The march, translated from Spanish to mean the “Plurinational March for Water, Life, and Dignity of the People,” was led by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) in collaboration with other indigenous, environmental, student, worker, and women’s groups.
The movement was born out of a rejection of the constitutional violations and extractive environmental policies of President Rafael Correa’s national government, which is lead by the Alianza Pais party (“Proud and Sovereign Fatherland Alliance”).
Thousands left Ecuador’s Southern Amazonian province of Zamora-Chinchipe on March 8 – International Women’s Day – to begin their journey to Quito. They arrived on March 22, World Water Day.
The starting point was symbolically chosen to denounce the
large-scale, open pit copper mining project initiated in Zamora’s Condor
Cordillera following a contract signed at the beginning of the month
with the Chinese transnational mining corporation, Ecuacorriente (ECSA).
ECSA is an international subsidiary of the Canadian natural mineral resource company, Corriente Resources Inc., based in Vancouver, BC.
The project is the largest scale mining development in the Ecuador’s history, and is contracted to last 25 years, with a $1.4-billion investment in the Southern Amazonian region by ECSA within the first five years.
On March 22, 20,000 demonstrators travelled the final stretch through Quito, arriving from the south to gather downtown at Parque del Arbolito. Another 5,000 arrived from the north.
They carried with them large banners, flags, graffiti, and drums, chanting as they made their way through the city.
Though the protesters marched in unity, they represented a wide variety of issues.
and Sovereign Fatherland Alliance”).
No comments:
Post a Comment