ABSTRACT
Indigenous and peasant women commonly express their experiences organizing for social justice through song. “Compañeras” was written by the Catholic women of the Diocesan Coordination of Women (CODIMUJ) and is sung in Spanish at local and regional meetings of this group. Women of Jolom Mayaetik and K’inal Antzetik also sing it (see Yolanda Castro’s chapter). The song describes the ways poor women work together as compañeras (friends or partners) to defend their dignity. It also affirms the value of women’s work in the household. The tune of the song is “De Colores,” a popular Mexican folksong. Let us welcome, yes, we welcome with pleasure and fondness all the compañeras. That have come, that have come to examine so many big problems. And now, and now we are going to be looking for a good solution. Therefore we are organized with our husbands and we must fight to combat the oppressive class that always devours our humble home. We women, we women we carry the water, we wash the clothes and make tortillas. We prepare, we prepare our simple food, we take care of children. Yet no one, but no one values our work, due to lack of love. Men are big machistas because of this system of great oppression. This individualist, neoliberal system today is the cause of great destruction. It is now, it is now that we are able to value ourselves. We discover that the children and all kinds of men depend on us. If it wasn’t, if it wasn’t for all our work, they just couldn’t live. Because we are the foundation of the same class for all existence. Because we are the foundation of the same class for all existence.
