Brainstorm Week 8 - Eric Fong

"Bolivia and Ecuador makes increasingly clear is that the hope for and the making of a new society, able and willing to confront colonial legacies and patterns of power, and to think “from” and “with” other life–visions and logics, including buen vivir or collective well–being, are not in governments or politically elected officials, nor probably in the State itself, but instead in the communities, movements, and peoples." (Walsh 66) Ecuador is adopting the concepts of covivencia and Chicanxfuturism to help develop its independence from the throes of colonialism and establish themselves a new national identity that works through the community. Ecuador is establishing itself as a community first which aligns with the concepts of covivencia. Ecuador is also utilizing the concepts of Chicanxfuturism through adoption of modern solutions to their problems. An example of their modern solution is through rewriting the language that describes the 'rights' of ecosystems: "change the status of ecosystems from being regarded as property under the law to being recognized as rights-bearing entities" (Revkin). By rewriting how ecosystems are viewed by the law, they hope to seek protection for their ecosystem and right the past abuses. Ecuadorian leaders like Juan Garcia highlight the importance of building a "collective memory" and strengthening the "ties of belonging" (Walsh 51). Garcia and other leaders are trying to build community and adopt new strategies to brush off the past colonial rules over their independence and environmental destruction.