Paro/Strike! 6 november 2008

Since the start of the project last week, 30 Oktober 2008, the city of Tacna is under siege. What started as a strike of the miners, the 'minero's', became an overall protest against the authorities and mining companies who use the sparse water in Tacna to wash their minerals, heavily polluting the water and environment in the process. Protest rallies are held daily, the access roads to the city have been barricaded with burning tires and rubble and government buildings and shops have been demolished and looted. The gobiernidad building at a mere 50 metres from our hotel was set ablaze and teargas filled the streets. We were forced to lock ourselves into the Orfeon theatre to keep the violence out and had to hurry back to the hotel when dusk fell. After 4 people got killed the government declared a state of emergency and people are not allowed to assemble.

All major themes of this project, the history, the mining companies being favoured in spite of the basic demands of the population, the struggle in the streets against the backdrop of the desert en the issues of ownership of energy resources and the pollution of water and environment are all around. The state of emergency obviously interferes with our daily programme of workshops and meetings and it is impossible to even go out and buy tools and materials. All shops are closed for most of the days.

Still we try to stick to our programme and to take in the turbulent situation. Undoubtetly the events will influence the work we will do here. The protest of the people continues in the streets. They are drumming incessently on pots and pans and their rhythmes fill the entire city, all day.