Indigenous Rights and Development in Peru
On June 5th and 6th, clashes between indigenous protestors and government forces over land rights in the northern Bagua Province of Peru resulted in a number of people on both sides dead (“Fatal Clashes Erupt in Peru at Roadblock,” The New York Times). On the surface, the origin of this problem appears to be in who controls natural resources, but the true nature of the conflict is based in a lack of education and opportunity in indigenous communities and lack of understanding or interest on the part of the government and large corporations.
As in many indigenous areas, land managed by indigenous groups cannot be taken or used by the government or outside companies without first consulting and receiving approval from the communities there.
For more than 30 years, pueblos in the Bagua Province have solicited the government for property titles to ensure these rights and protect their land from mining and petroleum interests. However, transnational companies have found ways to exert their influence on the government and gain access to these indigenous lands. Two recent decrees opened indigenous lands to mining and petroleum companies.
On this occasion, the Peruvian government ran into a well-organized indigenous movement. Protesters illegally blocked roads and threatened to cut natural gas and oil pipelines to Lima, which led to confrontations between government security forces and protesters. As a result, the government decrees were suspended, but indigenous groups are girding themselves for a protracted legal battle.
It’s sad to see this news, especially given the effort that the coffee farmers of Peru have put forward in the past 15 years. In February, I traveled there to follow up with our partners. During the visit, I also had the chance to learn about other coffee communities in the northern part of the country around the community of Jaen, in the Bagua Province, site of some of the conflict.
A lot of work has been done in this country to regain ground as one of the most important coffee producers in the Americas. Between 1993 and 1994, many of the largest cooperatives collapsed due to administrative problems, low coffee prices and other problems. But through hard work and dedication, coffee production in Peru has grown by 50%. Coffee now represents 25% of the value of all exports from the country.
The cultivation of coffee in indigenous communities is common, which obliges organizations like Coffee Kids who work in the community to understand their traditions, their unique culture and their worldview. But above all, it is important to collaborate with these groups in the inevitable process of global integration.
Many of the problems at the root of these dramatic confrontations are not just the result of an oppressive government, but more a result of few educational opportunities in indigenous communities. Without the ability to operate in the political climate in which many indigenous groups find themselves, they cannot properly defend their rights.
In my opinion, a possible solution is not to give the indigenous groups free reign over the land or grant unrestricted business development, but provide sufficient educational opportunities to indigenous communities so they can defend their land rights and utilize their resources wisely.
The best social projects in these areas are those that answer immediate needs of the people and help them gain access to the tools to properly defend their rights, make strategic decisions and create a better future for the next generations.
Read more about this issue here:
“Protesters Gird for Long Fight Over Opening Peru’s Amazon,” The New York Times
“Peruvian Police Accused of Massacring Indigenous Protesters in Amazon Jungle,” Democracy Now
“Images reveal full horror of ‘Amazon’s Tiananmen’,” The Independent