by keila amayrani martínez martínez and miguel angel liborio maceda
In this blog we introduce the video created by Julieta, Tso Luee, Saúl and Monserrat, who explore energy justice through their own lived experiences in Xochistlahuaca, Guerrero. In the video, they reflect on what it means to live with frequent power cuts and how these interruptions shape everyday life. What emerges is not simply the absence of electricity, but a broader and more complex social issue that affects education, domestic routines, communication and dignity.
The idea for the video grew out of Coastal Commons, a collaborative project funded by the Urban Studies Foundation. It took shape through sustained conversations with community groups in Xochistlahuaca, where energy justice repeatedly surfaced as a shared concern. The wider project also involved surveying experiences across the Costa Chica of Oaxaca and Guerrero, including Acapulco, which confirmed that outages and uneven provision were not isolated to one locality. Community members asked for, and helped sponsor, a training process with a specific focus on youth participation. Young people needed a space to articulate, in their own voices, what recurring outages mean for them, so we got to work.
by keila amayrani martínez martínez and miguel angel liborio macedaIn this blog we introduce the video created by Julieta, Tso Luee, Saúl and Monserrat, who explore energy justice through their own lived experiences in Xochistlahuaca, Guerrero. In the video, they reflect on what it means to live with frequent power cuts and how these interruptions shape everyday life. What emerges is not simply the absence of electricity, but a broader and more complex social issue that affects education, domestic routines, communication and dignity.
The idea for the video grew out of Coastal Commons, a collaborative project funded by the Urban Studies Foundation. It took shape through sustained conversations with community groups in Xochistlahuaca, where energy justice repeatedly surfaced as a shared concern. The wider project also involved surveying experiences across the Costa Chica of Oaxaca and Guerrero, including Acapulco, which confirmed that outages and uneven provision were not isolated to one locality. Community members asked for, and helped sponsor, a training process with a specific focus on youth participation. Young people needed a space to articulate, in their own voices, what recurring outages mean for them, so we got to work.
In preparation, Miguel Ángel Liborio Maceda, Dr Ulises Moreno Tabarez and I trained in community video production through courses supported by the National Centre for the Arts, including Cineregistro and Drone Cinematography. With this training, and following the recommendations of community leaders, we invited young people to take part. Participation was modest, and this raises important questions for us about how to foster more sustained youth engagement in future projects. Nevertheless, those who joined committed fully to the process.
The project also benefited from the collaboration of Dr Dulce María Quintero Romero and Dr Rocío López Velazco, Coordinator of the Master’s Programme in Sustainable Development Management.
Although we had access to professional equipment and technical knowledge, the young participants chose to work with the technology available to them. They used their own mobile phones and followed their own creative process. This was their first experience producing a community documentary, and the video reflects that experimental beginning. Our role centred on developing guiding questions and supporting reflection. They led the filming, editing and narration, working in both Spanish and their mother tongue, Ñomndaa. Through this bilingual approach, the multidimensional nature of energy injustice became even more visible.
From a human rights perspective, recurring power cuts constitute more than an inconvenience. The United Nations recognises access to information as a fundamental right. When electricity fails and internet access disappears, students cannot connect or complete assignments. As the young participants explain in the video: research becomes more difficult without internet access; ironing clothes becomes impossible; classes are sometimes cancelled. The consequences are practical, educational and emotional.
This video is the result of an imperfect, experimental and deeply communal process. It does not aspire to technical polish. Rather, it reflects the determination of young people to document their reality using the tools at hand. Through this first attempt at community documentary making, they offer a powerful account of the complexity of energy justice in Xochistlahuaca. ultimately, the participating youth chose to present only one version of the video in the native language (ñomdaa) and have subtitles in spanish only. we offered to translate to English, but they declined since they wanted full control of the video and its content.
