‘Kalan Je La’an: Following the Maya Voice’ is a 4-year-long project, which kicked off in January 2020 in Yucatan and Quintana Roo. It aims to provide a platform where Maya heritage, values, traditions, language and culture can be broadcast locally, nationally, internationally and globally.
The ultimate goals of the #MayaVoice project are to change national and international public opinion, to encourage a change inside and outside indigenous Maya communities, to emphasize the importance of the inclusion of the Maya language in the Mexican education system, to empower women and youth, and to provide a platform where Maya people can broadcast their messages, needs, and concerns independently. ICDO raises awareness of the fact that the Maya have a lack of access to the Mexican health system and face discrimination and segregation by the rest of the Mexican population. Finally, one of ICDO’s goals is to create change in the policies affecting these communities.
As its name suggests, the ‘Kalan Je La’an: Following the Maya Voice’ project aims to amplify the voices of indigenous Maya communities who, despite facing various struggles, are greatly underrepresented in the public sphere.
Some of these struggles
include:
ICDO uses various tools to bring attention to these
underrepresented communities:
During the first phase of the project in January 2020, ICDO sparked a dialogue on these issues through art workshops; events such as the Art Exhibition and the Gala Dinner; and a set of interviews with more than 60 Maya individuals from more than 20 different communities in Quintana Roo, Mexico.
ICDO explored different avenues for promoting Maya communities and their culture with 3 main goals in mind: to safeguard the Maya culture, language and traditions; to raise awareness of and empower the Maya people and communities; and to establish and implement sustainable strategies for the preservation of biodiversity.
