*** Haus der Kulturen der Welt: Forum1 Archive *** ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [Date]: Sat, 16 Oct 1999 08:43:49 PDT [From]: "Raul Ferrera-Balanquet" [To]: forum1@hkw.kbx.de [Subject]: The Humberto Nilo Case Amigos: Christy, Gracias for the multilingual site project. It was a pleausure to visist it. Pat's contribution must be acknowledge for her activism to further the dialogue. Humberto' case is an example of how university professor are been treated in many regions of the world. La contribuci—n de Pat debe ser reconocida, gracias a su activismo, ella contribuyo a que el dialogo continuara su rumbo en el forum. In the United States, the democracy above the democracies, scholars and art professors of diverse ethnic origins are constantly fired because of their diverse teachings and their "multicultural agenda". In fact, most of these scholars and art professors are cut off their employment the year before their tenure track, the process for getting a permanent position at the university. This is the way in which the universities recycle the "minority professors" and look in front of the world as truly democratic institutions. Politics here has a different face. It is not the "The Third World." There are more sophisticated ways of repressing the visions En los Estados Unidos, la democracia mas grande que las otras, los profesores universitarios de origenes Žtnicos diversos, son expulsado constantemente de sus puestos de trabajo por querer educar la diversidad del arte y porque tiene una "agenda multicultural." En muchos casos, estos profesores son expulsados de sus trabajos antes que llegue el proceso que les permite obtener una plaza fija. Este es la forma en las universidades reciclan a los profesores Žtnicos y mantienen la imagen de ser instituciones democraticas. La pol’tica tiene otra cara. No es el "tercer mundo." Existen mecanismos mas sofisticados para reprimir las visiones. Humbero's case speak back to our own backyards, to our own coutries and to the nationalist art educational system installed in our cultural spaces. At the age of 17, I was accused of being "ideologically diverted" because I made 60 x50 cms collages using cut outs from international magazines and newspapers. ( I was living in Cuba at that time). El caso de Humberto est‡ en nuestras casas, en nuestros pa’ses y en el sistema de educaci—n artist’co nacionalista que est‡ instalado en nuestros espacios culturales. Cuando ten’a 17 a–os me acusaron de "diversionismo ideol—gico" porque hacia collages utilizando recortes de revistas y peri—dicos internacionales. (Yo aœn viv’a en Cuba, en aquella Žpoca). As cultural activists and warrios, we are exposed to political and ideological persecution, and to systems that are constantly trying to silence our voices and destroy our visions. Humberto's political resonance resides in a contemporary socio historical and cultural context that takes place all over Latin America. In Mexico City the UNAM, the most prestigious mexican univeristy has been closed for several months because the students protested against the increase of the tuition. Como activistas y guerreros culturales, estamos expuestos a la persecuci—n pol’tica e ideologica y a sistemas que tratan constantemente de silenciar nuestras voces y destruir nuestras visiones. La resonacia pol’tica del caso de Humberto reside en un contesto hist—rico cultural contemporan’o que existe en toda LatinoamŽrica. En MŽxico, DF, la UNAM, la mas prestigiosa universidad mexicana ha estado varios meses cerrada por que los estudiantes protestaron en contra del alza de las matr’culas. When will be the day in which we could live peaceful honoring the diverse ideologies, political view points and a clean and save environment? Cuan ser‡ el d’a en que podramos vivir pacificamente honorando la diversad ideol—gica, los puntos de vistas pol’ticos y en un media ambiente sano, seguro y limpio? Raul Ferrera-Balanquet, MFA Interdisciplinary Artist and Scholar ferrera98@hotmail.com http://www.artswire.org/krosrods/curriculum/index.html