Indigenous leaders and activists meet the Amnesty International Delegation in Calama. ©Amnesty International
Amnesty International’s delegation travelled to Calama, in the North of Chile, in the most arid partof the world.
The dryness is unimaginable. It is a bit overwhelming to be in the middle of the Atacama desert, dealing with human rights problems that epitomize Chile: the unfinished business of the past and the very pressing marginalization and discrimination of Indigenous Peoples nowadays.
The daykicked off with a meeting with Atacameños and other Indigenous Peoples sharing their problems with us:
Continue reading ‘Human rights in the most arid part of the world - part 1′
Mapuches meet the Amnesty International delegation. ©Amnesty International
On Tuesday, the Amnesty International delegation traveled to Temuco, 700 kilometers south of Chile’s capital, Santiago. Temuco is an amazing place, where the ever present Andes, with their large snowed tips, meet vast woods and green lands.
Some of those lands are home to thousands of Mapuche Indigenous peoples to whom the earth is not only a place to live in, but a way of living
I had the opportunity to meet many of these Mapuche Indigenous peoples. They told me many stories of abuse and suffering. The key message that came through was that they are prevented from participating in decisions that will impact in their communities; that no one listens to them.
Continue reading ‘“I have no money, I have no power and I’m dark skinned” – hearing the unheard in Temuco’
