From: Thomas Kruse <tkruse at albatros.cnb.net>
Dear Friends:
We are writing to request your help with a solidarity fund established for Domitila Barrios de Chungara, author of the significant Latin American testimonial "Let Me Speak" (published by Monthly Review Press) and key mining union leader in Bolivia. Domitila is facing surgery to remove a large growth in her breast -- she does not yet know if it is malignant.
Domitila has played a crucial role in Bolivian politics and her story has inspired social activists throughout Latin America and the world. During the dictatorship of General Hugo Banzer she was exiled or banned several times from the mining camp Siglo XX for her work as part of the Comité de Amas de Casa de Siglo XX (Housewives' Committee of the Mining Center Siglo XX). She was jailed and tortured, losing the baby she was carrying. In 1978, Domitila and three other members of the Housewives' Committee, initiated a hunger strike which grew to massive proportions with the incorporation of students, priests, and many other Bolivians. The strike brought down the Banzer dictatorship.
In 1986, Domitila participated in the Marcha por la Vida ("The March for Life") to protest the closing of the large tin mines, including Siglo XX. These closures resulted in the the firing of some 23,000 miners and their families from the state mines. Since then, Domitila has been living in Cochabamba, where she directs an "Escuela MÛvil." This itinerant school visits rural villages and poor neighborhoods to provide education about legal and human rights, unionization, and the history of the struggle of Bolivian people.
Now this incredibly powerful woman needs surgery. The cost of the operation in Bolivia has been estimated at some $2,000 dollars. But if the tumor is malignant, the cost will radically increase to an estimated $6,000-10,000 dollars. She has recently decided to have her surgery in Cuba. We still don't know how much her medical expenses will be there, but she will need to cover her travel expenses.
Domitila's former husband remarried so she does not have any medical insurance nor enough savings to cover the expenses. At the same time, she has a strong sense of dignity and doesn't want to beg for help. It was only after we told her how inspiring the reading of her book (Let Me Speak, New York: Monthly Review Press, 1978), had been to many of us, that she agreed to our making this call for solidarity.
Please send your check or money order to The Domitila Chungara Fund, 208 Utica St., Ithaca, NY 14850, USA. Linda Farthing and Ben Kohl have agreed to manage this account and get the funds to Domitila. We will send you an acknowledgement of your gift and an update on Domitila's health. Thank you for your solidarity with a woman who has inspired us all by her struggle for greater social and economic justice.
Tom Kruse Casilla 5812 / Cochabamba, Bolivia Tel/Fax: (591-4) 248242, 500849 Email: tkruse at albatros.cnb.net