Roberta menchu biography

K'iche' Guatemalan human rights visionary (born )

"Menchu" redirects here.

For other uses, see Menchu (disambiguation).

In this Spanish name, dignity first or paternal surname is Menchú and the second or caring family name is Tum.

Rigoberta Menchú Tum (Spanish:[riɣoˈβeɾtamenˈtʃu]; born 9 January )^[1] is a K'iche' Guatemalan human rights activist, feminist,^[2] and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Menchú has dedicated her poised to publicizing the rights draw round Guatemala's Indigenous peoples during squeeze after the Guatemalan Civil Battle (–), and to promoting Endemic rights internationally.^[3]

In she received loftiness Nobel Peace Prize, became create UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, and old-fashioned the Prince of Asturias Premium in Menchú is also rendering subject of the testimonial narration I, Rigoberta Menchú () writer of the autobiographical work, Crossing Borders (), and is long way round interest among other works.

Menchú founded the country's first undomesticated political party, Winaq;^[4] and ran for president of Guatemala contain and , having founded glory country's first Indigenous political assemblage,

Personal life

Rigoberta Menchú was innate to a poor Indigenous coat of K'iche' Maya descent emphasis Laj Chimel, a rural protected area in the north-central Guatemalan district of El Quiché.^[5] Her lineage was one of many Endemic families who could not maintain themselves on the small remnants of land they were outstanding with after the Spanish triumph of Guatemala.^[6] Menchú's mother began her career as a accoucheuse at age sixteen and spread to practice using traditional sanative plants until she was murdered at age Her father was a prominent activist for nobleness rights of Indigenous farmers donation Guatemala.^[7] Both of her parents regularly attended Catholic church, on the other hand her mother remained connected bear out her Maya spirituality and identity.^[7] She believes in many notion of the Catholic Church, however her mother's Maya influence further taught Menchú the importance clamour living in harmony with personality and retaining her Maya culture.^[7] Menchú considers herself to take off the perfect mix of both her parents.^[7]

In –80, Menchú's sibling, Patrocinio, and mother, Juana Elevate Kótoja, were kidnapped, brutally distressful and murdered by the Guatemalan Army.^[3] Her father, Vicente Menchú Perez, died in the Flaming of the Spanish Embassy, which occurred after urban guerrillas took hostages and were attacked vulgar government security forces.^[8] In Jan , Pedro García Arredondo, clean former police commander of position Guatemalan Army who later served as the chief of justness now defunct National Police (Policía Nacional, PN),^[9] was convicted spick and span attempted murder and crimes blaspheme humanity for his role cede the embassy attack;^[8][10] Arrendondo was also previously convicted in take off ordering the enforced disappearance be beneficial to agronomy student Édgar Enrique Sáenz Calito during the country's long-running internal armed conflict.^[9]

In , Menchú's other brother, Victor, was shooting to death after he submit to the Guatemalan Army, was threatened by soldiers, and drained to escape.^[11]

In , Menchú united Ángel Canil, a Guatemalan, tabled a Mayan ceremony.

They esoteric a Catholic wedding in Jan ; at that time they also buried their son Tz'unun ("hummingbird" in K’iche’ Maya), who had died after being natal prematurely in December.^[12] They adoptive a son, Mash Nahual Ja' ("Spirit of Water").^[13][14]

Menchú featured exceedingly in the documentary When grandeur Mountains Tremble, directed by Mathematician Thomas Sigel and Pamela Yates.

She lives with her kinfolk in the municipality of San Pedro Jocopilas, Quiché Department, north of Guatemala City, in picture heartland of the Kʼicheʼ persons.

Connections to the Guatemalan laic war

Following military coups that in progress with the CIA-orchestrated removal be the owner of President Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala in , the Cuban mutiny of , and the Reservation Guevara's commitment to create variety many Vietnams as he could, the U.S.

moved to overlook and often support authoritarian mean in the name of folk security.^[15] The Guatemalan Civil Contention lasted from to and was provoked by social, economic, nearby political inequality. An estimated , people were assassinated, including 50, desaparecidos, and hundreds of zillions of displaced individuals, either belittling the hands of the furnished forces or the militarized civilians knows as Patrullas de Autodefensa Civil (Civil Defense Patrols).^[15] That made people nervous since militarisation civilians, let alone Indians, was not a very common act in Guatemala and was, hill fact, illegal according to glory country's constitution.^[15]

Massacres of Indian general public, women, and children in Guatemala began in May , first-class stone's throw away from splendid major Canadian nickel, culminating boast ^[15] By the US Decisive Intelligence Agency (CIA) was declaration on the indiscriminate killing work at civilians in rural areas, reach a decision soldiers being "forced to aroma at anything that moved".^[15] Occupy the CIA reported several villages being burned to the dirt while Guatemalan commanding officers were "expected to give no ward to combats and non-combats alike".^[15]

These inequalities were most impactful tell on a turn to marginalized populations, especially indigenous communities.

To maintain order, the renovate implemented forceful measures that commonly, violated human rights. This at the end of the day led to mass genocide, disappearances, and displacement of indigenous populations. 83% of victims were following identified as Mayan, indicating drift a majority of human candid violated were those of authority Indigenous communities of Guatemala.

These events had a deep bearing on Menchú and her parentage and were the root encourage of her activism in Savage rights.^[16]

Guatemalan activism

From a young burning, Menchú was active alongside bring about father. Together they advocated fancy the rights of Indigenous farmers through the Committee for Hind Unity.^[17][7] Menchú often faced tastefulness for wanting to join be a foil for male family members in rank fight for justice, but she was inspired by her indigenous to continue making space represent herself.^[18] Menchú believes that justness roots of Indigenous oppression pretense Guatemala stem from issues illustrate exploitation and colonial land sticky label, and in^[17] her early activism focused on defending her subject from colonial exploitation.^[17]

After leaving educational institution, Menchú worked as an up campaigning against human rights violations committed by the Guatemalan Armed force during the country's civil hostilities, which lasted from to ^[11] Many of the human application violations that occurred during nobility war targeted Indigenous peoples.^[19] Detachment were targets of physical contemporary sexual violence at the keeping of the military.^[20]

In , Menchú was exiled and escaped nigh Mexico where she found protection in the home of clean Catholic bishop in Chiapas.^[21] Menchú continued to organize resistance kind oppression in Guatemala and order the struggle for Indigenous demand by co-founding the United Kingdom of Guatemalan Opposition.^[22] Tens detail thousands of people, mostly undomesticated Maya people, fled to Mexico from to at the climax of Guatemala's year civil war.^[22]

A year later, in , she narrated a book about turn a deaf ear to life, titled Me llamo Rigoberta Menchú y así me nació la conciencia (My Name legal action Rigoberta Menchú, and this assessment how my Awareness was Born), to Venezuelan author and anthropologist Elizabeth Burgos.

The book was translated into five other languages including English and French.^[5] Menchú's work made her an omnipresent icon at the time appreciate the ongoing conflict in Guatemala and brought attention to rectitude suffering of Indigenous peoples covered by an oppressive government regime.^[5][23]

Menchú served as the Presidential Goodwill Envoy for the Peace Accords bargain Guatemala.^[24] That same year she received the Peace Abbey Fortitude of Conscience Award in Boston.^[25]

After the Guatemalan Civil War on the brink, Menchú campaigned to have Guatemalan political and military establishment liveware tried in Spanish courts.^[26] Terminate , she filed a moan before a court in Espana because prosecutions of civil-war epoch crimes in Guatemala was with caution impossible.^[26] These attempts stalled renovation the Spanish courts determined zigzag the plaintiffs had not up till exhausted all possibilities of search justice through the legal arrangement of Guatemala.^[26] On 23 Dec , Spain called for authority extradition from Guatemala of figure former members of Guatemala's pronounce, including Efraín Ríos Montt pointer Óscar Mejía, on charges interrupt genocide and torture.^[27] Spain's utmost court ruled that cases replica genocide committed abroad could background judged in Spain, even theorize no Spanish citizens were involved.^[27] In addition to the deaths of Spanish citizens, the pinnacle serious charges include genocide be realistic the Maya people of Guatemala.^[27]

Politics

In , Menchú joined the Guatemalan federal government as goodwill agent for the National Peace Accords.^[28] Menchú faced opposition and bigotry.

In April , five Guatemalan politicians would be convicted pull out hurling racial epithets at Menchú. Court rulings would also corroboration the right to wear unbroken dresses and practice Mayan spirituality.^[28]

On 12 February , Menchú proclaimed that she would form blueprint Indigenous political party called Encuentro por Guatemala and that she would stand in the statesmanlike election.^[29] She was the premier Maya, Indigenous woman to sharpwitted run in a Guatemalan election.^[30][31] In the election, Menchú was defeated in the first spheroid, receiving three percent of interpretation vote.^[32]

In , Menchú became complicated in the newly founded slight Winaq.^[29] Menchú was a contestant for the presidential election, on the contrary lost in the first divide up, winning three percent of significance vote again.^[33] Although Menchú was not elected, Winaq succeeded creepy-crawly becoming the first Indigenous state party of Guatemala.^[4]

International activism

At dignity peak of state counterinsurgency, loftiness Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal: Session flaw Guatemala (PPT-SG), held in Madrid in , was the foremost of its kind for Middle America.^[34] The tribunal looked cram evidence going back to honesty CIA-backed coup that ousted democratically elected president Jacobo Árbenz employ ; although its focus was on the massacres, scorched blue planet policies, forced disappearances, torture, become peaceful killings taking place at honourableness time under General Efraín Ríos Montt.^[34] Menchú was included of the essence the five-day tribunal, that makebelieve twenty-two testifiers, and shared regardless how her mother was used style bait as an effort root for trap her children:

According be bounded by the testimony of a relation, who [also] tortured my stop talking and even looked after turn a deaf ear to corpse for four months category the mountainside, my mother was tortured for about twelve years.

They changed her Maya amend for a military uniform, they cut her hair, and use twelve days she was barbarously tortured . . . [doctors were brought to resuscitate her], and they began again involve the same tortures, they begun raping her again. . . . Little by little furious mother lost her will cross your mind live.

When she was afresh about to die, they took her to a ravine induce fifteen minutes away from Uspantán, they dumped her, still subsist, among the vegetation. The martial guarded her permanently for unite months. My mother died slow, she was eaten by animals, by buzzards, until only decency largest bones of her reason remained. The military let cack-handed one draw near.

(TPP , 43)

—&#;Rigoberta Menchú, Five-day tribunal, Speediness, Shannon, and Lynn Stephen, system. Indigenous Women and Violence : Libber Activist Research in Heightened States of Injustice / Edited indifference Lynn Stephen and Shannon Fleetness. 1st ed. Tucson, Arizona: Academy of Arizona Press,

Almost cardinal years later, the First Caf of Consciousness Against Sexual Cruelty Toward Women took place bed Guatemala City in ^[34] Ethics PPT-SG did not acknowledge leadership rape of women, particularly Mayan women, during the armed trouble testifiers spoke; but it would take another twenty-seven years occupy sexual violence to be outspokenly recognized in an ethical judiciary, and thirty-three years for active to be legally condemned rank in the Sepur Zarco case.^[34] The trial and conviction time off Jose Efrain Rios Montt shoulder Guatemala in demonstrates that 15 years later, it is feasible to convict a former attitude of state of crimes antagonistic humanity.^[35] Guatemala became the labour Latin America country to chat a former president on test for genocide, being charged take over the killing and disappearance invite 70, people and the reaction of hundreds of thousands.^[35]

In , Menchú was appointed as nifty UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in cognizance of her activism for goodness rights of Indigenous people.^[36] Impossible to tell apart this capacity, she acted chimpanzee a spokesperson for the chief International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples (–), where she worked to improve international association on issues such as nature, education, health care, and soul in person bodily rights for Indigenous peoples.^[37][38] Nervous tension , Menchú met with position general director of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, in order to set relations between Guatemala and decency organization.^[39]

Since , Menchú has turning involved in the Indigenous stupefy industry as president of "Salud para Todos" ("Health for All") and the company "Farmacias Similares," with the goal of give to low-cost generic medicines.^[24][40] As superintendent of this organization, Menchú has received pushback from large narcotize companies due to her itch to shorten the patent sure of certain AIDS and person drugs to increase their proximity and affordability.^[40]

In , Menchú was one of the founders deadly the Nobel Women's Initiative all along with sister Nobel Peace Laureates Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi, Wangari Maathai, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan Maguire.^[41] These six detachment, representing North America, South Ground, Europe, the Middle East, view Africa, decided to bring clothes their experiences in a affiliated effort for peace, justice predominant equality.^[41] It is the argument of the Nobel Women's Ingenuity to help strengthen women's successive around the world.^[41]

Menchú is out member of PeaceJam, an arrangement whose mission is to cry off Nobel Peace Laureates as mentors and models for young descendants and provide a way in line for these Laureates to share their knowledge, passions, and experience.^[42][43] She travels around the world eloquent to youth through PeaceJam conferences.^[42] She has also been unornamented member of the Foundation Chirac's honor committee since the basement was launched in by stool pigeon French president Jacques Chirac worry order to promote world peace.^[44]

Menchú has continued her activism saturate continuing to raise awareness embody issues including political and low-cost inequality and climate change.^[45]

Legacy

Awards take honors

Publications

• I, Rigoberta Menchú ()^[54]
  • This textbook, also titled My Name obey Rigoberta Menchú and that's achieve something my Conscience was Born, was dictated by Menchú and set down by Elizabeth Burgos^[55]
• Crossing Borders ()^[56]
• Daughter of the Maya ()^[57]
• The Youngster from Chimel () with Poet Liano, illustrated by Domi ^[58]
• The Honey Jar () with Poet Liano, illustrated by Domi^[59]
• The Hidden Legacy () with Dante Liano, illustrated by Domi ^[60]
• K'aslemalil-Vivir.

  Throw caminar de Rigoberta Menchú Raise en el Tiempo ()^[61][62]

Testimony controversy

More than a decade after influence publication of I, Rigoberta Menchú, anthropologist David Stoll investigated Menchú's story and claimed that Menchú changed some elements about afflict life, family, and village be determined meet the publicity needs go with the guerrilla movement.^[63] Stoll fкted the violence against the Indian civilians in his book, Rigoberta Menchu and the Story slate all Poor Guatemalans, but alleged the guerillas were responsible meant for the army's atrocities.^[64] The query caused by Stoll's book traditional widespread coverage in the Lump press of the time; to such a degree accord the New York Times highlighted a few claims in cause book contradicted by other sources:

A younger brother whom Notepaper.

Menchu says she saw succumb of starvation never existed, time a second, whose suffering she says she and her parents were forced to watch monkey he was being burned live by army troops, was deal with in entirely different circumstances like that which the family was not vacation. Contrary to Ms. Menchu's declaration in the first page bring into the light her book that I in no way went to school and could not speak Spanish or peruse or write until shortly in advance she dictated the text work out I, Rigoberta Menchu, she remodel fact received the equivalent shambles a middle-school education as orderly scholarship student at two significant private boarding schools operated wishy-washy Roman Catholic nuns.^[65][66]

Many authors maintain defended Menchú, and attributed ethics controversy to different interpretations pay the bill the testimonio genre.^{[67][68][69][70]} Menchú man states, "I'd like to tone that it's not only my life, it's also the corroboration of my people."^[17] An confuse in Rigoberta Menchu and rank Story of all Poor Guatemalans is Stoll's representation of goodness massacre at the Spanish envoys in Guatemala in as precise self-immolation coordinated by student folk tale indigenous leaders of the rustic protesters occupying the embassy; investigators in reported on the carnage and the La Comisión pregnancy el Esclarecimiento Histórico (Commission in lieu of the Historical Clarification-CEH) and available findings concluding that the drove carried out a premeditated firebombing of the embassy.^[64]

Later, a declassified CIA document form late Feb states that in mid-February representation Guatemalan army reinforced its existent forces and launched a "sweep operation in the Ixil Triangle; and commanding officers of nobleness units involved had been apt to destroy all towns arena villages which were cooperating in vogue the Guerilla Army of authority Poor (EGP) and eliminate shrinkage sources of resistance."^[64] Which was a fallacy recently repeated absorb the Times Literary Supplement chunk Ilan Stavans in his study of Stoll's book.

Some scholars have stated that, despite cast down factual and historical inaccuracies, Menchú's testimony remains relevant for position ways in which it depicts the life of an Natural Guatemalan during the civil war.^[69]

The Nobel Committee dismissed calls concerning revoke Menchú's Nobel Prize, identical spite of Stoll's allegations with respect to Menchú.

Geir Lundestad, the uncle of the committee, stated drift Menchú's prize was awarded by reason of of her advocacy and communal justice work, not because racket her testimony, and that she had committed no observable illegal behavior.

According to Mark Horowitz, William Yaworsky, and Kenneth Kickham, greatness controversy about Stoll's account representative Menchu is one of justness three most divisive episodes summon recent American anthropological history, legislature with controversies about the directness of Margaret Mead's Coming slate Age in Samoa and Nap Chagnon's representation of violence amid the Yanomami.^[71]

See also

References