IN DEFENCE OF LIFE
The small provincial town of Jaén sits lazily on the sloping hills of the Peruvian Andes overlooking the majestic river Marañón. The biannual meeting of the socio-pastoral network of Jesuits engaged with the indigenous peoples of Latin America was to be held at Santa Maria de Nieva, a small village situated in the middle of the Amazonian jungle, six hours by boat on the Marañón river from Jaén. The group of 40 Jesuits and lay persons travelling by a night bus from Lima were eagerly awaiting the spectacular journey by boat. On arrival at Jaén, we were told that a large contingent of indigenous peoples had blocked all roads and the fluvial passage linking Jaén to Santa Maria de Nieva. They were protesting against the Government’s new policies opening Indian land, so far declared non-saleable by constitutional law, to oil foreign companies.
Unable to reach our intended meeting place, we heard on the night of 14th August the communiqué prepared by the spokesperson of the coordinating body of all indigenous peoples living on the Peruvian basin of the Amazon river. We also watched a short video prepared by one of the participants at the rally. One of the banners carried by the demonstrators had these words: ‘in defense of life.’ They were pleading with the Government to respect the life of the earth as well as their own lives.
Besides blocking all traffic, groups of Awajun-Wampis, the two most important indigenous groups in the area took peaceful possession of an electrical sub-station on the banks of the river providing power to the new oil company that intends to establish prospecting facilities.
The petition signed on the 6th of August demands of the Peruvian government the immediate derogation of a set of new laws which, they claim, are in clear violation of the constitutional safeguards of their territories. More concretely, the first point states that any legislative initiative related to indigenous peoples and their rights must be submitted to the consultation and approval of these peoples so that their territorial integrity is not affected.
This struggle, waged close to the place where our meeting is taking place, symbolizes the struggle of these peoples and nationalities all over Latin America and the world to preserve original rights that had been enshrined in the Constitutions of most of these countries. The neo-liberal attack, a more cunning, violent and pervasive colonization of the continent than the one which took place 500 years ago, is directed at gaining control of all the major sources of energy situated in these territories. It threatens to crush the rights obtained and legally recognized in the recent past with much blood and sweat.
This uprising (levantamiento, as the people like to call this movement) also reflects the forceful and concerted pressures all over Peru by many multinationals to exploit recently discovered deposits of gold, other minerals and oil. This new interest in natural resources responds to the increasing international demand for these products from, among others, the emerging economies of Asia. To keep up with a process of development heavily dependent on fossils, the world geo-political scenario is changing rapidly and becoming a battleground where the pounding feet of these huge elephants may be heard shaking the whole earth. If we were to look for an example in the past, we may have to go back in time to the bloody exploitation of the diamond mines in South Africa at the end of the 19th century. Cecil Rhodes is a good example of the ruthless entrepreneur who engineered a massive amalgamation and re-structuring of all mining companies, denying black people the right even to posses any asset in these companies. The difference today is that no one is capable of recognizing the ‘Cecils’ of today hidden under the veils of complex corporate ownership structures.
The ecological depredation caused by this ferocious attack of capital on life at all levels needs to be recognized and addressed. General Congregation 35 in the Decree on Mission has clearly taken a bold stand. We need to commit ourselves to act together with others for the sake of life for all.
Fernando Franco SJ
15 August 2008
Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady
Selva del Marañón
Jaén, Peru
