Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

from the Spring issue of Think Public!

In October 2008, Amelia Marasa, a PSAC/CIU member and Crystal Graber a PSAC/CEIU member, attended the 3rd Americas Social Forum in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The tour was organized by Co-Develop­ment Canada. Crystal and Amelia’s participation was sponsored by the PSAC Social Justice Fund and the BC Regional Council. The following is a report on their tour.

From October 7 to 12, 2008, the participants at the 3rd Americas Social Forum (ASF) proved that “another America is possible.” The forum, which was held in Guatemala City, aimed to analyze, to share information and propose ideas for how Latin America might stand up against the damages that globalization is causing to countries in the Global South. In Guatemala, two per cent of the population owns over 96 per cent of the land, while 48 per cent of the population is illiterate and lives in poverty.

People from all over the Americas participated in an open discussion about the all-too-common social problems facing Latin American countries. For decades right wing governments have allowed multinational corporations to make huge profits from the fruits, products and resources of the Mother Land (Mama Pacha, as the Mayans call Earth), without any consideration for the local people, communities, and environment.

The indigenous people of America are changing this. By participating in forums such as ASF and getting active in their local governments and at national levels, they are standing up for themselves and demanding changes. This is not just for their communities, but for the continent and for the rest of the world.

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