Avatar story was so true to life [View All]

[Judi Lynn]

Avatar story was so true to life
Sadly, the violent displacement of indigenous people by ruthless companies doesn't happen just on screen

~snip~
Director James Cameron located his film in outer space. But violent displacement is neither science fiction nor ancient history for millions of indigenous people who today – in country after country around our world – are fighting for their survival so that people elsewhere can have the things they want at a price they think they can afford.

Although the details of each case are different, the story is usually the same. A company, backed by (the threat of) military might, moves in to displace people after attempts at "dialogue" have failed. In November, Survival, an organisation that fights for the rights of tribal peoples, sent a letter to oil companies in Peru to demand their immediate withdrawal from an area inhabited by uncontacted tribes. In the same month, it launched a campaign in defence of the Kalahari bushmen of Botswana, described by the country's minister of environment, wildlife and tourism, as "living in the dark ages in the middle of nowhere". Not in the middle of nowhere as it happens, but on top of a very large diamond deposit. Sound familiar? The list could go on.

One difference between Avatar and reality is that the military employed to forcibly remove people in our world is not usually a private force but the national army of the country involved. Rather than protecting its people, the army actually attacks the most vulnerable communities in the name of development.

When I worked in Colombia I would regularly talk to communities living in fear of displacement by oil/banana/African palm companies. I used to repeat one message: "You are not alone. The tactics you are experiencing are the same all over the world: divide, threaten, buy off, displace. Only with unity, international support and a positive alternative, can you win."

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2010/dec/24/displaced-indigenous-people

Editorials:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x577750