Coñaripe, Chile

Coñaripe, situated to the north of lake Calafquen, near the Villarrica National Park, which was declared a UNESCO sight in 1999, in the XIVth region in Southern Chile. The environment of a large part of the seven lakes region will be seriously affected and its sustainability will be threatened by the plans of a foreign energy company, SN Power, to build a series of hydroelectric plants, in a hydroelectric megaproject.

In the Mapuche language, Mapudungun, ‘Mapu’ means earth, or land, and ‘che’ means people; they are the people of the land. This linguistic symbolism signals the historic importance of land and its resources to the Mapuche people, and it is an integral and significant part of their existence to this day. Yet, it has also been the cause of most of their grief and strife. Most anthropologists and observers recognize the integral role the land and the environment play in the Mapuche culture. The valley in which Coñaripe is located has always been Mapuche land. The Mapuche originally populated the mountain ranges of Challupén, Traitraico y Pucura. Throughout history, they have been resettled and their land has been reduced significantly, so that they now live on a handful of reserves in and around Coñaripe. Now SN Power´s plan threatens to further reduce their living space and ability to survive, displacing them even further.

If this project will be effectuated, flora, fauna and the local people will no longer be able to survive as they currently do. Water will diverted from flowing its natural course through this area, and inundate other parts of the region. One of the rivers that will be largerly affected is the Llancahue, which presently provides water to the surrounding flora, fauna and people alike for their survival, as well as there sustenance needs such as sustainable fishing, a sustainable energy source, and sustainable tourism such as hotsprings, rafting and trekking. This form of income will be lost if the plans go through. This will further affect the local businesses in the region who profit indirectly from tourism. This area does not currently have any other industry that can provide employment. Therefore, if the plans for the hydroelectric megaproject by SN Power take effect, the livelihoods of approximately 1400 people (30 families and communities) will be threatened, as well as causing unforeseeable consequences for the ecosystem, surrounding region, and mountains, not to mention the pollution the construction will cause.

Currently, the energy company holds an agreement with the Ministry of Economy, Promotion and Reconstruction, so that it may perform ´studies´ in the next two years. These ´studies´ commenced on October 22nd of this year, on indigenous lands, without permission of the inhabitants, which is in contradiction with Chile´s 1993 Indigenous Law. Leaders of the Antimilla community, part of the Round table Pellaifa Newen, are willing to talk and defend their rights. But they have been victims of acts of force by SN Power, as the installation of materials and machinery for exploration sites without permission from the community forced them to take physical action to make the company withdraw its materials and leave the unauthorized sites. The affected communities will continue to raise awareness and conduct protests locally.

However, due to the ethnic and socio-economic politics in Chile, their voices are not being heard, their protest is not being headed. This situation has long historical premises, and indigenous rights have repeatedly been negated in the quest for industrialization and capitalist expansion. The most recent example was the prolific and polemic Pangue and Ralco dams built on the Bio Bio river in the XVIIth region from 1997-2004, comissioned by ENDESA. (see previous post)Approximately 92 Mapuche families were relocated away from their ancestral lands, burial grounds and sacred sites, which were inundated due to the damming of the river. The Mapuche comunities in Coñaripe fear that they will also see a similar fate, as the actions of the energy company have shown absolute disregard for their lands, customs and the Indigenous law to date. This is why we feel it is imperative that this project does take any physical shape. Experience has taught us that once construction has commenced and investments have been made, the power of capital will overrule any human or environmental right. Taking away their water will be literally taking away their last drop of life.

Body Talk

A conversation with a couple in Chile reminds me of a similar conversation I had with a couple in India, about women´s bodies. It seems that the world over men and women are brainwashed with the ideal of a ´perfect´, desirable, sexy and healthy body is that of a barbie doll. Her skin being tanned in the West and white in the Rest. And yet, talking to people from around the world it seems that this ideal is just that, as it is not naturally achievable for many, it is rather a mechanism which keeps women insecure and vulnerable to eating disorders. To be happy, to be healthy, to reproduce and live a long life is to be at peace with your own body in its natural form. To feed yourself for nutrition as well as social pleasure. And men seem to actually truly desire a ´real´woman´s body (una mujer) and not a barbie doll or una chica. If he says otherwise, he is lyng or a product of this brainwashing. A result of our western media, hollywood-glamour magazines and the like. Do we seek approval from the stars? Are they happy? Would they not much rather live without such inhuman pressure to conform to something they are not? It used to be desirable-popular-mainstream to be a round, voluptuous, well-fed woman, in almost all parts of the world. It was seen as a sign of wealth, prestige, power and presence. When did it become fashionable to look like a weak, meek, insecure and vulnerable shadow of a girl? A poor excuse of a woman, I´d say. It is sad enough that professional athletes, dancers, models and actresses must adhere to this pressure as a part of their professional choice. But it is atrocious that the normal, day-to-day, wives, mothers, sisters, friends (ie. the majority of the population) of this world feel pressured to do so. An absolute outrage, a scandal of unhealthy proportions, in fact! Figuratively and literally speaking. Times are changing, though, for the better I hope, as awareness is growing. We, the real people of the world, have the power to change the expectations of what a woman should be. Let us reverse the tides, my friends. Swallow your food, enjoy, drink and be merry if you can, if you are priveleged to do so. Don´t forget it!

The Hypocracy of the Climate Change hype

On a flight with Delta airlines, I was handed the following bag:



Filled with an eyeshade, body lotion, a toothbrush and toothpaste (labelled biodegradable) and earplugs. I'm guessing that only about half the people will use these things and then they will be thrown out. the other half will almost all use them once and then throw them out. So great, that the packaging is environmentally friendly, but they were still made in China, and that certainly does nothing for the 'carbon footprint' of the airline itself. Not to mention that they encourage passengers to take the inflight magazines with them when they leave = more printing and more trees clearcut and more waste! It's an industry that is impossibly carbon-neutral. BIG changes need to take place before I would call an airline 'green'. Yet these promoting themselves as such is all part of image marketing. Although as an environmentalist I cheer every little step towards change, and I truly believe every little bit counts, I am worried about environmentalism being a passing fad, a short-lived trend. Environmental awareness, and adapting behaviour according to environmental principles, requires a long-term internalisation, as if it were second-nature. (when it actually is first).