COOKING: A WAY OF KEEPING MEMORY ALIVE

Brian Javier disappeared in 2014. He loved handmade tortillas with fresh cheese; we know this from Nelly Antonia, his mother. She is part of Las Rastreadoras del Fuerte, an organization located in Sinaloa that thoroughly traces for their missing relatives; they took this job on their own hands as a result of the lack of resolution of the Mexican Government. Through hard work and tireless struggle, these organizations mostly conformed by families and friends of the victims, have revealed a rough scenario related with enforced disappearance in Mexico such as slavery, clandestine graves, all of this situations encouraged by Governments complicity.

Enforced disappearance has been an old problem in Mexico. In 1969 families and organizations reported the first enforced disappearance case, also revealing that this action was committed by Government agents. Fiftyone years later, in January 2020 the mexican Ministry of Interior informed that by this date, there are 61, 637 missing people. Sixty one thousand and six hundred with thirty seven stories. Sixty one thousand and six hundred with thirty seven persons. Sixty one thousand and six hundred with thirty seven lives. 

 For more than five decades, Mexico has suffered the scourge of this crime against humanity. This illness has affected entire families: mothers, sisters, grandmothers and wifes. Their labor has been fundamental on the challenge of bringing back all the missing ones to a public scenario.

In the 70's the Unión de Padres con Hijos Desaparecidos organized several protests in front of the National Palace, this organization was also a local precedent for Las Rastreadoras del Fuerte.  Then, in 1978 the Eureka Committee organized hunger strikes in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral; on 2012 a group of mothers with missing sons or daughters, joined this actions by organizing a protest on Mother´s Day | May 10. All these demonstrations, national ones and local ones had allowed us to reach information about enforced disappearance victims; they´ve allowed us to revisit their and enter into their intimacy, look at their pictures, they´ve allowed us to name them.  All these actions led us to know that cheese tortillas are Brian's favourite dish. 

The tireless work of groups or organizations that search for their missing ones, has contributed for decades to put on spot our right to the truth; to highlight these crimes against human rights. These families have traced a path with evidence that could answer that we are all asking What happened? Who are the victims? Who is responsible? In what context does this take place?  They share with us that stories that belong to them, but that certainly belong to us as well. 

By sharing their recipes with us, Las Rastreadoras are also allowing us to know their families, they are getting us closer to the desaparecidos. This book is beyond numbers or oficial data, The Memory Recipe Book is about building an intimate bond between us and those who have been taken away. 

Each recipe they share with us is a window, an opportunity to know more about their missing relatives; each recipe is also the void left by them, not only in their families but in our society.  That void is represented by those 61, 637 people that are missing. 

Every time you prepare recipes shared by Las Rastreadoras, remember. Remember that José loved to eat those spaghetti; remember that pozole is Roberto´s favourite dish; remember that  the ranchero steak was Ernesto´s favourite one; don´t forget about the boiled eggs for Juan or Manuel´s kekis. 

Let's build a path to memory through food. Let's give this book and the stories that conform it the opportunity to give us the courage to take actions, to stand in solidarity with these kinds of organizations that are searching for their loved ones for more than five decades. Let's join their claim; let's join their demands for memory, truth and justice. Because the desaparecidos are missing for all of us, always.