People Have the Power

Disclaimer: I try to only write about what I have witnessed or experienced myself. I typically attempt to document, not to judge. However, I am human and I do have opinions and I try to be clear when I am expressing them. While I generally avoid directly talking about politics, my blog posts absolutely reflect my values. All photos were taken by me.

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For the past few weeks I have been reading about and watching on television the protests in the US and in places like Serbia and Georgia and that has caused me to think about the protests I have witnessed over the years here in Ecuador. I have learned to never underestimate the power that the people possess when they choose to exercise it. I attended my first protest here in Ecuador in January, 2019. I had planned to go take photos and document, but I quickly found myself a participant. First, some context: When I first moved here in 2018 Ecuador was experiencing a massive influx of migrants from Venezuela looking to escape the dictatorship there. Thousands of people were crossing the border every month. This country was receiving more migrants than all other South American countries combined. This caused a lot of stress on the country's resources, but for the most part the people of Ecuador did their best help these people who were just looking for a better life. During this same time, a young pregnant Ecuadorian woman named Diana was murdered by her Venezuelan boyfriend. Machismo (sexism), domestic violence, and femicide are a huge problem in Ecuador and in many places throughout Latin America, but unfortunately in this case, many people chose to take their anger out on the Venezuelan community and began pressuring the government to crack down on the migrants. The government showed signs of bowing to the pressure and began taking measures against the Venezuelan migrants. In response, the people took to the streets across the country.

"Sexism Has No Nationality"

I went to the protest in Cuenca expecting to see a few dozen, maybe a hundred or so protesters, but what I saw was thousands of people marching and demanding justice. They came to honor Diana and protest the culture of machismo, but also to stand in support of the Venezuelan community. They marched, chanted, sang, and carried signs decrying the violence and telling the world that "Machismo Has No Nationality". The crowd consisted of Ecuadorians, Venezuelans, North Americans, women, men, and people of all ages from small children to the elderly. I saw one young Venezuelan man (pictured below) who was wearing a jacket in the colors of the Venezuelan flag that had the name of his country across the back, he was marching in solidarity with the people. I followed him around and witnessed many people shaking his hand, giving him hugs and telling him that he was welcome in Ecuador. It was a loud, raucous, and peaceful crowd; the people were angry and were demanding change. Following the protests, the government backed off on its anti-Venezuelan rhetoric and the mood of the country changed. The people had made their voices heard and proved that they had the power.

A Venezuelan Joins the Protest

Todos Somos Diana - We Are All Diana

Not One Less

A few weeks later, the president at the time, Lenín Moreno announced the government was going to reduce or eliminate federal funding for higher education. Once again the people rose up and peacefully protested around the country and again, I attended. Following the protests, Moreno reversed his announcement. The people were heard. The people had the power.

Protesting Cuts to University Funding

Let Me Study

Shortly after the university funding protests took place, an Australian mining company petitioned the Ecuadorian government for the right to mine minerals in the mountains twenty miles from Cuenca. This mine would have endangered Cuenca's water supply and damaged the environment in the Cajas National park. Again the people took to the streets and the mining company's petition was denied.

Mining Protest

In October of 2019 president Moreno once again made an unpopular proclamation. This time he said that the government would be eliminating the subsidies on gasoline, diesel, and natural gas that had been in place for over forty years. The price of diesel doubled overnight and gasoline prices skyrocketed. With nearly forty percent of Ecuadorians living below the poverty level, this was devastating. In response, CONAIE (Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador) staged a nationwide strike (Paro) that shut down the country for thirteen days. All of the roads in the country were barricaded, fires were set and everything ground to a halt, paralyzing the nation. Unfortunately this time the protests resulted in severe violence. The protesters attacked those that opposed them and the government responded with tear gas and brutal force resulting in many injuries and a few deaths. There was no natural gas for cooking or hot water and the grocery store shelves were bare. Medicines were scarce and critical supplies in Cuenca had to be airlifted in as the roads were all barricaded and the military patrolled the streets in attempt to control the people and to enforce the curfew. I was holed up in my home for two weeks and I did not participate. After thirteen days, once again, the government caved and the people won. The fuel subsidies were restored. In no way do I support or condone violence and the country paid a very high price for the wrongs perpetrated by both sides. But, once again the people showed that they had the power.

History has repeatedly shown us that when governments go against the will of the people, the people can and often will check their governments. Ecuador is a small country and what has worked here may not work exactly the same in other countries as we have seen in China and Russia...we are still waiting to see what history will tell us about the impact of the protests in those countries. It has not always been easy or painless, but the brave people of Ecuador continually give me hope.

In the words of the legendary Patti Smith:

The power to dream, to rule

To wrestle the earth from fools

But it's decreed the people rule

But it's decreed the people rule

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People have the power

¡Hasta la próxima!

PS; Thanks to everyone that has been reading this blog and a special thanks to those that have left comments, they mean a lot to me. If you do decide to leave a comment below, please include your name so that I know that you were here. To see many more photos from the protests you can check out my photography galleries by clicking on the "Albums" link at the top of the page or by clicking here: https://www.global-dispatches.com/client-showcase

Thanks!

People Have the Power