Franco Viteri, from the Kichwa people of Sarayaku, is currently a representative of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon.
The Tegantai Environmental Agency conducted this interview..
The Tegantai Environmental Agency conducted this interview..
- TEGANTAI Agency: What has oil exploitation historically meant for indigenous peoples?
Franco Viteri: It has represented the gradual death of indigenous cultures. The deterioration of the quality of life of indigenous peoples has implied the violation of human rights, environmental deterioration, it has represented contamination, diseases, and territorial dispossession in particular, because indigenous peoples have a very special relationship with the territories; food sovereignty, social and emotional state depend on the territory to survive as a culture. If there is no healthy forest, these people will cease to exist. In the northern Amazon, the disastrous oil activity has left towns that survive there in such a serious way because there are palm oil plantations, oil wells, large roads, high levels of crime. Added to this is the violence generated by drug trafficking. It has not represented development in itself.
The concept of development is not well discussed in the country, it is believed that having money is synonymous with fullness of life. Money is a means to achieve some material needs but the relationship that indigenous cultures have with nature is a spiritual relationship.
- AT: What is your view on the transition from the oil model to the mining model?
FV: It is more of the same. A serious and profound debate must be initiated on what a post-oil Ecuador would be like. The reality and the need to find cleaner energies that respect Human Rights and Nature must be put on the table for debate. It is very important to stop dependence on extractivism. I think it is important that universities, academia, scientists, should think about what type of development suits the country, understanding that it is a country with a diversity unique in the world; this implies that we must think with a great humanitarian commitment, with nature.
Until now, the governments that have come to power have come to power thinking about dollars, that is the only thing they can think about. They do not think that the maximum resources and especially water are what define life. Now, they only think about mining and oil, a man does not drink gold or oil, he drinks water. We must rethink from these levels, from that conception of life, from that relationship with nature, that human beings must abandon these consumerist practices.
We must move towards a great debate on what development means for the country; there are many visions of development and until now the utilitarian, mercantilist vision of development has prevailed, where money is placed over life, over the rights of nature and peoples; for this, indigenous peoples must maintain resistance and the State must make a great effort to recover ancestral knowledge about the relationship with nature.
- AT: For Sarayaku, what has it meant to resist oil exploitation?
FV: First of all, it is about recovering dignity, then defending the rights of nature. Recovering self-esteem as peoples, telling the world that we are alive and giving strength to other peoples who have been subjugated, overwhelmed, trampled on and whose human rights have been violated, is important because it is an example of how we transmit dignity, strength, community with nature, and all of this is transmitted to future generations as a historical legacy for the generations to come, so that they can take care of it and defend it.
- AT: What do you think about the president's statements about Sarayacu?
FV: It is an economic vision, very utilitarian and monetarist, from its point of view it is realistic, but it does not take into account the visions of indigenous peoples about their relationship with nature, the meaning of the territory, a vision that does not consider the peoples as inhabitants of the territory and places them in an unrealistic scenario.
If the court rules in favor of Sarayacu, it would be a great boost for justice here in Ecuador, it would be a great precedent for the country and for all peoples, to do justice for the people of Sarayacu. The president needs to be better informed about what indigenous cultures are, he needs advisors to help him understand what indigenous peoples are. There is an imposition of the concept of good living from the urban to the community, until now a concept of good living prevails for those who have a car and are consumers, versus the good living of indigenous peoples who do not consume much, we need enough to live, to share and give back to Mother Nature. The president has to realize this. He must learn to understand the reality of indigenous peoples, the concepts that are held about life and the worldview of indigenous peoples and their relationship with Mother Nature. The president needs guidance, a high dose of humility, simplicity and understanding with other cultures. And also to reach a broad consensus to debate the role of companies, universities, professionals, at all levels, with the people. These issues have not been discussed from a perspective that takes the people into account.
- AT: What does it mean to you to be a representative of the Amazonian peoples?
FV: It is a great challenge. We must bring to light the abuses suffered by the Amazonian peoples. My challenge is to restore these peoples' dignity.
Two things must be taken into account: first, there are peoples who have already made contact with the extractive industry and have suffered the consequences of this oil exploitation, such as oil spills, the dumping of formation waters in estuaries and springs; peoples whose collective rights have been systematically violated, sometimes with the complicity of the State. And there is a vision of other peoples who reject this type of extractive policies and who do not want it in their territories, who have seen what has happened in other places in Ecuador and who, instead of lending their territories for this, defend them. It must be considered that in both cases they are under very strong pressure from the state and the companies. The task then is to unify the Confeniae and we, as the people of Sarayacu, have the possibility of contributing a lot to the Confeniae. The construction of the Plurinational State is not done by the State, it is done by the people, from the State a difference is made that uses our discourse to position its point of view. Defending life is the highest priority of the Confeniae.
- AT: What is the position of indigenous organizations regarding public conservation policies and RIO+20?
FV: These are attacks against indigenous peoples. They are unilateral state policies that do not consider the rights of peoples. There has been no consultation or dialogue of any kind. It affects the rights of territorial sovereignty and protected areas. The approach of RIO+20 is a utilitarian, mercantilist approach that does not respect Mother Nature at all. Those who have destroyed the planet will be present at RIO+20. People who have oil businesses, people who will be there with the mask of green capitalists. There is talk of a green economy that has an economic, mercantilist vision.
The only way to stop climate change is to respect the territories of indigenous peoples, stop consuming fossil fuels, stop megaprojects in indigenous territories, stop deforestation for palm oil and agrofuels, these are concrete issues. The government approaches things as if they were trade negotiations, that should not be the focus of RIO+20, the focus should be on respect for indigenous peoples, human rights, nature and in particular establishing real conservation policies for the Amazon. If we do not do this, we run the risk of losing the only real opportunity to stop climate change and defend indigenous peoples.
- AT: What do you think about the criminalization of indigenous leaders?
FV: Protest cannot be criminalized. Protest is a right. Demonstrations cannot be described as terrorism; demonstrations are a right. For us, ALBA is death; it is a regional integration project that affects indigenous peoples in all countries.
Here, the people and their leaders are being played with in order to delegitimize the leaders and the processes. This is inconceivable, especially in a state that calls itself revolutionary. A revolution cannot be made without indigenous people, because this land belongs to us too, they are not criminalizing our proposals; it is a response to the fear of the ruling regime towards the people, because they fear losing power, losing the hegemony of 150 years of republican oppression.
They do not want to lose the rights they have illegitimately obtained. Water is going to be privatized for the mining companies, but we are not fighting for ourselves, we are fighting for our right to water. We have the right to protest, criminalization should not occur in this country, it is not consistent with a revolutionary process. The struggles will not stop even if they continue criminalizing, each process of criminalization strengthens us.
Originally published in Tegantai Agency
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