Wirikuta: a sacred place sold to mining companies.
Today, May 26 2012, in Mexico we are having a huge music festival called Wirikuta Fest which aims to push the public concern in Mexico about the problem faced by ancestral and indigenous community for the mining project of First Majestic Silver (FMS).
Curiously the mexican government had not been declared anything officially about it till yesterday when the Economy Minister, Bruno Ferrari, reported that "the mining company FMS gave 761 acres to the federal government "to ensure the protection of sacred sites" of the people Wixárika.
Everyone on twitter was very excited by this news because we thought our request had been heard but...
Immediately the legitimate defense source, Frente de Defensa de Wirikuta, gave another data which explains "this donation represents only 0.5% of the 140,211 ha from the Wirikuta Reserve. And 13% of the total grant FMS. These 761 acres that First Majestic will "donate" exclude the veins that the company will explode. Its mining project remains intact".
So the Mexican government are perhaps not saying the whole truth. This is a sample from a community in San Luis Potosi but it reflects what is happening in general with Mexico. The companies and their development are gaining groung all the time no matter what, and the government only said that they could just be an arbitrator to negotiate like another person and they can get "donations" but they don't remember that they are the authority, and that they got there because of us.
We don't want more donations, we want expropriations!
Their work is speak for us, that's why we choose them and we pay them.
You can check the maps comparison here: http://t.co/olxRBjr8
James Duminy (Moderator) from South Africa, 27 May 2012Rights to land and cultural self-determination for indigenous peoples are recognised by most governments and international organizations. Yet in reality these collective rights are seldom upheld - leading to recent interest in planning and development approaches that aiming for endogenous development and the promotion of human rights.
Perhaps we can use this discussion to reflect upon the disjuncture between national economic development policy (in countries such as Mexico), with their claims to promote equity and rights in development, against the reality of how land development is managed and carried out. Who wins and who loses? What are the most important checks and balances that can be put in place to promote equity in development? Share your experiences here!
Mariana Araujo, 27 May 2012Totally agree. The international commitments and local actions are not the same mirror. I think everyone lose because even when these kind of companies (and governments that support) eventually are going to gain lots of money, they could not avoid the environmental degradation and sooner or later they are going to realize that they cannot turn money into water or food.
Also I think that an important check point is to consider the different worldviews and experience of these native communities to put in the future planning table the key elements for negotiation, because the resources and the land most of the times don´t have like a math or monetary parameter to their owners but more deeply values as religious and mystical which can´t be purchased.