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Week of Resistance
PART TWO
PEOPLE POWER
The week of resistance, having started on the 12th of June, held its grand finale in San Jose Las Flores on the Sunday 18 th. The date was of two-fold importance; for the CCR, it was the celebration of their 18 th anniversary; and for Las Flores, the community was celebrating 20 years of settlement since repopulating in 1986. In a joint effort, a regional forum was held on the special day to mark the end of resistance week, and to declare in an official ceremony Chalatenango’s stance in the face of potential mining projects in their area. The spirit was one of optimism and ongoing energy, as leaders of both regional and national NGO’s, as well as presidents of town councils and FMLN deputies expressed their relentless fight and belief in their struggle. The principal message of the forum was that, individually, man or woman is weak, but that collectively, men and women are strong. This past week was the perfect example of this. Most activities were made possible solely by the collective effort of all, and the Friday march was impactful because more than just a few made an effort to leave their communities and march for their rights in San Salvador . The forum in Las Flores also was an opportunity to encourage further activism amongst the people. As one representative from CORDES put it; “Resistance isn’t only saying no. It’s taking part in activities, not selling our land to the mining company, speaking with our children, our neighbours on the subject, and raising awareness in other communities.”
The importance of organisation and solidarity could not have been stressed more fervently, especially when fruits of such values have brought so much over the past two decades. And certainly, past victories and achievements still shine through, but what is really exciting is that still today, the spirit remains and continues to form new, organised bodies of resistance. One such group is the Committee of Youth in Resistance against Mining (CJRCM). This young committee from Las Flores, with most of its ten members in their last year of school, formed only three weeks ago in support of their community’s general movement of resistance. All last week, they have been busy helping to prepare the Sunday Forum, meeting every day to make banners and numerous exhibitions with newspaper clippings, photos and opinion pieces. They also took part in the Friday march, but were surprised that so few from the city knew what it was about.
The committee feels the responsibility as organised youth to raise awareness amongst their peers on the issue, and feel that the task of resistance cannot be left to the adults alone. Magdalena Menjivar from the group comments that “As young people, we must realise that we have the power to generate change, and that we too must take up the fight like our elders are doing”. The purpose of CJRCM is to lead an example amongst the youth and to bring attention on to the current mining threats. After the forum, they plan to meet once a week so that they can plan further activities. Ideas so far are to visit other youth committees and schools in neighbouring communities, to invite discussion and, as Magdalena put it; “to spread the truth”.
Over the past 18 years, the CCR have solidified a network that started off tentatively in 1988 with just 5 communities, and now works along side a further 95. Proudest achievements in the eyes of Santiago Serrano, the current CCR president, have been helping popular teachers gain recognition and a salary from the state, supporting relatively new areas of work such as the potential schools and the youth committees, and consolidating sistering relationships with other communities and churches around the world. In the latter area, since Santiago has been president, the CCR have joined a Latin American association called COMPA. The acronym stands for the Convergence of Popular movements in Latin America , and is a mechanism through which social movements around the two Latin continents can meet and share experiences through forums and newsletters. Last year, the forum was held in Venezuela and Santiago along with members from CRIPDES had the opportunity to participate in the event.
Photo:
High attendance at the Sunday Forum
If the CCR celebrated anything at the Sunday Forum in Las Flores, it was the values of popular organisation and people power. And now more than ever, these values need to be put into practice as the people of Chalatenango face their new battle. On the surface, the mining issue is one that seems to include two sides, with one more powerful than the other. The power that is the mining company, Martinique , supported and essentially fuelled by a large and complex network of abiding governments, free trade agreements, and a board of directors and actionists, is one that may seem overwhelming in stature and influence. It is also a power that has been audacious enough to believe that it could go ahead with its plans regardless of possible negative impacts or feelings of disapproval. The other power, the one with names and faces and livelihoods at risk, does not have the same extent of resources to feed their confidence; at times, it feels they are shouting out to blocked ears. But what they do have is a type of power that is more resilient, more worthy in nature. They have gathered all their spirits and energies and are applying the power of the people they know best. Everything that has been learnt over the years, whether it was through the war, the refugee camps, or organisation with the CCR, has come together to form a tight and collective body that truly can defy the other, faceless power.
Santiago believes in the organisation of the Chalate people, and claims that Martinique are now starting to get seriously worried. After the Sunday Forum, Santiago told me the story of when the representative of the mining company arrived at his house a month or so ago. The trip had the purpose of charming and flattering Santiago , admiring all the organised work he was participating in, before directly asking him to stop the resistance movement and distract the people from the issue. Santiago calmly replied that even if he did do all that, it would lead to nothing. “I am not doing much motivational work at all! The people do not want these mines, and they will do anything to stop them.”
The closing of the Sunday Forum was the reading of an official document that declared the opposition of Chalate communities to mining projects. With the years of experience the CCR have behind them, and the new and fresh committees joining the struggle such as the youth of CJRCM, it seems that Martinique has a serious battle ahead.
Stephanie Kennedy
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