Re Claiming Our Movement; Re shaping Women in Mining Resistance

The rights to resist: Women in Public March During World Social Forum 2012

Sometimes i wonder if we are in a right direction, if we have the same vision, if we are still focused, if we still have the strengths and determination, and the response varies according to time, place and context. Sometimes i think, yeah... we are, and sometimes i feel ghooosh, we are lost! And it is from this we gather our strengths, motivate each other, inspire  and mobilize others to join and we continue with our struggle. And in the middle of all these, we find that sometimes our movement is manipulated and our resistance is weakened. But all in all, we continue to fight and resist and move forwad. And this is because i think there is a need to re-claim our movement and reshape our resistance to reflect what we really aimed at.

First, we need to reclaim our movement because it is manipulated . It is manipulated by power, and patriarchy agendas and knowingly or unknowingly we loose focus of what we stand for and throw all the caution off the window. The current focus on development aid by funders, the government scrutiny  on Non Government Organizations working on natural resources, threats by mining companies coupled by  poverty caused by injustices and need for ready cash does, not only shift the focus of our movement but also put the capitalists agendas in our mouth and forefront  in the name of good cause! We need to look back and reclaim our movement. Redefine what does injustices look like to us and own our strategies and solutions.

Our resistance is weakening! We need to retreat and plan again on how best can we achieve the end result with our minds still sane, our bodies in one piece and  our spirit as pure as when we started. Women resist injustices in different forms, the emerging of women organizations in mining sector whether as self help groups or organized women's rights organization is a form of resistance that what is  happening is not right and women need a better and safe space. We are redefining the kind of resistance we want. This could be  women resist against mining corporations, or land grabs or environmental pollutions or bad social services and so on, the end result is justice and fairness! We are redefining our resistance in many forms and at different spaces, and it from this where women in mining play a very important role! Telling the story of injustices as they are living the reality!