Sunday, 25 September 2011
Sikuani (Indigenous Colombian) Children Starve in Oil Country.
This article details the tragedy. Although I have not been able to find a source for the news in English, I will provide a quick translation of some of the main parts so that we can all understand what is going on. Also, the pictures speak well for themselves. The children are shown, but also the excesses of the oil region wasted (in my humble opinion) while the kids vanish away in front of the authorities.
http://www.semana.com/nacion/fisica-hambre/164662-3.aspx
"Nobody can conceive how in the new oil mecca of Colombia, the municipality that receives the most oil royalties in the country and where juicy child-nutrition contracts have been signed, each month, starved native children arrive at the hospital, dying of hunger."
"The majority of the children are indigenas of the Sikuani Etnia, coming from one of the region's nine, dispersed resguardos." (similar but not equivalent to reservations).
"In the past, their etnia was nomadic, but with the arrival of oil and agroindustrial companies, they lost their liberty and the environment was contaminated. They are now sedentary and have no land that is cultivable."
"Puerto Gaitan registers an infant moratlity rate of 61 kids per 100000 inhabitants"
This cipher is made the more appalling when this is taken into account:
"The municipality only counts with 27 police officers, has running water for two hours a day, suffers from constant black-outs, and 44% of it's population lives in misery. Nonetheless, visitors are greeted on arrival by a gigantic concrete arch that cost (approximately 1 million dollars), or they have the possibility to attend a summer festival that costs (approximately 500 thousand dollars) with Willie Colon and Daddy Yankee on board."
Hmmmmm.....
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What heartbreaking photos :( And equally appalling to read about the way the children and the other inhabitants live in squalor and suffer from starvation while there is a million dollar archway created, and more money carelessly thrown away at singers. My Spanish isn't thaaaaaat great so I didn't understand every word of the article you shared, but I think between your translation and my knowledge I was able to get the gist and I was wondering who is deciding how this money is being distributed? And are the archway and the concerts to be found in this area where the poverty is? Maybe the next concert some of those singers like Daddy Yankee etc. can donate some money to this area - they certainly have enough! Very upsetting article but also very interesting, thanks for sharing.
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