Oaxaca de Juárez.– Teotitlán del Valle city council authorities reported that the French clothing brand Sezane, whose representatives dressed indigenous Zapotec women in their clothes and made them dance to take pictures of them, an action condemned by the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples ( INPI), presented himself before them under another name, for which he violated the trust, hospitality and good faith of the community.

Through a statement, he explained that the Zapotec woman from the town used as a model for the brand and who appears in a video broadcast on social networks explained that she and four other women were employed by this French company and that she did not receive any payment; with the exception of a garment and a bag of the brand.

In addition, the handbag that was given to him in his design has distinctive iconography of the tapestries and rugs that are made in Teotitlán del Valle, for which the authorities fear that another plagiarism will be registered and they did not rule out initiating legal action and an investigation. on the circumstances and conditions in which the company carried out its activities in the community.

“Teotitlán del Valle will not allow the richness and importance of our culture to be undermined, nor will the dignity and integrity of citizens in general be attacked. We are a community that is happy to share our heritage, but people from outside this community will not be allowed to attack our heritage.”

French brand dresses Zapotec women from Oaxaca with its clothes and records them dancing; INPI will make a legal claim

In the brief, the authorities mentioned that as a population they are committed to asserting their rights and decisions before any instance, "because we are convinced that the decisions of a community like ours must be heard, valued and respected, since our free self-determination strengthens our form of organization”.

They also thanked the dissemination of the video and the abuse of which Teotitlán del Valle was a victim and asked for respect for the dignity and privacy of the citizens involved so that they are not harassed by the media in search of a note.

In the same way, they requested the support of federal and state government institutions, as well as social organizations that are interested in the well-being of the community to assert their rights and enforce their decisions issued by the community assembly.

"We live in a stage in which political and economic interests try to steal our dignity as an indigenous community," they argued.

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The authorities stated that Teotitlán del Valle is an indigenous Zapotec community, proud of its wealth and traditions, which it preserves and spreads nationally and internationally through the artistic and cultural expressions that comprise it.

However, they said that the indigenous community is not exempt from the abuse and manipulation of people who, unknown to some citizens, obtain economic benefits, taking their community characteristics, ancestral knowledge and heritage as a factor of commercialization and private interests that affect each one. of the citizens of this municipality.