Ayotzinapa: Iguala Mexico and the 43 Missing Students— Poster of the Week
México Despierta / Mexico Wakes Up
Elmer Sosa
Digital Print, 2015
Mexico
45241
Poster Text:
Nos Hicieron Falta 43 Para Despertar..İAyotzinapa No Se Olvida! /
We Needed 43 To Awaken...Ayotzinapa Will Not Be Forgotten!
FINALLY! After years of lying and obfuscation, arrest warrants were issued
against 83 people involved in the 2014 disappearance and murder of 43
students from Ayotzinapa, Mexico.
The victims were student teachers from Escuela Normal Rural de
Ayotzinapa. They were enroute to Mexico City to commemorate the
estimated 400 student protesters who were slaughtered by the Mexican
Armed Forces in 1968 - known as the Tlatelolco Massacre. In 1968, as in
2014, the Mexican government lied about the events, attempting to cover up
government crimes. The first official investigation into the Tlatelolco
Massacre didn't begin until 30 years later. It "only" took eight years for
warrants to be served in the Ayotzinapa case.
Among those served warrants are a former public prosecutor, a former
attorney general, 20 military personnel, several military commanders, 5
administrative and judicial officials, 26 police officers and 14 members of the
Guerreros Unidos, a Mexican crime syndicate. Since 2014, The Truth
Commission, established by President López Obrador, and other
international agencies have investigated the deliberate cover-up effort of the
kidnappings which were riddled with factual inconsistencies and human
rights violations.
The cover-up efforts demonstrate that while local and federal agencies in
Iguala, Guerrero, where the kidnappings took place, may face some justice
in arrests, the truth behind the missing students is still far from known.
Mexican government authorities continu
e to obstruct justice, despite years
of protests by families f the disappeared and countless human rights
organizations.
In response to the kidnappings, Francisco Toledo, internationally renowned
Mexican artist and founder of the Graphics Arts Institute of Oaxaca (IAGO),
put out a call to artists to make posters. More than 700 artists from around
the world responded, and 43 posters were selected for a traveling exhibition,
Carteles de Ayotzinapa. The exhibition opened in Mexico in 2015. The
posters were sold to raise money to help the families of the kidnapped
students.
In the same year, CSPG acquired a set and partnered with three Los
Angeles arts organizations to exhibit them: SPARC (Venice), Art Division
(Mid-City), and Self-Help Graphics (Boyle Heights). The U.S. premiere of
Ayotzinapa: Roar of Silence opened in February 2016. To view more
posters from IAGO and CSPG, visit the online exhibition here.
References:
Mexican Court issues 83 arrest warrants related to the disappearance of 43
Mexico: Progress in investigation into the disappearance of 43 Ayo tzinapa
students renews hope for truth and justice | Amnesty International
The Raw Truth: Francisco Toledo 's Duelo and the 43 Disappeared of
Ayotzinapa | Vigilance Magazine
A poster exhibit st opping in L.A. gives voice to Mexico's missing 43 students
Resources:
Ayotzinapa: Roar of Silence | Center for the Study of Political Graphics