Of Bridges and Bullets: My Worldview article in the Spring 2008 Volunteer Vacation issue

By Joshua | May 29th, 2008 | No Comments

My article in the Spring 2008 edition of Worldview, “Bridge to Somewhere,” is about a week-long alternative break trip to Guatemala. Worldview is the quarterly magazine of the National Peace Corps Association. The current issue is a special edition about volunteer vacations—a goldmine for anyone thinking about volunteering or working abroad. My article is about an intense visit to the dusty pueblos of Rabinal and Pacux in northern Guatemala, where justice and solidarity are the weighty issues of the day.
Here are some related links and articles:

*Bridge to Somewhere: Healing the World Begins in Rabinal, by Joshua Berman

*Two weeks among the Maya: my original blog post from the trip to Rabinal

*James Rodríguez: revisiting genocide in Rabinal, Guatemala

*Xeni Jardin: Accused mass murderer Montt to run for congress

UPDATE: Guillermo Chen, director of the Fundación Nueva Esperanza, was our host, guide, and friend during our week in Rabinal. He is featured in my article above and he has continued encouraging survivors of the massacres committed against the Guatemalan Mayan population to come forward and give their testimony. On March 5, 2008, the same day that victims were presenting testimony in a local court, two unidentified men on bicycles fired six shots into the door of his house (the same house where our group stayed the previous year).

AJWS reports that “Guatemalan human rights organizations believe the shots were a clear attempt to intimidate Guillermo, his family and his colleagues from proceeding with their efforts to enable the prosecution of atrocities.” To learn more about the threats against Guillermo and his family, visit his “fear for safety” page on Amnesty International and read this AJWS background article: “The Persistence of Historical Memory.”

To support his work, visit the Fundación Nueva Esperanza website.