How many know of the struggles of those in the jungles of Peru? How many must die before the world will listen? Why did anyone have to die? Why wasn’t their peaceful struggle to save the Amazon enough to get our attention?
The news only began to get attention when peaceful indigenous protesters were met with military force. The indigenous inhabitants of the region surrounding Bagua, in the Peruvian Amazon, had been gathering in an effort to stop the government from handing over more than 50% of the Peruvian Amazon to mining and oil companies (mainly from Canada and the US) for exploitation.
During a meeting the night before, a group of indigenous representatives were told that they would have until 10 am to clear the area where thousands had gathered in protest of the government’s decision. Before the news had reached them, or most certainly before they had all had the time to leave the area where they had been camping out, the military arrived. It was almost 6 am.
This is when things began to turn sour. The government claims that a number of protesters became violent. The protesters insist that the military gave them no chance to leave peacefully and began firing tear gas into the crowd. Not long after, bullets were fired along with the tear gas. When the bullets continued to rain down, most fled the area, trying to stay alive.
After hearing about the casualties at the section of the road called “Devil’s Curve,” where the conflict was taking place, non-indigenous residents of the nearby town, Bagua, began to protest as well. Those protests also turned deadly. Indigenous and non-indigenous alike, protesters had tried to make a stand for the environment and the rights of the indigenous, and both groups had been met with force.
Afterwards, the military sectioned off the area around the Devil’s Curve, not allowing people to return to the area to search for the bodies of their loved ones, or even to find out how many had been killed. Because of this, and because it was hard to collect information from the many small, isolated communities that the protesters came from, the number of people killed in this struggle is very difficult to determine.
The exact events that took place on that day, June 5th, 2009, can be better told by those who were there. I encourage you to read about them in more detail. One article that explains the situation in great detail can be found at: http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/ben-powless/2009/06/massacre-peru-trip-amazon-brings-answers-and-more-questions
What I have to offer you is of my own experiences in Peru. I visited several regions of the Amazon during my 6-month stay in this beautiful country. I met with AIDESEP, the organization that was at the heart of this conflict, striving for environmental change. I spoke to their members about what needs to be done to protect the Amazon, upon which the indigenous rely for so many aspects of their life, and upon which the world depends for its incredible biological and cultural diversity and for the healing properties of the plants within it. I met with indigenous leaders and townsfolk alike. I listened to their stories and developed valuable friendships. I fell in love with the jungle and the people within it, which is why the news of this conflict shakes me to the core.
Now I am back in Canada and feeling helpless. My friends and colleagues and countless other people from areas of the Amazon I have never visited are all still fighting in Peru for what they believe in, but how can I help them? Something simple came to mind. I can share their story with others, with youth who care and who can make a difference.
Now that the most dramatic events have passed, will people lose interest? After lives have been lost for a cause, what will happen? I urge you all not to forget injustices once they have been committed. I urge you all to remember, and to act.
So, how many know of the struggles of the indigenous in Peru? One more.
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