Xinka Parliament representative, Amilvar Urías Sanchez will be joining the Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network for a tour of the Maritimes taking place October 18-23, 2024. He will discuss the Xinka Parliament's ongoing resistance to the Escobal mine in Guatemala, owned by Canadian mining company, Pan American Silver. [...]
Artistic call-and-response, Guatemala-Canada: BTS at Antigonight By: Janette Fecteau, BTS Antigonish Committee member; Romi Fischer-Schmidt, New Hope Foundation Cooperant; and Ally Lord, New Hope Foundation Intern Saturday, September 14: Antigonight Art After Dark Festival in Antigonish/Nalikitquniejk unfolds, starring a spectacular installation exhibiting a months-long call-and-response between local and Maya Achí [...]
BBC Witness History interview with Jeremias Tecu More than 200,000 people were killed during Guatemala's 36-year internal armed conflict and of these, an estimated 45,000 people were forcibly disappeared. BTS Network member, Jeremias Tecu's two brothers were among the disappeared. They went missing after a family party in 1981. Jeremias [...]
By: Mélisande Séguin Cooperant Update: Protected Areas in Guatemala: A Conservation Project that Only Conserves Elite Economic Interests In 1989, the Guatemalan Congress adopted the Protected Areas Law and created the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP) with the goal of guaranteeing the protection of biodiversity in Guatemala. This led [...]
Indigenous and campesino communities across Guatemala continue to face the threat of violent evictions, criminalization, and attacks. In just the past few weeks, the CCDA has documented a worrying series of human rights violations affecting its leaders and members. BTS expresses its solidarity with the CCDA as they continue to [...]
Contemplating crabs in Rabinal By: Ally Lord, BTS Intern There’s a phrase unique to Spanish which I’ve found myself reflecting on often lately. “Pensar en la inmortalidad del cangrejo” or, “thinking about the immortality of the crab”, which refers to the places your mind goes when you are free of [...]
Celebrating the contributions and insights of our volunteers (from left to right) BTS volunteers Kathryn Anderson, Yvette Michaud, and Lisa Roberts By: Maren Mealey and Rae Millis, BTS summer interns Like many solidarity organizations, Breaking the Silence (BTS) relies heavily on the dedication and commitment of volunteers to [...]
BTS 2025 Delegation to Guatemala: Sowing Seeds of Justice in San Lucas Tolíman October 26 to November 5, 2025 BTS 2024 Delegation participants visit IMAP. Photo credit: IMAP Join us next year for the BTS 2025 Delegation to Guatemala, taking place October 26th to November 5th in [...]
Women and the agrarian resistance in Guatemala By: Mélisande Séguin, Campesino Committee of the Highlands (CCDA) Cooperant CCDA women activists, planning and organizing. Land dispossession as a historical root of the latest wave of evictions Guatemala has one of the most unequal land distribution and titling systems in [...]
First summer trip to Meander River Market By: Maren Mealey and Rae Millis, BTS summer interns On July 21st, Breaking the Silence (BTS) had their first Meander River Market day of the year. Several BTS volunteers set-up a tent along with other vendors outside of the Meander River Farm and [...]
