TONE x FRIDA
FRIDA
Coffee as a symbol of revolution
Coffee as a symbol of liberation: this is the profound meaning that the Zapatista communities of Chiapas, Mexico, attribute to their work led by the "Yachil Nueva Luz" cooperative.
Through the production and sale of coffee, these communities manage to support themselves autonomously, financing their own infrastructure and essential services. This trade not only allows them to maintain almost total economic independence but also represents an act of resistance and self-determination, fundamental for continuing their struggle against the Mexican state, fighting for freedom, equality, and the rights of women and children.
THE ORIGINS
The Chiapas conflict between Zapatista communities and the
Mexican state is one of the most significant social struggles in contemporary
Mexico. The roots of this conflict stem from centuries of marginalization and
exploitation of indigenous populations, particularly the Maya, in the Chiapas
region, one of the poorest in the country. The Zapatista movement emerged on
January 1, 1994, with the uprising of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation
(EZLN). This event symbolically coincided with the entry into force of the
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which the Zapatistas viewed as a
threat to the economic sovereignty and rights of indigenous communities.
The Zapatistas, led by Subcomandante Marcos, denounced social exclusion, lack of rights, economic injustice, and violence perpetrated against indigenous populations. Their demands included agrarian reform, recognition of indigenous rights and autonomy, as well as democracy for the country. Mexican authorities initially responded with military repression, but later opened up to negotiations that led to agreements promising greater autonomy and rights; however, these agreements were never fully respected, leading to a prolonged conflict up to modern times.
To date, the Zapatistas have adopted a strategy of peaceful resistance, creating autonomous communities governed according to their own principles of democracy, equality, and social justice. These communities, fully militarized, have developed their own educational, healthcare, and economic structures independent of the state.
They fight for today, for survival, and to set an example: there's no point in changing the world if you don't first change your own reality.
WHY FRIDA?
La miscela Frida è il caffè prodotto da questa comunità e,
come il caffè porta in sé un simbolo importante, anche il suo nome non è scelto
per caso: chi era Frida Kahlo?
Una figlia della rivoluzione messicana, tormentata sin dalla
gioventù, Frida è stata la prima donna pittrice a portare una visione tutta
femminile nella scena artistica dei primi decenni le ‘900. Era una donna
ribelle che non si è mai piegata alle regole che la società pretendeva da lei: iscritta
al partito comunista, lottò al fianco delle donne messicane per la propria
emancipazione e la propria libertà, ispirandosi al loro coraggio e alla loro
forza per creare nuove opere d’arte.
Frida è un simbolo: una donna che ha cercato di cambiare il
mondo dell’arte, allora comandato da soli uomini, che non si è mai arresa di
fronte a nessuna difficoltà ed ha lasciato il suo spettacolare contributo artistico
e simbolico arrivato sino a noi.