed military coups that sparked widespread protests around the country.

In the midst of the growing inequality in the decades of the 80's and 90's several social movements had taken root in Honduras. One galvanizing action came in the late 1990's with attempts to privatize the water systems throughout the country. A popular block of resistance was developed across the universities, Unions, and indigenous movements. This block popular became the foundation for the current resistance movement, struggling to wrest power from the illegitimate post coups government headed by Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo.

Like many countries around the world, public education systems in Honduras have been under attack for decades, as the U.S. and European controlled International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank force countries to adopt privatization strategies including the dismantling of unions, and the selling off of public resources including schools. The Teacher's Unions, along with the indigenous, GLBTQ and Student communities have been at the forefront of massive protests that have taken over freeways, shut down commerce, and temporarily immobilized the cities of Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. Commonly called "Resistencia", the resistance movement developed as a highly democratic project, open to everyone, and reliant on local, regional and national assemblies for direction and decision making.

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