#StoriesThatInspire. Meet 10 activists who use digital media to strengthen and promote Mayan languages ​​in Mexico.

Photo by Nehemias Chablé, shared with his permission.

Read the inspiring story of one of the grantees selected for the 2024 Mayan Language Digital Activism Fellowship, organized by Rising Voices. In this personal essay, the author shares his story of activism and the project with which he seeks to promote his native language within his community and online.

My language is a fundamental part of my identity, it is a link that connects me to the history of my people. A precious inheritance from my parents that I want to preserve and pass on to my sons, daughters and future generations. A treasure that contains knowledge, values, customs and unique ways of being able to see the world around us.

My name is Nehemias Chablé Hau, I am 30 years old, I identify as a Mayan person and I am committed to the preservation of the language by using digital technology. I am originally from Tahdziu, Yucatan, Mexico, a town with more than 4,000 inhabitants where most of the adults are dedicated to agriculture and where the young people, for the most part, go out to work outside the community. It is a town full of stories and myths.

My language is not only a form of communication with people who know the Mayan language, it is also a symbol of unity that allows us to communicate authentically, since through it we keep our traditions, values, stories and, above all, our community, alive.

Peninsular Mayan is also a tool to express our creativity, with which we can tell stories, share knowledge, what we imagine and how we express our emotions. It is like dreaming in our own voice.

Since I was little, I always asked myself: Was it possible to live fully immersed in Mayan language in all areas of life, such as work, leisure and education? At my school, with my teachers and classmates, I saw and heard the opposite, since they only spoke in Spanish.

My activism to strengthen Mayan

I graduated from university in the technology field and for several years I worked for technology companies in the city of Mérida. While I was working, the idea of ​​doing something for my language always remained in my mind.

I began attending workshops and community events where they talked about the importance of preserving our language. This inspired me to learn more, especially about writing. At one of these events I met a teacher whose work on the Mayan language inspired me and strengthened in me the idea and dream of doing something for my language.

In recent years, as part of my contribution to the revitalization of the Mayan language, I have been part of the technology area within the U Péekbal Waye’ (“Our Movement”) project. This project focuses on the preservation and strengthening of the language in all areas in which the Mayan speaker operates. Little by little, we are managing to expand our reach throughout the Yucatan peninsula.

Being part of this team motivated me to implement a project with the children of my community. With the support of the 2024 Mayan Languages ​​Digital Activism Program, for the first time I am going to develop my own project, in which I am going to create community newsletters in video format with the stories, tales and legends that the people of the town know in the Mayan language and that the children of the community are going to collect.

Photo by Nehemias Chablé, shared with his permission.

My goal is to teach children the entire process of creating a newsletter: editing, types of formats, and then promoting them online. This will not only help develop their confidence in speaking the language, but will also encourage their creativity and imagination to express themselves in Mayan language.

I would like the children who are part of these activities to gradually realize the importance of speaking and transmitting Mayan language so that they can later inspire their family, friends, and classmates and little by little lose their fear of using their language in daily life. By doing so, they not only strengthen themselves, but also contribute to the continuity of the Mayan language in our community.

Without fear of speaking my own language

One of the challenges I have faced is the idea that learning or strengthening the use of Peninsular Mayan language is of “no use” or that it may even represent a “step backwards.” To address this challenge, I explain to children the importance of others seeing and hearing us speaking in Mayan language; whether or not they are from our town, whether or not they know the Mayan language, what matters is that they realize that the Mayan language is strong and that many children speak it.

I would like to see children no longer be afraid to express themselves in their language. If one day they decide to leave town to study for a career, to look for a job, to do some kind of paperwork, or simply to have fun, they should keep in mind that their language has the same value as any other language on the planet, that it can be spoken with anyone, anywhere and at any time.

I dream of seeing communities not being afraid to speak their own language, where they inspire more people to do the same, and transmit it to the new generations. To do this, the digital world can be a powerful tool that we have in our hands and through it we can connect, learn and, most importantly, make our voices heard so that others are encouraged to speak or transmit their language.

May our voices be heard loud and clear online and throughout new generations!