Javier Sicilia

Javier Sicilia

Javier Sicilia (1956, Mexico City) is a poet, essayist, novelist, peace activist and journalist in Mexico. He contributes to various print media such as the Mexico City daily La Jornada and Proceso magazine. He was founder and director of El Telar ("The Loom"), coordinator of several writing workshops, is a film and television writer, editor of Poesía magazine, a member of the editorial board of Los Universitarios y Cartapacios, the National System of Creators of Art since 1995, and is a professor of literature, aesthetics and screenwriting at Universidad La Salle at Cuernavaca and was director of the now-defunct magazine Ixtus.

Biography

Sicilia inherited his love of literature and poetry from his father, who was also a poet. An avid reader of Saints Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross, Sicilia is a poet whose themes are linked with Catholicism and Christian mysticism. Later he met the Austrian philosopher Ivan Illich, and Sicilia has since become one of the main promoters of Illich's thought among Mexican intellectuals.

As a contributor to Proceso and as the editor of the magazine "Conspiratio", Sicilia writes about various current philosophical, artistic and literary topics. In 2009 he was awarded the Aguascalientes National Award in Poetry, one of the most prestigious honors in Mexican literature.[1]

In 2011, TIME Magazine named The Protester as its Person of the Year,[2] and Sicilia was profiled in the accompanying "Profiles of Protesters" series [3] for his work in organizing the 2011 Mexican protests.

In January 2013, he met with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto to discuss assistance and memorials for victims of violence in Mexico.[4]

Estamos hasta la madre ("We-have-had-it") protests

On March 28, 2011, Sicilia's son Juan Francisco Sicilia Ortega was murdered along with six other victims [5] in Temixco, Morelos, Mexico, by drug gang members. In response, the poet led protests in Cuernavaca with satellites of support held in numerous other places throughout Mexico.[6] The protesters have called for an end to the Drug War, the retreat of military forces from the streets, the legalization of drugs, and the removal of Mexican President Felipe Calderón. Protests have occurred in over 40 Mexican cities, including an estimated 50,000 in Cuernavaca and 20,000 in Mexico City.[7]

On April 3, 2011, Sicilia announced in an open letter "To Mexico's Politicians and Criminals" [8][9] a second protest, a "National March for Justice and against Impunity," which started on May 5, 2011, in Cuernavaca, Morelos, and arrived on May 8 at the Zócalo in Mexico City,[10] where over 200,000 people attended.[11] Before the beginning of his speech,[12] Sicilia demanded that the Mexican President retire Genaro García Luna from his post as Secretary of Public Security. A six point national pact that searches for the social fabric's refounding was read at the same protest.[13] Other related protests occurred the same day in over 31 Mexican cities and 17 cities over the globe.

Further information: 2011 Mexican protests

Literary works

Poems
Novels
Essays
Biography

Journalistic works

Anthology

Awards

As writer
As social activist

References

  1. "Bitacora del Parvulo". Fabricioestrada.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
  2. Stengel, Rick (2011-12-14). "Person of the Year Introduction". TIME. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  3. Padgett, Tim (2011-12-14). "Why I Protest: Javier Sicilia of Mexico". TIME. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  4. "EPN: Estaremos al lado de las víctimas". Televisa. Retrieved 2013-01-13.
  5. Mexico poet Javier Sicilia leads anger at drug violence, Julian Miglierini, BBC News, 22 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-08.
  6. "Mexicans go out to protest against violence and the drug war | Les blogs". Frommexico.blogs.france24.com. 2011-05-14. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
  7. "The Field: And This Is What History Looks Like in Mexico". Narcosphere.narconews.com. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
  8. Sicilia, Javier (April 3, 2011). "Javier Sicilia’s Open Letter to Mexico’s Politicians and Criminals" [Javier Sicilia: Carta abierta a políticos y criminales] (in English; as translated from Spanish). Proceso (magazine). Archived from the original on April 6, 2011.
  9. "2010". Proceso. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
  10. Brito, Jaime Luis (May 6, 2011). "The March Advances to Mexico City Amidst Silence and Cheerfulness: Raúl Vera, Rius, Eduardo Gallo, Julian Lebarón, and Francisco Rebolledo Attend" [La marcha avanza hacia el DF en medio del silencio y el ánimo: Asisten Raúl Vera, Rius, Eduardo Gallo, Julian Lebarón, Francisco Rebolledo, entre otros] (in English; as translated from Spanish). La Jornada. Archived from the original on May 6, 2011.
  11. "Marcha por la Paz en México: Cientos de Miles piden a Calderón cambiar estrategia contra narco - International Business Times". Mx.ibtimes.com. 2011-05-09. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
  12. Red por la Paz y la Justicia. "English". Redporlapazyjusticia.org. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
  13. Red por la Paz y la Justicia. "Propuestas para un PACTO NACIONAL". Redporlapazyjusticia.org. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
  14. http://www.academiamexicanadecine.org.mx/ver_ariel.asp?anio=XXXII+1990&tipo=anio
  15. "El Fuentes Mares para García Mainou". eleconomista.com. October 26, 2010. Archived from the original on October 27, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  16. http://humanrightsaward.org/
  17. http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=276189
  18. "Person Of The Year 2011". Time. 2011-12-14.
  19. http://annunciationhouse.org/2012-voice-of-the-voiceless-award-solidarity-dinner/
  20. http://nacla.org/news/2012/5/10/rius-receives-naclas-2012-la-conciencia-del-pueblo-award
  21. http://www.periodicocorreo.com.mx/nacional/35877-premian-a-sicilia-en-nueva-york.html
  22. http://www.cbh.org.bo/index.php?cat=331&pla=3&id_articulo=56948
  23. http://www.periodico.am/celaya/local/javier-sicilia-conmueve-en-la-fenal-12301.html

Additional sources

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