By Allen Jennings
MANAGUA — The Third Continental Meeting of Indigenous, Black and Grassroots Resistance was held here October 7-12. Delegates from the Miskito, Mapuche, Quechua, Aymara, Sumu, Aleut, Maya and Eskimo communities (to name just a few), from 26 countries, participated.
The main aims were to reflect collectively on the impact that the Spanish invaders had on the indigenous people, to recover the historic memory of the indigenous cultures, to develop democratic alternatives to the oppressive systems in which they find themselves and to push for a broader unity with all grassroots sectors.
The movement hopes to broaden its links with other organisations to develop a grassroots economic front in order to "generate from the base a proposal for integral development in favour of the greater majority".
Unity and solidarity between the indigenous peoples of the Americas, together with the realisation that the objectives of all grassroots organisations are, in essence, the same, was a common theme. As Daniel Ortega pointed out, "You are an integral part of a progressive front in a great international network of solidarity and unity".
The meeting offered the opportunity to share experiences, stories, music, crafts, art and medicine. The First Continental Meeting of Traditional Grassroots Medicine, which took place in Estelí in the three days before the main gathering, proved to be a great success. One of the most popular spots was the "bulletin board" of traditional medicines, which included natural remedies for everything from the common cold to cholera.
One of the most memorable events was the homage to Rigoberta Menchu in which she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Central America. She participated in the initial stages of the gathering but left Managua early in order to make the dangerous trip into her homeland, Guatemala (from which she has been exiled for more than a decade), to be with her people and to lead the protests in that country on October 12.
October 12 throughout the Americas was a day of protest but also a day to celebrate survival. In Managua, "in order to cause an impact which may balance the publicity of the arrival of the pope in the Dominican Republic", the statue of the Spanish conquistador Francisco Hernández de Córdoba was knocked from its
pedestal, there was a series of protests outside several embassies, and there was a colourful march to the National Palace and a Concert for the Dignity of America. Meanwhile, President Violeta Chamorro held a small and very dignified ceremony with diplomats from the Spanish embassy.
The movement hopes to go beyond resistance and move towards autonomous development. It was decided to hold the next meeting of the movement in 1994 in Bolivia, primarily because Bolivia has the highest percentage of indigenous people (71%), the lowest literacy level (15%) and the highest infant mortality (139 per 1000 births) in the continent. Leading up to this event, dozens of local, regional and sector meetings are planned, including a continental meeting of indigenous women early in 1994.