Life
Volunteering in the Amazon?
If you want to do voluntary work in the Amazon, working with indigenous peoples, whether you’re interested in biodiversity, medicinal plants, shamanism, music, planting trees or (authoring) teaching (material), – as long as you’re committed to social change on a grassroots level for at least a period of three months Colonos through its many connections in the Ecuadorian and Peruvian Amazon region can help you create an independent volunteer programme. No fees, no institution, no nonsense….
Esperanza Martinez on Yasuni and the ITT proposal.
This article by CarbonWeb.org deserves to be reproduced in full:
Yasuni – Our Future in Their Hands?
Ecuador proposes to claim compensation in exchange for leaving crude oil in the ground. Esperanza Martinez examines what this means for resource sovereignty.
Oil, for countries that possess it, is often centre stage when it comes to issues of sovereignty. Invasions have been launched to access it and military and political interventions pushed through to control it, leaving the door wide open for corruption.
Invitation to Expedition in the Napo-Ucayali Corridor: June/July 2008
It is still early days of planning, but a small group of people are planning to travel, for the second time, down the Napo river – doing workshops relevant for indigenous peoples’ struggles, such as shamanic civil rights, and healing sessions in communities along the 1000km long and very exciting route from the beginning of the River Napo in Tena, Ecuador to Iquitos (where it meets the Amazon and the Ucayali rivers). The journey goes through one of the most biodiverse regions in the world – right past the Yasuni National Park, before crossing the border into Peru. After visiting The 4th International Amazonian Shamanism Conference: Magic, Myths and Miracles, which will be held in Iquitos, Peru – July 19th – 26th, 2008, we might continue to Pucallpa….
Contemporary developments in the global economy are very significant for the Amazon rain forest. While this might be said to be true for anywhere at any point in time there are nevertheless good reasons for paying special attention to what maybe the last battle for the survival of the largest rain forest in the world, the loss of which it should need no further justification to lament – and that is the basis upon which this invitation is written….
Pictures of and stories about brewing ayahuasca
Two brewing sessions, one in Ecuador, another in Peru.
Thank you very much for a very nice comment :)
Colonos has received this very nice comment, which deserves promotion:
by Phillip Bannowsky | phillipbannowsky.com |
“Greetings,
I lived in Ecuador in the early 90s and have visited and written about the country from time to time.
I observed a series of Indigenous and popular “levantimientos” in Ecuador from 1992, the Quincentennial of the Spanish invasion, until 2001 (See my article in NACLA Report on the Americas, March April 2001). Each one showed an increasing sophistication, militancy, and organization. While each seemed to fall short of dislodging the oligarchy or binding them to solid agreements, each succeeded in building the intellectual and political infrastructure leading to the triumphs of the current era. Meanwhile, the politics at the top—of the oligarchs, the bananeros, the Congress, the Presidency, and the oil companies—stumbled on, as if no amount of corruption or incompetence could ever undermine the whole juggernaut.
Given the complexity of Ecuadorian society and the legacy of corruption, poverty, and exploitation, it’s hard to imagine some sort of ideal revolution ascending. but it’s hard not to be hopeful that these changes will finally be in the right direction, while barely capable of stemming the colono tide.
I found your comments about economic development in the encounter of Indigenous with the rest of the world interesting. I wrestled with that issue in my novel, The Mother Earth Inn, in which I also treated the contradictions among and within various Ecuadorian sectors.
It’s an interesting blog. I’ve been to Tena. Incredible birds. I am glad I found you. Good luck.”
We sincerely thank Phillip for his comment.
Modern Shamanistic Practice in a political context: reflections on indigenous struggles.
This entry comes from a post to a thread on Tribe.net that became much too long winding – perhaps even for the blog, haha, well, not really – this should give some political ideas that might be useful for anyone performing shamanic practices (the links, abbreviated by Tribe, look funny but work 🙂
These statements are interesting (and the comments they afforded long):
Home Sweet Home: Reflections on the Amazon – Part One of ?
Seeking refuge in Europe, to breathe and to reflect, the long, light evenings and the friendliness of the forest (that is the absence of the eternal threat of creatures out to get you) have besieged our imaginations.
The loved ones, the long-time friendships and the new friends are the medium of reflection – telling stories, observing reactions and thinking about it all at a distance ….we get high on our own anecdotal supply with a little help from our friends.
Brief summary of G8 police brutality: business as usual!
Here is a very brief summary -in pictures, videos and a few words- of the G8 events of late, beriddled as they have been by police brutality [videos below], agent provocateurs[1] (which in any decent journalism would have entirely overshadowed a few radicalised, state repressed groups’ retaliation for the violence commenced by the authorities) and the completely distorted “journalism” by the corporate press:
“ORDNUNG MUSS SEIN – “Merkelst” dir dass!”
The Art of Policing and Protesting…..
Celebrating the first critical comment – a great day for the blog!
The same blog entry that brought the visitor number above 3000 also spawned the first critical, almost antagonistic comment. Great stuff – that means that we have reached someone beyond the immediate circles of friends, family and usual suspects with the same political frame of mind. A happy day. Thank You, Paulina!
I offer a response in English – since my Castellano simply is nowhere near good enough for a sensible reply and because the comment was obviously made on the basis of an English text, suggesting that the commenter can read English….
- ← Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- Next →
colonos 
