Zapantera Negra Artistic Encounters Between Black Panthers and Zapatistas

The artists of the Black Panthers and the Zapatistas were born into a centuries-long struggle against racial capitalism and colonialism, domestic repression and international war and plunder. Not only did these two movements offer the world an enduring image of freedom and dignified rebellion, they also did so with their signature styles, putting culture and aesthetics at the forefront of political life. What is the role of revolutionary art in times of distress? When Emory Douglas, former Minister of Culture of the Black Panther Party, accepted an invitation from the collective EDELO and the artist Rigo 23 to meet with autonomous and Indigenous and Zapatista communities in Chiapas, Mexico they addressed just this question. Zapantera Negra is the result of their encounter. It unites the bold aesthetics, revolutionary dreams, and dignified declarations of two leading movements that redefine emancipatory politics in the twentieth and twenty-first century. A powerful elixir of hope and determination, Zapantera Negra provides an eclectic presentation of interviews, militant artwork, and original documents from these two movements' struggle for dignity and liberation.