The Al Jazeera channel has produced a documentary on the events surrounding mining in Peru, and in particular the Monterrico case.
Later this week, María Francisca Zhagüi Chuchuca will travel with LAMMP to the US in order to present the situation in Ecuador to the Inter American Commission on Human Rights and other organisations in Washington.
We have translated one of the documents she will be taking with her into English.
Meanwhile the winners of the students’ video competition S.O.S. PACHAMAMA: JUVENTUD Y DERECHOS DE LA NATURALEZA in Cuenca for World Earth Day were announced. The first prize went to the Unidad Educativa Corazón de María for La Contaminación and third to the Escuela Fiscal Atenas del Ecuador for L@s Niñ@s y la Tierra.
Zenaida Romero, daughter of Yukpa cacique Sabino Romero (whose situation we have reported extensively before), declared in a radio interview that the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs “doesn’t know what is going on” in the indigenous communities of Sierra de Perijá (in western Venezuela), and that their representative “is lying”.
The interview can be heard here (in Spanish), and a summary read here.
Zenaida will shortly be travelling to the USA with LAMMP, delivering a submission on the current situation of the Yukpa to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples, to the Inter American Commission on Human Rights and to other organisations in New York and Washington.
The Global Indigenous Women’s Caucus will be held on Friday 4th May in New York, and LAMMP will be there.
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The Global Indigenous Women’s Caucus – Conclave Global Para Las Mujeres Indígenas
Calling all Indigenous Women of the World engaged in international diplomacy, advocacy and the advancement of the rights of our Indigenous Nations.
Llamando a todas las Mujeres Indígenas del Mundo dedicado a la diplomacia internacional, la defensa y la promoción de los derechos de nuestras naciones indígenas.
Preparatory and strategy meeting to build collective platform for action for the 11th Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Lunch and translation (Spanish/English) provided.
Preparatorio y de reunión de estrategia para construir la plataforma para la acción colectiva para la 11ª Sesión del Foro Permanente de Naciones Unidas para las Cuestiones Indígenas. El almuerzo y la traducción proporcionada.
Co-sponsors: Southern Diaspora Research and Development Center, American Indian Law Alliance, Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development, Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Native Youth Sexual Health Network, among others.
According to 4-traders, the administration of President Ollanta Humala in Peru will work to persuade the population of the northern region of Cajamarca that the stalled Minas Conga copper and gold project is viable, a high-level government official said.
Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal said that the government will aim to reach the “hearts and minds” of those in the Cajamarca region who oppose the $4.8 billion mining project run by Minera Yanacocha.
The president of the Frente de Mujeres Defensoras de la Pachamama has been interviewed by the news agency ADITAL about the competitions for young students from Cuenca and Gualaquiza (Ecuador) which are beng organised for Earth Day on April 22nd.
Translation of extracts from the interview (by Diana Mills of LAMMP):
Rosio Perez Arevalo: >From the reality of our perspective we believe there is still much to be done because the majority of young people are unconcerned by such matters. We believe it is necessary to motivate the creation of dedicated spaces where boys and girls can find their own, authentic ways of expressing themselves and participating undisturbed by the interference of interests skewed in favour of a particular government or to reinforce the State, but rather to strengthen the awareness of all citizens.
In this sense our competitions have been a way of summoning young people and have led to the opening of other dedicated spaces such as the Youth Collective of Audiovisuals ”Ojo Mishi”, which was recently created for the purpose of making documentaries and short fiction pieces on problems affecting the environment and the defence of human rights. We believe it is only by organisation and direct, committed action that young people will have an impact in the demanding and defending of these rights, and most importantly, exercising them which is the most effective way of ensuring they are respected. ADITAL; Do you [the FWDP] believe that young people are aware of their importance in this matter? Rosio Perez Arevalo: Unfortunately the majority of young people are disconnected from the issues; the capitalist system is doing a good job of alienating them and converting them into what it [the capitalist system] needs: compulsive consumers without any social conscience and even worse, without an environmental one.However, there are groups of young people who are very active,aware and committed to defending rights and social transformation. Their actions are proof of the importance of unleashing that tremendous strength which young people have for questioning and creating.
We have great faith in what our young people can do, as long as they are fully aware of their role as daughters and sons of our Pachamama. (End of extract)
To celebrate the International Women’s Day, members of the Fundación del Agua attended a meeting for women leaders from the Gran Sabana region in south-eastern Venezuela, with vice-minister Choli Lott from the Ministry for Popular Power.
IACHR Commissioner Dinah Shelton in her capacity as Rapporteur for Guatemala and Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples expressed deep concern for the high levels of violence against women reported in Guatemala. Commissioner Shelton is deeply concerned about the grave human rights situation affecting indigenous peoples in Guatemala, a situation that is primarily related to the failure to adopt government measures to guarantee their rights over their land and natural resources.
Further information is available at the IACHR website.
We are indebted to James Rodríguez of mimundo.org for permission to reproduce his excellent photgraphs of the recent long protest march to Guatemala City.
Defenders of the Pachamama, group in Ecuador which LAMMP supports, have publicly rejected the statement of President Correa and deception about the Quimsacocha project; they have also denounced a campaign to discredit them.
More information is available on their blog.
Dr. Katy Jenkins, Senior Lecturer in sociology at Northumbria University, recently travelled to Peru and Ecuador in order to carry out research into the impact of mining on women.
Dr. Jenkins is using a feminist, life history approach to collect women’s accounts of mining activism there.
Issue 5 of the university’s ‘Showcasing Excellence’ publication, on gender, includes a piece about her work with LAMMP on pages 10 and 11. (It’s quite a large download, but well worth the wait.)
