Mexico’s insanely violent national drug war hit home for me over this past December and January. I lost a friend, Ximena Osegueda, who had only just arrived to live and study in the beach town of Huatulco before she was kidnapped and murdered. Her story was all over Canadian media, often within the context of the growing trend of Canadians put in harm’s way while visiting scenic, purportedly “safe” areas of the deeply troubled country.
I was a casual friend of Ximena, chatting often when we bumped into each other at the Capoeira Ache Brasil academy here in Vancouver. While I was annoyed with the media’s treatment of her story as part of some larger pattern, I understood that it’s the job of a newspaper or TV news show to interpret the world’s events for a local audience; they need to express things through a Joe and Jane Canada lens. I accepted that.
However, what I can’t accept now is the surge of spin that tourism agencies are putting out in the media (like the one featured above, and here). I’ve encountered a number of news stories and ads that seem to be attempting to sooth the concerns of Canadian tourists who might ordinarily spend a few weeks getting lobster-red in resort compounds with beautiful beaches during the winter. I’m sure there are many small business owners in the more popular Mexican tourist zones who are hurting financially — but there’s a massive scale being tipped here, and with each tragedy, it teeters away from those narrowly viewing Mexico as just a vacation destination.
Organizations like PEN International, one that speaks to values I believe are at the core of a functioning, respectful society, are trying to tell the world about the grim toll Mexico’s drug war is having on journalists. Threats and intimidation, assaults and murders, they’re going unacknowledged by an increasingly powerless government. I found it hard to believe the blatantly orchestrated public confession made by the man who allegedly beat a Canadian tourist in a hotel elevator. The corruption is palpable, even this far away. And Canadians make up only a tiny fraction of those being victimized.
John Ralston Saul, a figure whom many from my generation would recognize primarily as the former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson’s tall and lanky husband, is the President of PEN International. He wrote this piece for The Globe and Mail last weekend.
“This past week, we made a serious attempt to remind everyone that freedom of expression is the greatest power – the muscle of democracy. It began with a full page in the newspaper El Universal – a letter to Mexican writers signed by 170 writers around the world – many Nobel Prize winners and all the ex-presidents of PEN. The message was simple: This situation can’t be swept into the silent corners. The news is spreading around the world – something is seriously wrong in Mexico. Here is a great civilization that is in trouble.”
He’s referring to the #PENProtesta movement that seeks to expose how dangerous it’s become for journalists trying to face down the growing power and corrupting influence of violent drug gangs. Read more about it here.
I know a lot of people out there aren’t especially interested in getting involved – actively or emotionally – in the serious troubles of another country. I don’t begrudge anyone their vacation; we all deserve a rest and to feel some sand in our toes. What I hope is that we don’t swallow the “everything is okay” line that’s being dispatched to Canadian news agencies and our tourism industry. It’s far more likely that the Mexican government – and its people – will take the hard road and willingly address their inner turmoil if their tourism dollars are threatened. All we have to do is exert a little pressure by choosing to see the bigger picture.
