Real World Radio

Antimining Salvadoran. A Radio Temblor (Panama) Production on the Resistance to Mining in El Salvador

Real World Radio — 2013-05-07T16:16:45Z

In a tour around the land of Oscar Romero and Farbundo Marti, the voices of men and women meet to exchange their realities and experiences with Mother Earth. San Isidro municipality, department of Cabañas, was the scene of our journey where a struggle began in April of 2004 when river Viejo in the community Llano de la Hacienda, dried out as a result of the overexploitation of water by Canadian mining corporation Pacific Rim.

The Environmental Committee of Cabañas was founded at the time in response to the dissatisfaction and unrest of the communities to the threat of the installation of a landfill, where 400 to 500 tons of waste from 19 municipalities of the country would be placed, thus polluting river Titihuapa, the only river that supplies the communities of San Isidro.

So the communities of the region practice a differnet kind of development, alternative to capitalism, where seeds, harvests and fruits are the result of the love for ecology and a show of respect for life, as opposed to the imposition of megaprojects such as mining.

Planned Genocide. New Murder of Mayan Indigenous Leader Resisting Megaprojects in Guatemala

Real World Radio — 2013-04-19T10:17:22Z

The list seems endless. The systematic violence in Guatemala against the leaders of the resistance to mining, dams and other megaprojects grows by the day. Women, men and children are being threatened, persecuted, imprisoned and killed with absolute impunity.

Last Tuesday 16 April, a day before the celebration of the International Peasants' Struggle around the world, they confirmed the death of Daniel Pedro, who had been kidnapped ten days before in Santa Eulalia municipality, Huehuetentango.

Daniel Pedro was a founding member of “amoyeb” and of the ganjobalano parliament, leader and member of the Qanjobal ALMG Linguistic Community and of the Santa Eulalia social movement, one of the main promoters of the community consultation of the ganjobal people of Santa Eulalia. Thus, his direct link with the assembly of peoples of Huehuetenango (ADH) and the Council of People of the West of Guatemala (CPO), reads a press release of both organizations.

The social movement of Santa Eulalia has been exposing and struggling against human rights and peoples' rights abuses linked with the building of a hydroelectric dam on the rivers that go through San Luis plot of land. They have also supported the struggle of Santa Cruz Barillas against a hydroelectric company subsidiary of Spanish corporation Hidralia.

Real World Radio's collaborator Anny Matzir, of CEIBA, interviewed ADH member Francisco Rocael. He made a call to the authorities to clarify the reason for Pedro's kidnapping and murder.

“We have information that there was a mobilization in the north of the country and the peoples that live in the West of Guatemala are more united, this is the only way of stopping the systematic repression”, said Rocael.

Meanwhile, Isabel, a community leader of Santa Cruz Barillas, spoke about the work of Daniel Pedro and the way in which the life of the communities has been affected by the presence of corporations in their territories.

Photo: ADH
Interviews by Anny Matzir (CEIBA-Friends of the Earth Guatemala)

Sowing Food Sovereignty. In The Lead-up to Uruguay's Native Seed Festival

Real World Radio — 2013-04-11T14:11:13Z

The “5th National Native Seed and Family Farming Festival: Building Food Sovereignty” will be held from next Friday through Sunday in Valle Eden, Tacuarembó, Uruguay. Nearly 200 family farmers from different parts of the country are expected to participate, plus around 1,000 people.

“The 6th National Meeting of Native Seed Producers” will be held in parallel to this festival. Both meetings are organized by the Uruguayan Network to Save and Value Native Seeds, REDES-Friends of the Earth Uruguay, Centro Agustín Ferreiro (training center for rural teachers), the National Commission of Rural Promotion and the School of Agronomy of the University of the Republic.

The Native Seed Festival is a space for family farmers to share with the general public and social organizations the importance of the country's genetic resources for food sovereignty. The festival gathers several national and departmental groups, farmers and agroecology organizations, researchers and professors linked with saving native seeds, as well as social organizations concerned with the country's genetic heritage, agroecology and family farming.

The Uruguayan Network to Save and Value Native Seeds is organized in 24 local groups in the departments of Artigas, Salto, Paysandú, Tacuarembó, Cerro Largo, Maldonado, Canelones, Lavalleja, Treinta y Tres, Montevideo, San José and Colonia. It has 160 family plots of land that are part of the collective system of in situ preservation.

On the latest edition of “Mil Voces”, Real World Radio's show aired on Fridays, we interviewed the coordinator of the Network and member of REDES-Friends of the Earth Uruguay, Mariano Beltran. We spoke about the preparations for the festival and the political views underlying native seeds conservation, family farming and food sovereignty.

Photo: mariategui.blogspot.com

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. For a Free Palestine

Real World Radio — 2013-04-04T22:52:40Z

The first demonstration organized in Durban, South Africa as part of the grassroots forum “BRICS bottom up” held on March 22 to 27, was organized by the BDS Campaign (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) for a Free Palestine.

The demonstration took place in the morning of March 26 at the “Speakers' Corner”, a few miles from the Durban International Conference Centre, where the 5th meeting of Heads of State of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) was taking place.

“BRICS bottom up” was organized in parallel to the official meeting by groundWork – Friends of the Earth South Africa, the Environmental Alliance of the Community of the South of Durban and the Centre for Civil Society of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Different organizations from all over the world supported the event, where hundreds of representatives of social organizations of several African and BRICS countries participated.

The BDS Campaign is an international movement with chapters in different countries. They explain on their website http://www.palestinalibre.org that given the failure of the international community to prevent the Israeli crimes and the continued failure of the peace negotiations on 9 July of 2005 over 160 Palestine organizations launched a call on the Palestinian Civil Society to” launch broad boycotts, implement divestment initiatives, and to demand sanctions against Israel, until Palestinian rights are recognised in full compliance with international law.” The call was inspired in the South African struggle against Apartheid and was based on the successful international BDS campaign carried out against that racist regime”.

The website adds that “The call urges various forms of boycott against Israel until it meets its obligations under international law by: ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands occupied in June 1967 and dismantling the Wall; recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN Resolution 194”.

In South Africa the campaign aims to raise awareness to boycott the transnational corporations that supply weapons to Israel and it exposes the role of corporations from BRICS and other countries that are accomplices of the Palestinian occupation. It also aims to implement sanctions against the company that operate in Palestinian occupied territories. Campaigner and coordinator of the Economic Justice, Resisting Neoliberalism Program of Friends of the Earth International, Lucia Ortiz, summarized it to Real World Radio as follows: “Apartheid: wrong for South Africa, wrong for Palestine”.

Photo: Lucia Ortiz.

The Atrocities of a Killer System. Colombia: 84 Arrested and 12 Taken to Court in Peaceful Protest Against Hidroituango

Real World Radio — 2013-03-19T14:17:58Z

Eighty-four activists of the Movement Rios Vivos (in Defense of Territory and People Affected by Dams) were arrested without a warrant on Saturday morning, while they were peacefully demonstrating against Hidroituango dam in Valle de Toledo municipality, Antioquia department, Colombia.

After the arrest, they were taken by ESMAD (riot police) officers to a court in El Valle de Toledo, in Antioquia, where they tried to press charges against 12 of the 84 persons in Donmatias municipality.

CENSAT-Agua Viva/ Friends of the Earth Colombia, a member of environmental organization Friends of the Earth International, issued a press release to expose the illegal detention of the activists of Rios Vivos. They were demonstrating against a hydroelectric project owned by Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM), “and the government and the company are now trying to criminalize the environmental and social struggle in Colombia”.

Real World Radio's correspondent in Colombia and member of CENSAT, Danilo Urrea, reported on the incidents. He is also the press officer of Rios Vivos.

At Donmatias there was a hearing with the prosecutors where charges were filed against 12 people. However, the judge considered that the arrest was illegal and they were released on Sunday midnight.

“The day of protests began on March 10th aimed to expose the social, cultural and environmental impacts of Hidroituango Project. However, the national and departmental authorities have violated the constitutional right to freedom of speech and demonstration”, claims CENSAT in its release. “During the day of mobilization the riot police threw tear gases to try to disperse the demonstrators and some police officers dressed in civilian clothes stayed in the areas”.

The demonstrations took place at the “International Day of Action Against Dams, for Rivers, Water and Life”, celebrated on March 14. Similar actions were held in tens of countries around the world.

Photo: http://defensaterritorios.wordpress.com/

Rural and Urban Effects. Interview with Soniamara Maranho of the Movement of Dam-Affected People of Brazil

Real World Radio — 2013-03-18T14:57:51Z

The International Day of People Affected by Dams and in Defense of Rivers is celebrated on March 14th with strong mobilizations in all continents.

Due to its scale and the strong concentration of investments in energy projects, Brazil is among the countries with more plans to build hydroelectric dams, reaching 1500 projects.

For this reason, the Movement of Dam-Affected People (MAB - member of Via Campesina Brazil) considers this is a key day in the agendas of this year's struggles and mobilizations, which will serve as preparation for the National Meeting of the movement scheduled for early June.

MAB leader, Soniamara Maranho, told Real World Radio from Minas Gerais that in terms of the energy model, the energy sector workers are involved in addition to the
affected rural and urban families.

Today, over 70 per cent of people affected are not compensated at all, since there isn't a body within the Brazilian administration that established a dialogue in order to identify those affected.

The platform against the energy model established that most part of what is paid by the population is destined to private shareholders of companies, while the workers of the sector increasingly lose their rights.

“Here in Minas Gerais, one worker of the distribution company dies every 45 days on average, they are in a process of privatization and their situation is absolutely poor”, said the Brazilian leader.

She also said that there aren't great differences in terms of the commodification of energy in the countryside and the cities in Brazil: “our countryside is being industrialized by export agribusiness and mining; in many cases they are foreign businesspeople who can't speak Portuguese, but who know how to profit with our territories”, she added.

While the finance to build hydroelectric dams in Brazil comes from public funds through the National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES), the rural and urban populations of the country do not benefit with access to energy and their working conditions are extremely poor.

“Today, more than ever, we know that the international struggle is necessary. This is how we interpret the legacy of Hugo Chavez. Today, March 14, we are facing the same problem in many countries: the capitalist, imperialist system, that is looting our natural resources. At our National Meeting on 3-7 June, in Sao Paulo, where Dilma (Rouseff, Brazilian President) will participate, we'll discuss a new Popular Energy Project for Brazil that can also serve as an experience for the peoples of Latin America and the world".

Photo: www.mabnacional.org.br

Free water for human consumption. Report on the different struggles against dams and in defense of rivers and water around the world

Real World Radio — 2013-03-18T14:57:37Z

Over 120 actions in around 34 countries of different parts of the world are being carried out this Thursday and the following days to celebrate the “International Day of Action against Dams and for Rivers, Water and Life”.

International Rivers, an organization that works at world level to protect rivers and the rights of the communities that depend on them, is organizing many actions, after several social networks called to mobilizations on this March 14.

These are the Mexican Movement of People Affected by Dams and in Defense of Rivers (MAPDER), the Movement of Dam-Affected People of Brazil (MAB), the National Network of Peoples Affected and Threatened by Dams of Colombia, the Movement of People Affected by Dams of El Salvador (MONARES), the Coordination of People Affected by El Cimarron Dam in that country (CORAF-CIMARRON), and the Convergence of Movements of Peoples of the Americas (COMPA).

In February, organizations from Australia, England, Chile, Tanzania, Canada, China, Finland, Spain, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Portugal, US, South Africa, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Togo, Albany, Georgia, Iran, Iraq y Bosnia Herzegovina, among other countries, joined the call to demonstrate.

In some states, the struggle against hydroelectric dams can be a serious risk for social activists, who risk being killed. Large private companies willing to pay hired assassins to avoid problems are common in different parts of the world.

Many examples

According to an article published by Revista Fragua, the World Commission on Dams estimated that the 45,000 works of this type built in the 20th Century caused the displacement of nearly 80 million people. Only in Mexico, there were 170,000 displaced people.

Since the 90s, there has been a growing international movement of people affected by dams who have slowly become local, regional, national, continental and global groups. These groups work together to change the world energy model, believing that it is fundamental to preserve basins and their populations in a natural and sustainable way.

According to Revista Fragua, the idea of having a world day of action emerged in Curitiba, Brazil, during the First International Meeting of People Affected by Dams, in 1997, that declared: “We are strong, diverse and united in a fair cause. In order to exemplify our growing unity, we declared March 14, previously the Day of Struggle against Dams in Brazil, as the International Day of Action against Dams and for Rivers, Water and Life”.

In Mexico there have been and there will continue to be numerous actions by MAPDER in different regions. In Jalisco state, there will be activities against El Zapotillo dam, but there will also be actions in Oaxaca and Veracruz states, for instance.

Meanwhile, the Movement of Victims and People Affected by Climate Change of Central America (MOVIAC), the Latin American Network against Dams and for Rivers, their communities and water (REDLAR), and the Mesoamerican Movement against the Mining Extractive Model (M4) carried out on Tuesday the forum “For Water, against Mining and Dams”, in El Salvador.

In Honduras, the walk for Dignity and Sovereignty “Step by Step” arrived to Tegucigalpa, the capital of the country, on March 6th and demanded a solution to problems related to dams, the defense of Lempira, Intibuca and La Paz Rivers, mining, territories, feminicides and political prisoners.

Meanwhile, in Colombia, the Asoquimbo Association will start today a regional strike in Huila department, in opposition to the El Quimbo dam. At national level, the Movimiento Rios Vivos mobilized to demand that the people affected by dams are included in the census carried out by the companies in charge of the hydroelectric dams. In addition, the movement called academics to speak up, appealing to the principle of the defense of the territory, in actions that will take place until March 22nd, World Water Day.

In Brazil, people affected by dams will mobilize on Thursday to demand the creation of a national policy that ensures their rights and to strengthen the struggle for a popular energy model. In joint actions with rural and urban workers, the people affected by hydroelectric dams oppose the high electricity rates, water and energy privatization, and the investment of public funds in private works. From June 3 to 7, the MAB will carry out its National Meeting in Sao Paulo. 5000 people are expected to participate.

In addition, in Palo Alto, California, International Rivers will conduct a joint activity with the citizen movement of Patagonia, by the Searsville dam. There will be other activities in the basins of rivers Zambezi and Shire of Tanzania, Mary of Australia, Globetrotter of the UK, Oulu of Finland, Narmda of India, Yangtze in China and Drina, in Serbia/Bosnia Herzegovina, among others.

There will also be numerous actions in Pakistan, the Chilean Patagonia, Spain, Portugal, Ethiopia, Togo, South Africa, Iraq and Albany, among others.

Photo: http://encuentromegaproyectosymineria.blogspot.com

A Hundred Thousand Voices For Water. Colombia: Mobilizations in Defense of Water as a Common Good

Real World Radio — 2013-03-18T14:56:08Z

A series of actions in defense of water as a common good for human kind, are being held in different Colombian cities this week, including a sit-in outside the Colombian Ministry of Environment. The actions are organized to mark a new anniversary of the UN declaration of water as a human right on Friday 22nd.

The movement Rios Vivos of Colombia will begin a series of mobilizations from March 14 to 22 in defense of water and to defend the right to social protest, Juan Pablo Soler, member of the movement, told Contagio Radio.

The movement is demanding space for dialogue, with the government as mediator, with the corporations engaged in the construction of hydroelectric projects without the consent of the communities potentially affected.

The website www.defensaterritorios.wordpress.com has been collecting signatures of Colombian and international people and organizations to demand those spaces and secure the peaceful mobiliation of the communities.

“The aim is to defend territories, water and life”, said Soler as he recalled that March 14th is the International Day of Action Against Dams, organized by the movement of people affected by dams around the world.

The leaders of the movements affected by dams in Colombia have received death threats by the public authorities, while Miguel Angel Pavon continues missing. He is the leader of the Social Movement in Defense of Sogamoso River.

For more information please visit: www.defensaterritorios.wordpress.com and its Facebook page

Interview and photo: www.contagioradio.com

Popular Energy Project. Movement of People Affected by Dams of Brazil Prepares National Conference

Real World Radio — 2013-03-18T14:55:47Z

From February 19 through March 3 of 2013 the first stage of the third course on “Energy and society in contemporary capitalism” took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Over 80 people from different regions of Brazil participated in the event, as well as delegates from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Peru, Argentina and Spain.

Since 2009, the Movement of People Affected by Dams in Brazil (MAB) has gathered a big group of men and women from different social sectors for political training on
energy issues in the understanding that this is the most important topical subject.

“There is a growing offensive by big economic groups linked with governments in the building of dams, the privatization of water and energy” said Rogerio Hohn, member of MAB's national board. MAB is a member of Via Campesina Brazil.

In interview with Real World Radio's correspondent Danilo Urrea Hohn explained that political, ideological, technical and cultural training is very important for MAB. Training is a tool to build knowledge around energy for members of MAB but also of other Brazilian and Latin American organizations.

Towards a MAB National Meeting

As part of the activities that took place during the event “Energy and society in contemporary capitalism” at the Universidad Federal de Rio de Janeiro the MAB launched its National Meeting to be held on June 3-7 of 2013 in Sao Paulo. They expect the participation of nearly 5,000 people.

Hohn said the “meeting is a big challenge because we have been organizing it for over three years. It aims to strengthen the building of our national movement and that people are able to confront the government and its hydroelectric projects, to come up with a space to coordinate with other organizations, especially urban organizations and also with the society as a whole”.

They also expect to come up with a work plan for the next 5-10 years at the meeting and have a better perspective for training, organization and struggles and to encourage the grassroots to identify the most important challenges ahead.
Towards a popular energy project

One of the main slogans of MAB has been the construction of a popular energy Project led by the rural and urban workers.

About the main goals and the process of this project Hohn said that “the coordination between rural and urban areas is becoming more important. We come from a situation where the problem of dams was specific to the families suffering its impact, and we now have the bigger challenge of coordinating the struggle between the urban and rural population, thus our slogan”.

As Hohn expressed, MAB believes energy is becoming more important and the families affected by dams, as well as those who pay high electricity bills are affected by the energy model”.

“We are building a popular energy project, with the view of a new social order based on socialism” said MAB's leader

Finally, very close to the international meeting against dams to be held on March 14, MAB leader invited the people affected by energy mega-projects to coordinate their struggle and resistance to those projects and to the current model and to continue the joint struggle around the world.

Photo: www.aporrea.org

Contrasting positions. Salvadorian Environmental Activist Publicly Challenges Mining Advocates

Real World Radio — 2013-03-04T18:39:01Z

Ricardo Navarro, chair of CESTA-Friends of the Earth El Salvador said at a press conference on Monday: “We think the position of the Salvadorian Association of the Industry Sector (ASI) is dishonest because they want to get profits, money, they seek to benefit corporations that will extract gold”.

At the press conference, Salvadorian organizations of the Mesoamerican Movement against the Mining Extractive Model, dubbed M4, rejected a request made by the ASI before Congress to allow mining exploitation in the country and to reject a bill proposing its suspension.

“Mining exploitation in the form found in El Salvador is microscopic, it requires large amounts of water. Exploiting gold means leaving agriculture out of water.”, said Navarro.

ASI's chair, Javier Ernesto Siman signed a letter that the association sent to representative Francisco Zablah, who presides the Legislative Assembly's Environment Committee dated ‘February 2013'.

The letter begins by sayng “I hereby express the opinion of the Salvadorian Association of the Industrial Sector regarding the bill sent to the honourable commission of the Ministries of Economy and Environment, which proposes the temporary suspension of all mining operations in El Salvador”.

The letter explains that “said bill does not contribute to the sector's development, which can imply a real possibility for development in the country by creating jobs, revenues, exports and social responsibility, environmental and industrial development” This is just a summary of the letter where the ASI lists the advantages of mining.

At the press conference, Navarro said mining activity “implies the destruction of the whole ecosystem to extract gold”. He highlighted that the amount of water needed for mining affects the food sector. “Chemicals, toxic substances are needed. Then, in combination with the water all that is left is acid waste, acid sewage. Some of these substances is the cyanide needed to extract gold”. Therefore, mining “is a highly polluting process and those who benefit from this activity extract gold and silver and then leave the country”, said CESTA's chair.

However, before ending the conference Navarro challenged ASI to a public debate to confront their ideas. This intention was confirmed by leader Mauricio Vanegas of the M4.

“We are very concerned about the lobby that ASI is doing with the Legislative Assembly to request that the bill under discussion is not passed”, said Vanegas. He said the association “is not taking into account any of the negative impacts” that mining causes on water and on the Salvadorian people. “We urge the Legislative Assembly to proceed with the passing of the bill to guarantee that mining does not take place in the country”.

To this Navarro added: “The main message to the Legislative Assembly is that they should not allow mining in El Salvador, to ban metal mining in El Salvador, period. That is the message”.

In an interview published by Real World Radio last December, Salvadorian priest Neftali Ruiz Martinez of the Environmental Committee of Cabañas department spoke about the threats, murders and criminalization of community members that began the resistance to Canadian corporation Pacific Rim's gold and silver extraction project called “El Dorado”.

At least four community members have been killed by hired assassins since 2009 in that Salvadorian region. “Mining corporations are like the devil: they come here to kill and divide people”, said Ruiz, who suffered death threats and attacks as a result of his commitment to the environment.

Some of the community members who were murdered, now considered “environmental heroes” by the residents of Cabañas, were brutally tortured before being killed.

Photo: migenteinforma.org