How the Day of the Dead is being used to protest violence against women – The Conversation

Report on the Socio-Cultural Evolution of Día de Muertos and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Cultural Heritage and Global Adaptation

The Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration, observed annually on November 1 and 2, is a significant cultural ritual originating from a blend of Mesoamerican and Catholic traditions. Primarily associated with Mexico, it is a festive commemoration where families honour deceased loved ones through altars, offerings, and gatherings. The practice has demonstrated significant adaptability, with migrant and non-Mexican communities globally reinterpreting the ritual to meet contemporary social needs. This evolution highlights its role in safeguarding cultural heritage, a key target within Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Community Resilience and Social Cohesion during Global Crises

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the celebration’s capacity to foster community resilience and social cohesion. During this period, the ritual was adapted to address collective grief and social issues:

• Mexican migrant communities in the UK and Ireland organized events to commemorate victims of the virus, reinforcing cultural identity and community support networks.
• In the United States, a youth group repurposed the tradition as a medium for community healing following the killing of George Floyd, demonstrating its utility in addressing social trauma and promoting inclusive societies (SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities).

These adaptations reflect the dynamic nature of cultural practices in promoting well-being and strengthening community bonds, aligning with the principles of SDG 11.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 5: Gender Equality and Empowerment

Día de Muertos has been significantly co-opted by grassroots feminist organizations in Mexico as a platform to protest gender-based violence, directly addressing the targets of SDG 5. The iconic Catrina figure, a female skeleton, has been transformed from a cultural emblem into a powerful symbol of feminist resistance against the nation’s high rates of femicide.

1. The Marcha de las Catrinas: An alternative protest march runs parallel to official parades, reclaiming public space to honour female victims of violence. Protesters march between monuments dedicated to victims, erecting altars and displaying messages of solidarity.
2. Día de Muertas: The NGO Voces de la Ausencia established the “Day of the Dead Women,” a specific observance to focus public attention on femicide and the voices of victims’ families.
3. Symbolic Disappropriation: Activists utilize the Catrina costume not for celebration but for protest, adorning dresses with photographs of murdered or missing women and feminist symbols, thereby transforming a cultural icon into a tool for political expression and advocacy for gender equality.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The feminist appropriation of Día de Muertos serves as a powerful call for justice and accountability, contributing to the objectives of SDG 16. The protests are a form of performative disobedience aimed at highlighting institutional failures in protecting women and prosecuting perpetrators of gender-based violence.

• Public Protests for Justice: The practice of acuerpamiento, or using one’s body to occupy public space in protest, has become central to these demonstrations. Activists dressed as Catrinas use slogans such as #TruthAndJustice, #Niunamás (not one more), and #Nuncamas (never again) to demand systemic change.
• Intergenerational Activism: The movement is characterized by strong intergenerational solidarity, uniting mothers of victims with younger generations of activists in a collective demand for justice.
• Advocacy for Legal Reform: Protesters often incorporate symbols of other social justice movements, such as the green scarves advocating for the decriminalization of abortion, linking the fight against femicide to broader demands for women’s rights and institutional reform.

SDG 10 and SDG 11: Reduced Inequalities and Inclusive Communities

The evolution of Día de Muertos into a vehicle for social protest promotes the creation of inclusive, safe, and sustainable communities (SDG 11) by challenging systemic inequalities (SDG 10). By taking over public spaces, activists challenge the marginalization of victims of gender-based violence and demand a more inclusive public discourse.

The re-imagining of this tradition by feminist groups and diaspora communities demonstrates how cultural heritage can be a living, breathing tool for social change. It provides a platform for marginalized voices to demand justice and equality, thereby transforming a commemorative ritual into a global movement for sustainable development.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  The article is centrally focused on the issue of gender equality. It extensively discusses how the Day of the Dead celebration has been co-opted by feminist organizations to protest against “gender-based violence” and “femicide” in Mexico. The text highlights the “unacceptably high levels of gender-based violence in Mexico” and the surge in this violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as the “shadow pandemic.” The protests, such as the “Marcha de las Catrinas” and the proposed “Día de Muertas,” are direct actions aimed at achieving gender equality by demanding an end to violence against women.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  This goal is addressed through the article’s focus on violence, justice, and activism. The mention of Mexico having “one of the highest rates of femicide in the world” directly relates to the goal of reducing violence and death rates. The protests described are a form of civic action demanding justice for victims, as seen in slogans like “#TruthAndJustice.” The creation of an “Anti-monumenta” and altars with victims’ names are calls for accountability and stronger institutional responses to violence against women, which is a core component of building peaceful and just societies.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The article connects to this SDG through its discussion of cultural heritage. The Day of the Dead is presented as a significant cultural ritual that is being protected, celebrated, and adapted by communities in Mexico and globally (“celebrated globally by many migrant Mexican and non-Mexican communities”). The evolution of the celebration to incorporate social and political protests demonstrates how cultural heritage is not static but is actively safeguarded and reinterpreted by communities to address contemporary needs, such as protesting gender violence and fostering community healing.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres.

   This target is the most prominent in the article. The text explicitly details how feminist groups are protesting “gender-based violence,” “femicide,” and the “surge in gender violence” during the pandemic. The “Marcha de las Catrinas” and the use of dresses “covered in photographs of murdered or missing women and girls” are direct actions aimed at raising awareness and demanding the elimination of violence against women.

2. Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.

   The article’s focus on “femicide” as “deadly violence against women” directly aligns with this target. It states that Mexico has one of the highest rates of femicide in the world, highlighting the urgency of reducing these specific death rates. The protests demanding “#Niunamás” (not one more) are a clear call to action to reduce lethal violence.

3. Target 11.4: Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage.

   The article describes the Day of the Dead as a cultural ritual that is in a “process of continual reinvention responding to different social and cultural needs.” It details how communities in Mexico and migrant communities in the UK, Ireland, and the US have adapted the celebration. This adaptation, including its use for social protest, is a way for communities to safeguard their cultural heritage by keeping it relevant and meaningful in contemporary society.

4. Target 5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.

   This target is referenced when the article mentions that some protesters wore “green scarves around their necks, advocating for the decriminalisation of abortion.” The green scarf is a well-known symbol of the movement for reproductive rights in Latin America, connecting the protests against femicide to the broader struggle for women’s bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Rates of Femicide and Gender-Based Violence

  The article explicitly states that Mexico has “one of the highest rates of femicide in the world” and refers to “unacceptably high levels of gender-based violence.” This directly implies the use of statistical data on femicide and violence against women as key indicators. These would correspond to official indicators like 16.1.1 (Number of victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population, by sex) and 5.2.1 (Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence).

• Number of Murdered or Missing Women and Girls

  The practice of marchers wearing dresses “covered in photographs of murdered or missing women and girls” and erecting crosses “bearing victims’ names” implies that the number of victims is a critical measure of the problem. Tracking the number of unresolved cases of missing and murdered women serves as a direct indicator of the scale of violence and the effectiveness of the justice system.

• Participation in Cultural and Protest Events

  The article mentions that the “Mega Desfiles de Catrinas y Catrines parade has also drawn millions of people.” While this measures participation in the official celebration, the existence and growth of the alternative “Marcha de las Catrinas” can be seen as an indicator of public engagement with the issue of gender violence. The number of participants in these protests can measure the level of social mobilization and awareness, which is a qualitative indicator of progress towards social change.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Summary

Source: theconversation.com