Presented by Maritimes-Breaking the Silence Network, Recorded by Stuart Neatby, Edited by Candace Mooers
Speakers are:
Francesca Tallone, CKDU News Collective
Caren Weisbert, member, Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network
Juan Tema, Mayan indigenous activist, and community leader within Sipakapa, Guatemala (speaking in Spanish, translated by Tara Ward)
Followed by Q+A
Intro:
On January 11, 2005, an indigenous farmer was killed and 20 others seriously injured at a protest against Canadian mining operations in Sipakapa, Guatemala. This confrontation took place after months of protest by villagers against the construction of the Marlin Mine, an open-pit gold mine owned by the Canadian firm Glamis Gold, in the heart of Guatemala's highlands. Since that time, indigenous activists in Guatemala have been actively resisting the construction of the mine, despite continued violence and intimidation from Glamis' security forces, and by the Guatemalan military.
Juan Tema, a Mayan community leader from Sipakapa, recently toured the Atlantic Canadian provinces speaking about the impact of Canadian Mining companies in his community. The tour was organized by the Maritimes-Breaking the Silence Network, an Atlantic Canadian solidarity network, and was conducted in the run-up to solidarity actions planned at the Glamis Gold shareholder meeting in Toronto in early May.
In this CKDU broadcast, Tema speaks about the effects of Mining in Sipakapa, the consistent culpability of the Canadian government in these effects, and the need for Canadian solidarity.
Outro:
You've been listening to a presentation from Juan Tema, an indigenous community leader from the town of Sipakapa, Guatemala, where residents are resisting the exploration of an open-pit gold mine operated by Canadian Mining Company Glamis Gold. Tema was speaking in Halifax, Nova Scotia as part of a speaking tour organized by the Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network. For more information about the effects of Canadian Mining corporations in Guatemala and elsewhere, visit www.arsn.ca, or e-mail arsn_at_arsn.ca
