The world’s most famous toy doll now has her own outfits in the style of the traditional dress of the Amuzgo women of Guerrero A group of women from Xochistlahuaca in southeastern Guerrero has long been dedicated to making traditional clothing for men and women that include colorfully embroidered shirts and huipiles — a boxy traditional shirt worn by many women throughout the country remembers sewing from the time she was a child and had to steal thread from her mother because “thread was expensive and they didn’t let children play with it,” but it was the only way to start to learn how to sew and embroider Martínez de Jesús said that several years ago the mayor approached the women to make something that could be given to visitors at the local traditional culture fair and only requested that it be beautiful and represent the traditional arts of the town The women decided to make outfits for the Mattel dolls Barbie and Ken in the local style with intricately embroidered patterns and designs “It was difficult work,” says Martínez de Jesús “because if making a garment of normal size is difficult working in miniature is even more difficult we made them and presented them and the comments from the public were really encouraging The dolls were a huge success and the women have continued making and selling them hoping that their children will see themselves in their newly dressed dolls and feel proud of their heritage While Barbie has worn the trappings of hundreds of different careers and personalities this is quite possibly the first time she will be dressed in traditional With reports from El Sol de Acapulco ADVERTISE WITH MND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Subscription FAQ's Privacy Policy Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience Kenia Inés Hernández Montalván is an Indigenous Mexican activist who has been imprisoned in her home country since October 2020 She was arrested at a highway toll booth in Puebla state where she had been protesting the imprisonment of other activists The demonstration saw activists preventing staff at the toll booth from charging motorists which is a common form of protest in Mexico those participating in such protests face the risk of being charged with trespassing and theft is the founder and coordinator of Colectivo Libertario Zapata Vive a social movement focused on defending Indigenous peoples’ rights to their land that also works to raise awareness of Activists have also been imprisoned on charges considered to be arbitrary I’m from the same town as Kenia — Xochistlahuaca in the Mexican state of Guerrero — a remote town where there is no internet connection and from where travel is difficult due to its remote location I’ve lived in Mexico City since the age of 3 and I had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis Kenia came up to me to say hello and she flashed me a smile and it was the best thing that could have happened to me I was reluctant to begin a friendship with Kenia but I felt confident due to her friendly attitude toward me I always felt that she never judged me or singled me out People told me that Kenia was very intelligent She gave math classes to those of us who did badly in the subject Kenia is very disciplined with her studies when my mother was unable to send us money for food Kenia offered to lend me 400 pesos ($25 USD) without me even having asked she wrote me a poem that filled me with strength stop trying to help other people." But she would say How can I abandon those people?" She studied law to become a lawyer sought help from people to grow the organization and she gets involved in cases of injustice such as the case of a classmate’s cousin who was murdered She knew that she could be detained — they had warned her that she could be — and yet Kenia likes to raise her voice — and raise it loud Kenia is imprisoned in Federal Women’s Prison No and she pays for the transport and food for her children with the handcrafts that she makes and sells Once she spoke on the phone with her eldest son and her son was telling her that when she is released from prison but it’s not the same as living with your mother Kenia’s imprisonment is arbitrary detention Kenia was not in the town where she is accused of committing the crimes Her father had an accident and now he can’t drive long distances Her friends and I have taken care of the logistics of visiting her with her children Previously she was allowed one phone call per week and now she can call more often — but only a 10-minute call and that’s cruel because they cut off the call without warning and they don’t give her time to say goodbye Kenia’s situation is more political than legal because the punishment has been brutal It’s a trumped-up case because they are criminalizing her for her work as a defender of human rights Her protests highlighted human rights violations We carried out a protest to bring attention to Kenia’s case and they brought more charges against her Kenia has always been a person who has gotten involved in other people’s struggles and shining a light on those struggles makes some people feel uncomfortable Her detention is the result of the criminalization of her organization because it defends Indigenous communities and highlights human rights violations It’s the federal highways agency (CAPUFE) keeping Kenia in jail. Kenia has been criminalized by the government. Before, if you looked her up on the internet, she would come up as "the toll-booth hijacker." The government orchestrated that campaign around her. But if you look her up on the internet now, it’s different, her case is now in the public eye Story as told to Adam Critchley; edited and condensed for clarity The 2023-2024 In My Own Words series was made possible thanks to funding from the Ford Foundation