The Naso Problem
I bet that, like me, It’s taken a lot of you some time to be aware of the problem happening to the Naso people, at the west end of Panama in Bocas del Toro, near the border with Costa Rica. Details are scarce (in English) so I’ll give you the Cliff Notes version to put you up to speed; time is precious for these people, so any help you can provide in the matter would be greatly appreciated by them.
Once upon a time in the beautiful tropical landscape of Bocas del Toro, there lived a peaceful tribe of people known as the Naso. They’re very rural folk, awfully nice to anyone who visits and one with the Earth; the Naso are one of the examples of how great life seems when it’s basic in its execution. From what I understand their sense of time is measured by the seasons in their agricultural production. Nice, peaceful people. Never bothered a soul, asking in return (with silent resilience) to be left alone. For centuries they fended off the priests and other uninvited trespassers in an effort to live in peace.
One fine day, in a move not unlike when Christopher Columbus’ ships were first seen on the horizon by the natives in our lands centuries ago, industry came. Bulldozers, excavators and developers came with the law on their side. You see, the Naso (commonly known as Teribes) have something that has become a rare commodity and highly valuable asset for some: land and water. What they use to grow their food and raise their cattle, Hidroeléctrica del Teribe and Ganadera Bocas want it to build a hydroelectric power plant and an industrialized slaughterhouse, respectively. As is often the case with tribes and other people without monetary resources to buy land, they’ve simply been there for centuries without having to answer to any government, since the government generally doesn’t care about them anyway. In terms of the law, though, the Naso don’t legally own the lands they live on and these companies have the right to kick them out and build there.
The Naso have tried to claim ownership of the lands for years, but lack of money and guidance is a big crux, specially against these fucking rats. Anyway, the struggle has been going on for months, and its reaching its peak; the pressure is on and there will have to be a decision soon. There has been a steadily-growing movement to help the Naso, and the poster to your left is the most significant to date: on the weekend of May 8 – 10, at the Cathedral Plaza in Casco Viejo of Panama City, representatives of the Naso tribe along with anyone else who wants to camp out in from of the Presidential Palace as a form of peaceful protest against the gross abuse the Naso/Teribe have been through. Musicals acts are scheduled, as well as a petition that, with your signature, will give the Naso their right to own their lands (from a constitutional standpoint, ‘cuz this is bullshit).
Mir Rodriguez has an extensively detailed timeline of events over at Almanaque Azul. It’s all in Spanish, but if there’s a place where you want the best information on the subject, who are the parties involved, and the developments in the matter, it’s there. In the meantime, the best (and most painless) thing you can do is help spread the word.
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