Thursday, December 02, 2010
Front Lines
When the American company Bechtel tried to privatize water in Bolivia, they helped to foment an indigenous peoples' rebellion. That rebellion, in turn, established an indigenous head of state who has led them in revising their constitution to respect the rights of Mother Earth, enabling Bolivia to act as guarantor of the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples worldwide. In Aracaunia, toward the tip of the southern cone of South America, the Mapuche are rebelling against the Chilean government that is abetting a Japanese company intent on stealing their water. As water becomes more precious due to wasteful habits, pollution and climate change, corporations with an eye to profit will continue looking for locations to steal; as proprietors of much of that water, indigenous nations are, as usual, on the front lines.
