COPAE  2010-02-01 22:56   

During last November, Copae work together with NCA (Norweigan Church Aid) to help international photojournalist Allan Lissner, with his project “Someones Else´s Treasure”. He had spent the last 3 years visiting countries and communities affected by gold mining. He visits the communities to learn about their reality first hand; how the mine affects them, what are their hope and wishes and how do they keep on going?

He started in the Philiphines, Asia in 2007 where he spent 3 months with the indigenous people affected by 3 mines. He also spent 4 weeks in Tanzania, Africa, in 2008 and his visit to Guatemala is the first to Latin America.

Allan has lived in several countries, studied in Canada and lives there; the idea for this projet is to show the truth to Canadians. He explained to Subchal, Chilive and Las Escobas, (San Miguel Ixtahuacan communities) that 75% of the mining companies around the world have their headquarters in Canada, because the rules and mining requirements are easy to fulfill (or evade).
He also explained that all Canadians put part of their salary in an retirement account, and a lot of this money is invested in mining companies, so all Canadians are part of the gold injustice – whether they realize it or not.

His goal is to show the truth to his country so that they can decide if they agree or not with mining. The news heard in Canada about mining exploitation are that Guatemalans (and people from other countries where there is mining) are very happy; that the mining companies promote development building houses, hospitals, clinics, churches and schools; that people have better health, better community infrastructure and a better life with the mining companies operating in their communities.

As the people from Sipacapa and San Miguel showed Allan this is not the reality in Guatemala. In
San José Ixcaniché, San José Nueva Esperanza, Agel and Siete Platos he met people whose houses are cracked, their kids are sick and families and communities are divided. Division also reaches those communities far away from the mine, there´s even death threats.

For Allan was important to spend time in Guatemala in order to verify that what Goldcorp Inc says in Canada, is the same as what other mining companies say in the Philippines and Tanzania – and the truth is also the same. In the Philippines people cannot produce rice anymore, those who don´t work for the mine cannot work in their fields anymore. The dike that protected rivers and water sources from the tails pond broke and contaminated the water people used. Then the dike broke again in other direction. People´s health is in danger and they keep dying of diseases that didn´t exist before the mining operations.

In Tanzania people had been evicted from their land and homes during the night. Indigenous people live in a refugee camp, as if they were victims of war instead of “development”. Due to the violent way they were evicted some people died or disappeared. They also have cardio and respiratory diseases, cancer and rashes. There´s a lot of unemployment, land that does not produce and fishermen that cannot find alive fish, sick animals and whatever fruit and vegetables they get to harvest, they cannot sell. (as buyers known it come from a contaminated area).

People from San Miguel and Sipacapa were shocked when they learned that Allan had a chance to speak with mining workers in the Philippines and Tanzania.

More shocking was to know the fact that a lot of workers were fired for organizing and ask for better salaries and work conditions. A man was receiving medical treatment due to a disease he got while working in the mine; but when he received news that he had been fired (along with other 1200 workers) immediately he had no health insurance – and therefore couldn´t continue treating his disease.

Here in Guatemala, the Marlin Mine is so recent, that workers wouldn´t want to share their experiences with Allan. The day will come eventually. Marlin Mine is Goldcorp´s most efficient one (investment vrs profit) for 30% they invest, they get 70% profit. Even though its workers make more money than they would working somewhere else, they earn much more less than what Goldcorp pays in other countries for the same work; and besides they don´t make enough money to save some for the future illness they will be facing (some of them have no cure)

Allan came to know the Guatemalans affected by the mine and their daily hardships. He will continue his research on the impact mine has on people and communities around the world, so he can show Canadians the reality and the truth. Then they could be in solidarity with the people of San Marcos and all the Guatemalans that say “no to mining”

His message is simple, he just wants to share the truth with those that need to know, but he also wants to share an important fact with the people from Guatemala “you are not alone in this great struggle – you have support, support that is growing, from different parts of the world. There are other people affected by mine, and as you they know about the challenges they face in their daily lives; there are people that know what´s the reality and that are working to change it and fight side by side with the communities and indigenous groups, for the environment, health and life.

Su mensaje es sencillo, sólo quiere compartir la verdad con los que necesitan saberlo, pero también quiere compartir con la gente de Guatemala un hecho importante: “ustedes no están solos en esta gran lucha—tienen apoyo, apoyo que está creciendo, de todas partes del mundo. Hay otros pueblos afectados por las minas, como ustedes, que saben los retos que enfrentan en sus vidas cotidianas y hay pueblos sensibilizados, que conocen la realidad y están trabajando para cambiarla y luchar junto con las comunidades y con los pueblos indígenas, por el medio ambiente, la salud, y la vida.”

Allan´s work of Guatemala can be seen in his website