Message
from Angangueo
November 9, 2005
Friends from Journey South:
Several things to comment today.
First, last 3rd of November, the Papalotzin, a light plane painted as
a Monarch Butterfly, came with the Ambassadors and Governors visiting
us at "El Llano de las Papas". As I told you, this event strenghtened
our friendship with your country and Canada because of the Monarch Butterfly.
As far as I know, part of the result of all this was that one of our
preserving Institutions, --Semarnat--, will install a kind of Police
called "Policía Forestal", so as to guarantee the preservation
of the Sanctuaries. This news I got from the TV yesterday, and they did
not say if this guard will be permanent or not.
Today, again on TV, I was astonished to know about the logging of a very
important area called "Bosencheve". I know this area well,
because in former years, when I was studying in Mexico City, and I was
on the road coming home or back to the city, I could appreciate part
of this area from the road. This area is belonging to the State of México
and is located at a Municipality called Villa de Allende, between Zitácuaro
City and Toluca City. The news did not give any additional information,
they only said that it was total devastation. Very, very sad. One cannot
but lament. We don´t know what we are doing.
Over here, in Angangueo, my mother was told by a friend of hers, that
there is a group of women here in town, who are given a small payment
by Semarnat, the Institution in charge of regulating "Nature matters," and
who are acting as guards looking after small forest areas. This woman
said that the idea is that the group becomes bigger and bigger; any woman
can participate on it. We, in my family believe, a reason why this was
initiated, is because women cannot be so easily injured in case of confrontation,
and because we are very brave about such things. I will investigate about
this more, and I will tell you next week. I think it is good that that
individual responsibility is awakening so that later, the whole society
becomes conscious of the serious consequences this will bring in the
future.
On the other side, in the south of our country, hundreds of schools are
starting to be reconstructed after hurricanes Stan and Wilma. Teachers
and parents are all cooperating on this. The images on TV are really
moving. Our government has of course destined budget for it, but it is
hard to imagine the inestability and social impact this represents in
terms continuity in education, motivation, education quality and so on
in our Mexican children and families.
This is all for today.
I send you warm greetings .
María Estela.
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