Following a cross-country march that converged on the capital from some 30 indigenous communities across Argentina, some 15,000 protesters established themselves in Buenos Aires' Plaza de Mayo on May 20, and are demanding a dialogue with the government on establishing a "pluricultural" state. The National March of Original Peoples [2] comes just before Argentina celebrates its bicentennial Revolution Day on May 25, marking the beginning of the independence struggle from Spain in 1810. Dressed in colorful ponchos and other traditional garb, and carrying whipalas—the rainbow flag of South America's indigenous movement—many of the protesters had marched up to 2,000 kilometers. Representing the Wichi, Toba [3], Kolla [4], Mapuche [5], Huarpe [6] and Guaraní [7] peoples, among others, the protesters' first demand is for the recuperation of traditional lands. (BBC Mundo [8], La Jornada [9], Mexico; Informador [10], Mexico, May 21)
See our last posts on Argentina [11] and the world indigenous struggle [12].
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