Hello. On January 31st, I'm leaving for Panama on a ten day fact finding and international monitoring mission to be reunited with my friends in the village of Nance de Riscó in the province of Bocas del Toro, Panamá as they struggle against a hydroelectric dam being built in the area. This is my simplified overview of the situation for your digestion.
My time in Nance was one of the most incredible experiences of my life highlighted by the people I lived with who became like family to me and the chance to wake up every morning and look out onto a rainforest. I have so many memores of zany adventures, challenging situations, amoebas, general good times, and tropical sweat there; it always calls up an uncomfortable ache in my heart to think of it. So much happened. To describe an experience so different than my life states-side, is difficult, but know that it is in me, those two and a half years, and I am a better Dawn for it.
Back to the Story
I had a great visit in 2003, but since then, I had shamelessly slipped back into my cushy American life and lost contact with people...until about a week and a half ago.
I found out that AES Corporation, a US based energy company with ties across the globe, had progressed in their plans--with Panamanian government approval, to build three dams along the Changuinola River which border Nance and other Ngobe Villages. Charco La Pava, the village just up the Changuinola from where I lived, will be flooded entirely.
Regardless of where one might stand on the issue of dams which are touted as a renewable energy source here in the states, the tactics this company has employed to obtain land have been villainous; people have been coerced, pitted against each other and lied to in order to get them to sell--all by a company promoting itself as "socially responsible."
The Devastation
In addition to displacing thousands and breaking up communities, the river downstream will be diminished; there will be a loss of aquatic life; an international park that is rich in biodiversity and borders the rivers will be threatened, and the ecosystem of the river will be forever changed.
What's Been/Being Done--NGOs
Several non-governmental organizations have been working to legally stop the dam and help the Ngobe educate and organize themselves about what is happening. Highlighting current actions, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is being petitioned and the World Heritage Centre will be making a visit in February to evaluate potential threats to the International Park, La Amistad next to the Changuinola.
In the latter case, the best outcome is that international attention will be drawn to the issue and that the Panamanian government will be embarrassed or pressured for approving and fast-tracking a project with flawed environmental impact studies, a failure to respects the rights to consultation and participation of people most affected and a lack of comprehensive planning that might have considered more sensitive alternatives or ways of approaching this. Here are some links.
Background
From 1998-2000, I served as Peace Corps volunteer in the village of Nance which is on the Caribbean side of Panamá, near Costa Rica. About 700 people live there at least half of whom are kids. The Ngobe are Panama's largest indigenous group that speak their own language, Ngobe, in addition to Spanish. There is to date still no electricity (I thought this might have changed.) or potable water--an indication of governmental neglect that also touches on countrywide discrimination toward indigenous people who are often portrayed as uneducated and simple.
My time in Nance was one of the most incredible experiences of my life highlighted by the people I lived with who became like family to me and the chance to wake up every morning and look out onto a rainforest. I have so many memores of zany adventures, challenging situations, amoebas, general good times, and tropical sweat there; it always calls up an uncomfortable ache in my heart to think of it. So much happened. To describe an experience so different than my life states-side, is difficult, but know that it is in me, those two and a half years, and I am a better Dawn for it.
Back to the Story
I had a great visit in 2003, but since then, I had shamelessly slipped back into my cushy American life and lost contact with people...until about a week and a half ago.
I found out that AES Corporation, a US based energy company with ties across the globe, had progressed in their plans--with Panamanian government approval, to build three dams along the Changuinola River which border Nance and other Ngobe Villages. Charco La Pava, the village just up the Changuinola from where I lived, will be flooded entirely.
Regardless of where one might stand on the issue of dams which are touted as a renewable energy source here in the states, the tactics this company has employed to obtain land have been villainous; people have been coerced, pitted against each other and lied to in order to get them to sell--all by a company promoting itself as "socially responsible."
The Devastation
In addition to displacing thousands and breaking up communities, the river downstream will be diminished; there will be a loss of aquatic life; an international park that is rich in biodiversity and borders the rivers will be threatened, and the ecosystem of the river will be forever changed.
What's Been/Being Done--NGOs
Several non-governmental organizations have been working to legally stop the dam and help the Ngobe educate and organize themselves about what is happening. Highlighting current actions, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is being petitioned and the World Heritage Centre will be making a visit in February to evaluate potential threats to the International Park, La Amistad next to the Changuinola.
In the latter case, the best outcome is that international attention will be drawn to the issue and that the Panamanian government will be embarrassed or pressured for approving and fast-tracking a project with flawed environmental impact studies, a failure to respects the rights to consultation and participation of people most affected and a lack of comprehensive planning that might have considered more sensitive alternatives or ways of approaching this. Here are some links.
Much of this I learned through Jason Gray and Linda Barrera who are studying environmental law at Lewis and Clark in Portland. They've been working on this for a while and I'm grateful to them for taking the time to answer questions, send links and documents and generally keep people informed.
What's Been/Being Done--Ngobe ActivitiesIn the villages themselves, the Ngobe have been denouncing the dam since 2004. A Panamanian group, ACD has been working to empower people and let them know their rights. It now appears that people are increasingly feeling ready to protest even though many people have already entered into agreements with the company.
Recently, there have been a few protests with one on the 3rd of January ending in 50 arrests including women and children who were also tear-gassed. Another one is scheduled for this week.
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Power--Activate!
I heard about this from another volunteer and then began forwarding the message to other RPCVs and also the director of the program when I served. Soon word spread, people began talking and we formed an informal group to figure out how we could best be of help. We realized that we can both support the work of other groups working on this issue with our various skills and contacts and also bring our unique perspective in that many of us have relationships with people there.
We have a few ideas we are working on behind the scenes including my mission to go to Nance and Charco. For me personally, it felt good to have people who shared my deep concern and love for the people and place as the news was so upsetting.
My Trip
Much of the information we have received so far has focused on legal environmental and human rights challenges--a crucial piece of the campaign to stop the dams and secure just compensation for those affected. Little documentation has come to us about how people on the ground are actually feeling about what's happening. Dana Perls who served in Nance after me and visited last August, reported that many seemed defeated by the dam and powerless given that the company has "guns and money."
In my ten day trip, I will talk to people to get a sense of who and how many oppose the dam, find out if they want us there and what solutions they're proposing, establish contacts, document what I see with video and photos, let them know that there are people in the States that care about what is happening to them and serve as an international monitor.
More than one organization suggested we could be of help in this way as it is believed that an international presence could help control police and that Peace Corps people are the only ones that can actually get into the area. There has been a police blockade since January 3rd and no press or activists have been allowed in.
I leave this Thursday at 6am and hope to arrive in Nance by the evening of the first. There is a protest coming up Wednesday and things are heating up so I'm trying to stay informed as something seems to happen everyday like an AES press event this morning or increased police presence.
Lastly
Some have questioned the wisdom of protesting the dam entirely as the company is very much proceeding with their plans if not speeding up. In the big picture though, as the government plans to build over 90 dams in the country, many see the importance of setting precedent for what is most likely to come and telling the government that this is unacceptable now--before it happens again.
1 comment:
Welcome to Panama
The Ngobe people need your help.
Please help us to stop AES Corporation in Protected Areas of Panama and Ngobe lands.
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