ROLL WITH THE DECLARATION – THE LAND, OUR LIFE

 

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=164532860277728

~~ Please spread the word ! ~~

ROLL WITH THE DECLARATION – “THE LAND, OUR LIFE”
Participatory Indigenous Solidarity Workshop with KAIROS, IPSMO - Barriere Lake Solidarity Collective and FAMILIES OF SISTERS IN SPIRIT

We will be making BANNERS!

1 pm – 5 pm
Saturday, June 4 2011
PSAC boardroom, 233 Gilmour St. Ottawa
Unceded and Unsurrendered Algonquin Territory

This workshop is open to everyone! Refreshment and snack will be provided.

Please R.S.V.P!

Special guests: Ed Bianchi, Kristen Gilchrist, Bridget Tolley, Tillis Wawatie Keye and Marcelo Saavedra-Vargas!

Come and learn about the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Mitchikanibikok Inik (the Algonquins of Barriere Lake) and Violence against Indigenous Women in Canada. As a part of the discussions, we will do a powerful exercise that explores the experience and impacts of colonization – the BLANKET exercise.

In the 2nd part of the workshop, we will collectively make banners to express our solidarity with the Algonquins of Barriere Lake and Indigenous Women in this country. These banners are a way to urge Canada to get to work on implementing this historic international agreement – UNDRIP – the minimum standard for the governments to fulfill their obligations for the right of Indigenous peoples to self-determination. These banners will then join other banners from across the country in a demonstration and march on June 20 Day of Action organized by KARIOS.

** We will ask for donations to cover the costs of materials for this event.

For more info:

Mitchikanibikok Inik (the Algonquins of Barriere Lake): http://www.barrierelakesolidarity.org/,
Violence against Indigenous Women in Canada: http://www.amnesty.ca/campaigns/sisters_overview.php,
Families of Sisters in Spirit: https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_126522944087041&ap=1,
Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement Ottawa: http://www.ipsmo.org/,
KAIROS: http://www.kairoscanada.org/, and
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/drip.html

Algonquin Sharing Day

Algonquin Sharing Day with Bob Lovelace, Lynn Gehl, Paula Sherman, and Bonita Lawrence - Saturday, June 25, 2011
Oshkabaywis Lynn Gehl

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=101553219933546&notif_t=event_invite

 

THREE LITTLE BIRDS w/ Heather Black @ AlphaSoul Café

Time: Saturday, May 21 · 7:00pm - 11:00pm
Location: Alpha Soul Cafe; 1015 Wellington St. West; Ottawa, Ontario

WANTED: NOT DEAD, BUT DEFINITELY NOT ALIVE.
Stephen Harper.

Now that we've got your attention, let me tell you a story. Two young girls were born upon a blue-moon. They spent their days wreaking havoc upon the civilians of their small town - through endless ukulele playing and the incessant squawk of oboes in the night. One day, a young dragon happened upon their path. With her locks of gold, her magical fairy box and the ability ...to spit fire, she (along with the other two) could now defeat the Blue Ice Man.

Under the creep of Conservatism, they were shooed from one establishment to the next as cold, blue ice began to cover the land (and ruin the arts. Not to mention slashing funding for woman's rights organizations, or aboriginal-led organizations for missing and murdered women). They ran further and further south taking shelter in crumbling mansions and decrepit taverns until the three BANDits fell upon their next underground.

The Alpha Soul Cafe!

Come out for a night of entertainment, a cup of coffee, or to satisfy your craving for artistic uprising. This is not something to be missed. Opening will be the smooth, vocal styling of local singer - songwriter Heather Black.

Doors a 7pm, show starts at 7:30.
 
10$

www.myspace.com/threelittlebirdstheband

www.myspace.com/sitablack

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=153473554719536

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Three-Little-Birds/125760494113916

The Law of Mother Earth: Behind Bolivia’s Historic Bill

Written by Nick Buxton  

Source: Yes Magazine

Indigenous and campesino (small-scale farmer) movements in the Andean nation of Bolivia are on the verge of pushing through one of the most radical environmental bills in global history. The "Mother Earth" law under debate in Bolivia's legislature will almost certainly be approved, as it has already been agreed to by the majority governing party, Movimiento Al Socialismo (MAS).

The law draws deeply on indigenous concepts that view nature as a sacred home, the Pachamama (Mother Earth) on which we intimately depend. As the law states, “Mother Earth is a living dynamic system made up of the undivided community of all living beings, who are all interconnected, interdependent and complementary, sharing a common destiny.”

The law would give nature legal rights, specifically the rights to life and regeneration, biodiversity, water, clean air, balance, and restoration. Bolivia's law mandates a fundamental ecological reorientation of Bolivia's economy and society, requiring all existing and future laws to adapt to the Mother Earth law and accept the ecological limits set by nature. It calls for public policy to be guided by Sumaj Kawsay (an indigenous concept meaning “living well,” or living in harmony with nature and people), rather than the current focus on producing more goods and stimulating consumption.

In practical terms, the law requires the government to transition from non-renewable to renewable energy; to develop new economic indicators that will assess the ecological impact of all economic activity; to carry out ecological audits of all private and state companies; to regulate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions; to develop policies of food and renewable energy sovereignty; to research and invest resources in energy efficiency, ecological practices, and organic agriculture; and to require all companies and individuals to be accountable for environmental contamination with a duty to restore damaged environments.

The law will be backed up by a new Ministry of Mother Earth, an inter-Ministry Advisory Council, and an Ombudsman. Undarico Pinto, leader of the 3.5 million-strong campesino movement CSUTCB, which helped draft the law, believes this legislation represents a turning point in Bolivian law: "Existing laws are not strong enough. This will make industry more transparent. It will allow people to regulate industry at national, regional, and local levels."

However, there is also strong awareness among Bolivia's social movements—in particular for the Pacto de Unidad (Unity Pact), a coalition of the country's five largest social movements and a key force behind the law—that the existence of a new law will not be enough to prompt real change in environmental practices.

A major obstacle is the fact that Bolivia is structurally dependent on extractive industries. Since the discovery of silver by the Spanish in the 16th Century, Bolivia's history has been tied to ruthless exploitation of its people and its environment in order to transfer wealth to the richest countries; poet and historian Eduardo Galeano’s famous book Open Veins draws largely on the brutal story of how Bolivia's exploitation fuelled the industrial expansion of Europe. In 2010, 70 percent of Bolivia's exports were still in the form of minerals, gas, and oil. This structural dependence will be very difficult to unravel.

Moreover, there is a great deal of opposition from powerful sectors, particularly mining and agro-industrial enterprises, to any ecological laws that would threaten profits. The main organization of soya producers, which claimed that the law “will make the productive sector inviable,” is one of many powerful groups who have already come out against the law. Within the government, there are many ministries and officials that would also like the law to remain nothing more than a visionary but ultimately meaningless statement.

Raul Prada, one of the advisors to Pacto de Unidad, explained that the Mother Earth law was developed by Bolivia's largest social movements in response to their perceived exclusion from policy-making by the MAS government, led by indigenous President Evo Morales. They have generally supported MAS since its resounding election victory in 2005, but were frustrated by what they saw as a lack of progress. Rather than merely expressing their concern, these movements—comprised mainly of indigenous and farming communities—are pro-actively developing a series of new laws. Their first priority was the passage of the Mother Earth Law, based on a commitment made at the historic global Peoples Conference on Climate Change held in Bolivia in April 2010. To some surprise, the diverse movements soon developed a consensual agreement that was supported by MAS legislators.

Raul Prada notes that, even with significant pressure from social movements, transitioning to an economy based on the concept Vivir Bien will not be easy. “It is going to be difficult to transit from an extractive economy. We clearly can't close mines straight away, but we can develop a model where this economy has less and less weight. It will need policies developed in participation with movements, particularly in areas such as food sovereignty. It will need redirection of investment and policies towards different ecological models of development. It will need the cooperation of the international community to develop regional economies that complement each other.”

Ultimately, though, this is a challenge far bigger than Bolivia, says Prada: “Our ecological and social crisis is not just a problem for Bolivia or Ecuador; it is a problem for all of us. We need to pull together peoples, researchers, and communities to develop real concrete alternatives so that the dominant systems of exploitation don't just continue by default. This is not an easy task, but I believe with international solidarity, we can and must succeed.”

Nick Buxton wrote this article for YES! Magazine, a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas with practical actions. He spent four years in Bolivia learning from movements fighting for social and environmental justice

Native American Activist, Author Winona LaDuke on "The Militarization of Indian Country" and Obama Admin’s "Lip Service" to Indigenous Rights

Mining Injustice - In Toronto

 

Mining Injustice Solidarity Network is pleased to invite you to the third conference on the impact of Canadian mining on local communities throughout the world, which will take place the 6th - 8th of May of 2011, in Toronto.

FOR COMPLETE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE PLEASE VISIT: http://www.solidarityresponse.net/mining-injustice-conference/conference-agenda-2011/

This conference reflects the collective effort of several organizations and grass roots groups in Toronto, in collaboration with peoples, communities and organizations facing and resisting the entrance of corporate mining mega-projects into their territories.

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Friday May 6th, 7 pm: Conference 'soft-launch' - meet and greet with affected community members and activists at Beit Zatoun (612 Markham Street)
RSVP here so we know how much food to bring!: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=180292898686837

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Saturday May 7th, 1:15 pm: keynote speaker Winona LaDuke and concurrent sessions as well as workshops and caucuses! (Sidney Smith Hall)

Official conference launch, 8 pm - 2 am: dance party (193 Dowling Street @ Queen Street West)

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Sunday May 8th, 10 am: concurrent sessions as well as workshops and caucuses (cont.!) (Sidney Smith Hall)

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Particular themes that will be discussed this year include:
• Gendered violence, inequity and feminist perspectives
• Militarization and forced displacement
• Indigenous knowledge and spirituality as forms of resistance
• Labour rights and the rhetoric of development
• Criminalization of dissent and protest
• Environmental contamination effects and health
• Food security and water rights
• The cycle of supply and demand of uranium in the North
• Tar sands and the petroleum industry in the North and South

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Stay tuned for a list of speakers or visit our website at www.solidarityresponse.net

Endorsed by: AccentsBookstore, Barrio Nuevo, Bayan Canada, Canadians Against Mining in El Salvador, Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean, Common Frontiers, CUPE 4400, CUPE 3903, Environmental Justice Toronto, First Continental Encounter of the Peoples of the Abya Yala-Ecuador, First Nations Solidarity Working Group, Guatemala Community Network – Toronto Kitchener-Waterloo Mayan Project – Tzijolaj-Ottawa, Health for All, Indigenous Environmental Network, Latin American and Caribbean Solidarity Network, Latin American Trade Union Coalition, Migrante, MiningWatch Canada, Munk OUT of UofT, NooneisIllegal, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, Opirg Toronto, Osgoode Environmental Law Society, Philippines Solidarity Network of Canada, ProtestBarrick, Rights Action, Science for Peace, Students for a Free Tibet, Toronto Bolivia Solidarity, Todos por Guatemala, Workers Assembly.


If you would like to endorse this event please email Mining Injustice Solidarity Network at miconference2011@gmail.com