Central American Women's Voices through the testimonios of Co-Madres
Speaker: Dr. Heider Tun Tun, Assistant professor of History, Regis University, Denver, Colorado.
Location: Giddens Learning Center (GLC) 100E, Hamline University and via Zoom
Date: May 24, 2024, 7 pm
Lecture: By focusing on the histories of Co-Madres from El Salvador, this talk explores the multiple meanings and functions of the testimonio in Central America and its connections with the current human rights movement in the region. The process of storytelling through testimonios is rooted in the Indigenous view of the Central American people and has served the purposes of healing trauma, reporting abuses, and preserving the historical memory of communities that have historically been marginalized. This presentation features how Co-Madres had engaged with testimonios to continue their work for the Salvadoran people.
This presentation is part of a larger project that preserves the historical memory of this organization. On November 16, 2023, Heider Tun Tun presented, along with his colleagues Ruby Steigerwald and Inez Steigerwald, the book of testimonios called Co-Madres: Testimonio por la lucha de los derechos humanos in El Salvador, 1975-1994 (Co-Mothers: Testimony for the Fight for Human Rights in El Salvador 1975-1994) at the University of El Salvador in San Salvador. This book is the result of more than 10 years of collaboration with the first human rights organization led by women in El Salvador called "The Committee of Mothers and Relatives of Political Prisoners, Disappeared and Assassinated of El Salvador, Monsignor Oscar Arnulfo Romero"—also known as Co-Madres or the Committee of Mothers. Co-Madres was the first women-led organization dedicated to denouncing human rights abuses and empowering women in El Salvador since 1975. It became central in protecting human rights during the Salvadoran Civil War (1980-1992).
Bio: Heider Tun Tun (Firm Rock, Yucatec Maya), Ph.D., is an assistant professor of History in the Department of History, Politics, and Political Economy at Regis University in Denver, Colorado.
Professor Tun Tun will also present a workshop on Saturday, May 25, in GLC 6S, 9 am to noon.
The Maya Society was founded in fall 1978 by Twin Cities cultural and educational institutions, along with individuals who shared a passion for the Maya. For forty-five years, we have sponsored lectures and workshops on the Maya and other Mesoamerican cultures, past and present.