We, who have been called the excluded, those not taken into account, we have come here to this meeting because the feminists, the gays, the indigenous, the women were invited, because we are part of this movement from which our voice could not be absent.
We carry a long history of struggle against the patriarchy which, now in its neoliberal phase, especially affects us.
We have lots of knowledge and experience of resistance and rebellion and we want every man and woman to know what our contribution to this struggle is.
We found the theories of the zapatista movement very close to the ones the feminists have been defending for a long time. For example:
* A new way to participate in politics and
* A new ethos of power, which is not vertical, dominating and exclusive, but horizontal, based at the bottom.
We too claim the utopias, the power of words and of non-violence, a different way of organisation, respectful of diversity and able to integrate the experience of different struggles.
We were very impressed by the hospitality and generosity with which we were welcomed and by how much the strength of an organised community can do. We saw a great willingness to listen to our so different theories.
We also want to take advantage of the possibility to voice critical thoughts which this meeting gave us, to state our annoyance at the contradiction between the 'calling the women' and the space they provided for us. How can they believe that we will allow them to limit us to a sub-table of excluded people?
Whoever organised the distribution of tables did it using patriarchal logic. They put the public matters on the tables named Politics and Economy, leaving the women to take care of matters traditionally women's: sexuality, education, health, children and services. It implies women are there to serve others, that the private matters are for women to discuss and the public matters are men's business.
So long as this division continues, there will be no new society.
We need a deep transformation of the values we give to these two spaces, the private and the public. We do not just demand access to the public space for women, we also want men to take responsibility for private and domestic matters.
We had to organise ourselves to get our own autonomous spaces. We could live together and share experiences from all around the world. That was very enriching, even though it happened at a cost to our rest and our enjoyment and full participation in all the other spaces that are also ours. Other comrades preferred to bring their words to other tables. In some ways because of the methodology of the meeting, our voice was faded and this was a big loss for the whole meeting.
It would be a pity if, because we don't see our worries reflected we would turn away from this project.
We came here from all over the world, loaded with desires and enthusiasms, to share and listen to the variety of ideas and struggles present here. We were able to do it and now we want to share our feelings and propositions with you:
1. The neoliberal patriarchy is trying to individualise and divide us. Beyond the different cultures and histories, we have to meet each other in our diversity, and this is only the beginning.
2. Both the male and female points of view have to be included at all levels and in all the discussions. We propose to look for the appropriate methodologies to make it possible.
3. We the women need space in which to work out our propositions looking for unity and strength.
4. We need everybody to ask themselves about patriarchy in all its dimensions: economy, politics, education, health and social, personal and intimate relationships.
5. We think it is absolutely necessary that both the language and the contents of the results of the meeting reflect a view of gender, talking specifically about women and men.
6. We want an end to the ridicule and marginalisation that alternatives to heterosexuality suffer. We don't believe in the whole concept of sexual, social, economic and political relationships that is derived from this heterosexist attitude.
7. Militarisation is an extreme form of patriarchy. It has never been of any benefit to women. We are the spoils of war and violence is developed on our bodies. As the EZLN says: We want every man and woman to be civil. We demand the demilitarisation of Chiapas and the world!