Brainstorm Week 8 - Caroline Johnson

The article “Ecuador Constitution Grants Rights to Nature” explains how Ecuador was the “first in any Constitution granting inalienable rights to nature”(Revkin). This article overall says how Ecuador is taking a big step towards acknowledging the importance of nature in our world and how this process was helped by a group in Pennsylvania. This working together towards a common goal shows Convivencia and also the use of technology through this Pennsylvania group is an example of Chicanxfuturism.

The paper “Afro and Indigenous Life…” was very interesting. It went through the progress that countries such as Ecuador and Bolivia have made towards protecting the Earth but also complications that have come because of this politically. It is first described how  “there is no division between humans and nature; the equilibrium, development, and survival of society rests in this harmonic relation of integration” (56). These groups have continuously fought changes which show the resilience of this movement. For example, the march through TIPNIS (64) which eventually gained national attention and allowed for the building of the road to be stopped shows the power and grit of the indigenous groups to protect the land. Additionally, these group leaders are called terrorists and the march was even considered “’media terrorism’”(65). The willingness of these groups to keep going despite the government and others giving them titles such as this, but also still giving favor towards the oil industries and other areas, shows their resilience. The use of media to share their movement is an idea of Chicanxfuturism and the movements where they join together to show their strength shows Convivencia. Overall, the developments in Ecuador and Bolivia show great progress compared to other Western places in regards to Mother Earth; however, they still have to fight against colonial ideas.