The disappearance of 43 students on the night of September 26, 2014, marked a tipping point in the consciousness of the Mexican people. Tens of thousands have taken to the streets in demonstrations across the country since then, angry that as many as 100,000 people may have been killed in the last decade, caught up in Mexico's increasing drug violence.

Indigenous peoples across the globe have begun standing in solidarity with each other in an attempt to combat the violence and mistreatment they receive at the hands of governments, corrupt authorities, and extraction companies. Ayotzi 68 is a solidarity group in Vancouver and it was them I first approached with my idea to write a piece about the missing 43. With the score half written they asked me if I would provide a soundtrack for a short film being made by two filmmakers from Mexico City, Oscar Flores and Patricio Cartas, about the students' disappearance. Watch it on the Videos page.

The idea for the composition, which is called, 'Our Missing', from the Spanish, nos faltan, began when I encountered a student protest in the streets of Oaxaca, Mexico, a few weeks after the 43 went missing. Audio recordings I made that night feature in the piece. 'Our Missing' reflects both despair and hope; in the face of such extreme horror communities are gathering together to fight back.

ALL PROFITS FROM DOWNLOAD SALES OF THE 'OUR MISSING' TRACKS WILL GO TO THE AYOTZINAPA RURAL TEACHER TRAINING SCHOOL OR THE PARENTS OF THE MISSING STUDENTS TO SUPPORT THEIR LEGAL COSTS AS THEY PRESS THE STATE FOR ANSWERS (less PayPal fees).

These colleges are vital if some self governance of indigenous Mexicans is to remain. Here is a letter from the Ayotzinapa Student Committee to the Vancouver Solidarity Group:

http://www.tlachinollan.org/letter-ayotzinapa-student-committee-appreciates-the-international-solidarity-of-vancouver-canada/?lang=en