Las Abejas

A3 (roughly) on handmade Lokta paper.
All proceeds to charity (see description below)
 
This relief print was made for my brother, Joey. The words “the land belongs to those who work it” are from the Mexican revolutionary Emeliano Zapato, who founded the Zapatista army. One of the things they fought (and fight) for was to return land that had been taken from indigenous communities in Mexico. 

All proceeds from this print run will go to support Las Abejas de Acteal, a pacifist community organisation in Chiapas, Mexico, who Joey works closely with. In 1997, members of this community were the victims of a brutal massacre in the village of Acteal, because of their connection with the Zapatistas. Forty-five Indigenous Tsotsil people, mostly women and children, were killed while gathered in prayer. 

Funds raised will go to supporting a local school that teaches in Tsotsil, the native language of the community, helping to preserve culture and identity, and support families in Acteal. 

The phrase at the bottom, “K'usi javo'on? Jun ko'on” is the Tsotsil greeting, translating to "How are you? My heart is one."