On Tuesday there was a serious incident in the city of Juan José Castelli in the province of Chaco. Protesters led by the organization MIJD (Movimiento Independiente de Jubilados y Desocupados -- Independent Movement of Retirees and Unemployees) were looting a governmental warehouse where food and clothes are stored. It was a political protest to draw attention to the desperate situation in Chaco. This province is one of the poorest regions in Argentina located in the north of the country. Several native tribes call this region their home. Especially indigenous people are facing a terrible plight in Chaco, many people have died of hunger in the past years and many more are suffering from malnutrition and poverty-related diseases such as tuberculosis and dengue. But the worst part is that their plight receives very little attention from Argentine authorities and national media. Thus it is probably no accident that many Argentines are not aware of a substantial aboriginal community being pushed to the edges of society.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Indigenous Protests in Chaco – Because of Food!
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7 comments:
Ugly stuff. Amazing how countries (the US included) can treat its citizens so poorly. The poor get poorer and the ... well, you know the rest. An eternal dilemma.
I fear this may become a more common site throughout the world - as the ravages of the global economic meltdown continue. Thank you for highlighting the plight of these people.
It's shocking to think that in this day and age that anyone goes hungry, when the resources are there. It's all to do with money and keeping the rich in their powerful place.
I saw an excellent film yesterday about Venezuela and how the poor people are shaping their own lives through consciousness and inclusion.
How very sad that we humans can afford to send spacecrafts to other planets but don't feed the people on our own planet.
I poignant contrast to the massive steaks in elegant restaurants that we also see in this blog.
I had the same experience when I was only a kid in the province. The Aetas started coming down from the mountains and went begging for food and sleeping near schools. I'm not sure if they were driven away by land grabbers or if it was because of lack of food.
Like others said, I can't believe that in this time and age there are still people in the world that live in hunger.
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