HONDURAS: The Normalization of Terror and Resistance Events

Distressing about reports concerning Honduras the past few months is the extent to which they can work to normalize the situation there. There are, of course, explicit attempts at normalization – both by the current illegitimate regime and the Obama administration.



They seek not only the cultural but the institutional normalization of the coup and its results in the form of international and specifically OAS recognition of the Lobo government and the acceptance of the farcical “Truth Commission.” But much coverage, intentionally or more likely unconsciously, risks playing into these normalization efforts by treating events in Honduras as a stage for human rights violations divorced from historical context (or reframed from within a historical vision that is already biased and circumscribed) and marginalizing the people who continue to work for justice in Honduras.

It is of course valid and necessary to draw attention to human rights abuses, including murders, in Honduras (among many other violations, nine journalists have been killed already this year). What we should be careful of, though, is falling into a script that depoliticizes the people and organizations on the ground there, ignores the local and global economic forces at play, or presents events as falling within some generic image of “organic” Central American violence.

Given this, I’m going to try to continue focusing on the efforts being made by social justice movements in Honduras and their supporters elsewhere. As the anniversary of the coup on June 28th approaches, Adrienne Pine at Quotha has listed some of the events organized to help people learn more and get involved:

• En Las Sombras (documentary about Honduras) airing on TeleSUR
  Monday, June 28, 2010
  (on TV in Latin America; online at the TeleSUR link on the left side of the page)

• Los Angeles: Protest-Vigil at Honduran Consulate
  Monday, June 28, 2010
  5 PM
  General Consulate of Honduras in Los Angeles
  3550 Wilshire Boulevard
  (more here)

• Berlin: Walter Trochez Queer Alliance Protest and Film
  Monday, June 28, 2010
  (more here)

• New York City: Karla Lara and Rodolfo Pastor at the Brecht Forum
  Friday, July 2, 2010
  7/8 PM
  Brecht Forum
  51 West Street
  (more here)

• New York City: Premiere of We Are Not Afraid: Inside the Coup in Honduras
  Wednesday, July 7, 20107 PMTribeca Cinemas54 Varick Street
  (more here)

• Washington, DC: Premiere of We Are Not Afraid: Inside the Coup in Honduras
  Tuesday, July 8, 2010
  E Street Cinema? [This is listed but I can’t find it on the theater’s web site. Probably calling them would be best.]

(If you know of other events, please leave me a note in the comments and I’ll add them to the list.)

More developments: The democratic resistance movement has organized an alternative truth commission. The US government is giving more money to Honduran “security” forces. People should be watching sales of Honduran resources or deals made with corporations, in mining, power, etc. - contracts made with this government should be seen as invalid, in my view. There is also a dengue outbreak in Honduras.

This article by Dawn Paley emphasizes the economic powers behind the coup and the continuing efforts to shape Honduras in the interests of the rich. For a longer view, of course, the classic work is Galeano’s Open Veins of Latin America – a magnificent book.



Also opening this week: Oliver Stone’s South of the Border. Here are Stone and Tariq Ali being interviewed about the film on Democracy Now! (There’s a Wall Street 2 coming out? Really?):



(I'm not sure if the video will show up; if not, please click on the link.) I haven’t seen it, and will wait until I do before I comment. Preliminarily, though – it appears to focus excessively on a handful of political figures rather than on the social movements that drive the transformations of these countries. It also seems perhaps not to look critically enough at Chavez and others. I do look forward to seeing it, though. You can find where it’s playing here.