Mayan Communities Under Attack

Urgent news to share with everyone. You may have received occasional news about the mining problem in Guatemala. However, that is not to mean that it is an occasional problem. It is an everyday problem for many communities in Guatemala. Tomorrow Wednesday May 28th, the Ecumenical Council will have an ecumenical prayer with communities of San Jose del Golfo and San Pedro Ayampuc, two municipalities of the State of Guatemala who have peacefully resisted the La Puya mining project.

I  have urgent news to share with everyone.  You may have received occasional news about the mining problem in Guatemala.  However, that does not to mean that it is an occasional problem.  It is an everyday problem for many communities in Guatemala.    Tomorrow, Wednesday May 28th, the Ecumenical Council will have an ecumenical prayer with the communities of San Jose del Golfo and San Pedro Ayampuc, two municipalities of the State of Guatemala who have peacefully resisted the La Puya mining project.   We will have an ecumenical prayer asking for a cease to the violence and so that the dialogue between communities, government and the mining company may get re-established after it broke down due to serious attacks four days ago on May 23rd.  I urge you to read and learn about how you can be in Active Solidarity with the people of Guatemala, our brothers and sisters.

But reading is not enough!  Praying is a complement to the struggle.  Getting involve as a people of privilege is a tool.  We have the privilege to enforce our civil liberties like freedom of speech and our freedoms in general while communities in Guatemala, for example, continue to live under attack and persecuted by military officials who continue to enforce military tactics on their own people.  If you want to be in Active Solidarity, Join a Delegation and come witness and accompany communities who need your support and accompaniment Now!  If your church or like-minded group is already involve or traveling to Guatemala, demand that your leaders make an effort to take you to places where your critical presence is much needed; with communities defending their ancestral lands against mining companies for example .  Take advantage of your efforts to travel to Guatemala and come stand with communities who voice is never heard and who need your presence.  Take advantage of the luxury of crossing in and out of these imaginary borders that distance us and be an international presence.  Respectfully, not everyone is physically or financially able to travel abroad, but we have access!  We have tools we can use from our own homes like our telephones, email, friends, family even political representatives that need to respond!  Read on and learn how YOU can get started and join the movement.  Remember that mining processes are destroying EVERYONE’S sacred resource, Earth.

Gloria Vicente Canú is serving a three-year term with the Ecumenical Christian Council of Guatemala (Consejo Ecuménico Cristiano de Guatemala – CECG), as a consultant for communication, interpretation and women’s projects.