Our guest speaker this year will be Sandra Moran of our Latin American partner, The Artesana Collective, who will share with us some highlights of their work.
Thursday, 18 September 2014, 6:30 pm at Creekside Community Recreation Centre, 1 Athlete’s Way, Vancouver, BC.
Sandra Moran is one of Guatemala’s most prominent feminists and performance artists. She joined the Guatemalan human rights movement at fourteen and during the 1980s became involved with Guatemala’s renowned rebel band Kin Lalat. Sandra’s human rights and musical activism made her a target for the death squads and by the late 1980s, she was forced into exile in Nicaragua, Mexico and Vancouver, Canada to escape the violence. During her years in exile, she participated in solidarity work and became involved in the Canadian women’s movement. Sandra returned to Guatemala City in the mid-1990s to continue her work for women’s rights. Upon her return, she came out as a lesbian, and has also been active in promoting GBLTQ rights in Guatemala.
Sandra says she is “committed to understanding systems of oppression from different points of view.” She believes that to create positive social change, activists must confront internalized beliefs of racism, homophobia, and other prejudices while addressing external systems of oppression.
Sandra and her band “Viento en Contra” (Against the Wind)
Sandra speaks (in English) about the work of Artesana
The Artesana Collective is an organization promoting institutional action to contribute to women’s organization and the women’s movement in Guatemala. The Artesana Collective pressures the State to create and apply public policy in order to prevent crimes against women, support the rights of detained women, and to stop social discrimination. The Artesana Collective works to contribute to the recognition, respect and exercise of women’s rights through art, sports and other forms of creativity. The Artesana Collective is formed by feminist women, defenders of human rights, artists and professionals.
You don’t have to be a member of CoDev to attend! Only CoDev members are eligible to vote at our AGM but everyone is welcome to attend as a non-voting participant.
Please see the CoDev Financial Report 2013-14 for consideration at the AGM.
If you have been a CoDev member for more than 60 days at the time of our AGM you are eligible to stand for the board of directors. Interested members should complete the Board Invitation to Apply 2014!
Enjoy these great photos of our 2012 AGM, courtesy of Josh Berson Photography, and we’ll be posting photos from the 2014 AGM in late September!