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The Voice That Broke the Silence is a feature-length documentary about the role of community-based media in the political and social unrest that erupted in Oaxaca, Mexico in 2006. Oaxaca’s story challenges the rhetoric of technological determinism dominating our understanding of contemporary democratic reform movements, and simultaneously provides a model for understanding sites of success and sites of struggle in linking community media with traditional forms of grassroots activism.

In 2006, the governor of Oaxaca sent 2,500 armed troops into the town center to oust peacefully protesting teachers. The people of Oaxaca fought back with their bodies and their voices.

This film tells the story of everyday citizens who changed the course of Oaxaca’s history, the traditional and contemporary forms of media they used to lead a successful resistance against an oppressive, violent regime, and the power of embedding these practices in deeply-rooted indigenous practices. Oaxaca’s story provides a powerful template for democratic reform movements taking place around the globe.

Sponsored by Ithaca College Latin American Studies minor, Politics Dept., and Park Center for Independent Media

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodation, please get in touch with Patricia Rodriguez, prodriguez@ithaca.edu, or 607-274-5714 as much in advance of the event as possible.

Topic: Archive