On August 18-19, 2013, our team at Cultural Survival started our second round of 12 exchanges between community radio stations in Guatemala. Our exchange program provides the opportunity for horizontal learning between community radio stations. They are able to share stories, experiences, strengths and weaknesses in order to help each other improve the technical, thematic and relational aspects of their radio stations. As well, these exchanges enable the radio stations' volunteers to forge bonds, creating a stronger community of successful community radio stations across the country.
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Mariela Gomez Mendez and Rubelio Mendez Lopez from Radio Huitan, with Margarita Ramirez (right) from Radio Acodim Nampix at the exchange.
We started off this new round of exchanges in Ixtahuacan, Huehuetenango, Guatemala, at Radio Acodim Nampix. This meeting was unique in that the visiting radio station is in the process of developing, but does not yet exist. Radio Huitan is a project in which leaders of the Mam community in Huitan, Quetzaltenango are developing a detailed plan to start a Mam community radio station that will fulfill every criteria of what the profile of a community radio should be.
At the exchange, Radio Huitan volunteers were able to learn from the stories and experiences of the members of a successful Mam community radio station. Radio Acodim Nampix volunteers shared stories of the lengthy process of starting their radio station, how the radio has helped keep their Mayan culture and language alive, and they provided advice about how to overcome difficult times, such as dealing with raids and economic hardship. Many of the elders from the Ixtahuacan community chose to tell their stories in Mam, which was special because all 25 participants’ first language was Mam, creating a space of sharing that is often not possible when one is forced to speak in his or her second language.
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Andres, a community elder, sharing a story during the first day of our exchange.
Ana Luisa Catalina Perez, a volunteer at Radio Acodim Nampix, expressed her gratitude for the exchange. “It is so great to have the opportunity to hear the story of Acodim Nampix. The majority of us have been volunteering here for years and have never heard the story of how it came to be”. Storytelling became a central aspect of the first day of the exchange. The Radio Acodim Nampix leaders provided a space for sharing Mayan traditions and customs that have been lost or are becoming lost in the communities. During this time, it appeared as though everyone -from the elders to the teens who had only heard stories from their parents or grandparents- had something to share. This joyful time concluded with the shared sentiment that community radio is the necessary tool for bringing these forgotten customs and traditions back to the Mayan communities in Guatemala.
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Some Radio Acodim Nampix volunteers sharing a laugh before the Mayan ceremony on the second day of the exchange.
One the second day of the exchange, we climbed a mountain overlooking Ixtahuacan and participated in a Mayan ceremony. Acodim Nampix volunteers brought their radio equipment and transmitted live from the mountain top. They shared with the listeners why the mountain is historically significant for their Mam community and welcomed the Cultural Survival members to join in this ancient Mayan tradition. The exchange was a joyful event for all and a promising start to a fantastic second round of exchanges for community radios in Guatemala.
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The whole team concluding our exchange weekend.
