PRODUCER PROFILES

Jose Gerardo Ayala - Born in Oaxaca, Mexico and raised as the second son of a middle-class family, Ayala received his education in American universities, where he studied political science and philosophy. His areas of interest included developing nations and humanism. Sympathizing with the Mayan indigenous struggle, Ayala travelled to Guatemala in 1990 where he took part in anti-imperialist campaigns. In 1991 he organized Federacion Zapatistas del Norte in Nogales, Mexico, whose main objective was to assist refugees from Mexico's impoverished southern states. He is currently involved in educational activities in North America.

Hiroshi "Lonewolf" Aguilera - Born in Osaka, Japan in 1963, Aguilera spent his childhood in Houston, Texas, where he experienced racism and became interested in the problems of cultural conflict and identity. As a university student, Aguilera studied anthropology with minors in philosophy and political science. His areas of interest include symbolism, culture industries, and, above all, critique of capitalism. While in Arizona during the late 1980's and the early 90's, Aguilera learned about indigenous struggles from his Mexican, Columbian, and Argentine friends. He studied indigenous cultures and languages from Emori Sekakuaptewa (Hopi) and Geronimo III (Apache). Aguilera also visited Mexico and Guatemala, where he worked in farms and observed campesino lifestyles. Sympathizing with the cause of revolutionary movements in Latin America, and coming to know Jose Ayala, Aguilera became a member of F.Z.D.N. in 1991.

David "Bahea" Ryniker - Born to a working-class family in Kansas (U.S.A.) in 1958, Bahea had a strong interest in "more interesting" places from an early age. This interest eventually found its outlet in studies of anthropology. As an undergraduate student at Wichita State University, he first explored the life histories of Indochinese refugees in the aftermath of the Vietnam war. Under the mentorship of Dorothy Billings (Associate Professor of Anthropology, Wichita State University and founder of Anthropologists for Social Responsibility), his focus, during post-graduate training, turned to Melanesia, where he has taken a special interest in the impacts of missionization (M.A. thesis, 1991, Wichita State University) and post-colonial systems (Ph.D. dissertation, in progress, University of British Columbia). His primary field work has taken place in the Vaturanga District, northwestern Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, an area highly impacted by forces of post- and neo-colonialism.

Scott "Gotamito" He - born and raised in Los Angeles where he became interested in other cultures through his contact with Chinese communities throughout Southern California. In 1984, he left Los Angeles to attend the University of Arizona wherein he received a B.S. degree in Family Studies and nearly a B.A. in East Asian Studies. His interest in eastern religion and philosophy led him to earn his M.A. degreee in 1994 from the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona. He is currently writing a Ph.D. thesis focusing on a modern Chinese Buddhist monk whose teachings have lead to the development of a number of Buddhist organizations in Taiwan that emphasize the importance of social action as means to both achieve spiritual goals as well as to improve the social and environmental conditions in which human beings of all races, nationalities, and faiths live. His research on these subjects as well as his own personal practice as a Buddhist has led him to personally explore the relatively new phenomenon in modern Buddhism worldwide known as socially engaged Buddhism, believing deeply that social action is a legitimate and necessary outgrowth of Buddhist teachings on compassion. During the course of his language study overseas, he learned of the plight of indigenous peoples in Taiwan. This experience has translated into a general desire to use his work as a scholar and a practicing Buddhist to challenge existing social and political structures that directly or indirectly contribute to the exploitation of certain groups of people for economic gain, thereby diminishing their dignity as human beings.

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