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The international media has shown its support for young white climate activists before, but will it do the same when the Indigenous people are fighting for the survival of their lands?

A quick rundown of what is currently happening in Ecuador:

October: The Ecuadorian government, led by Lenin Moreno, announces new austerity measures, in accordance with an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The agreement sees the elimination of the country’s fuel subsidies (these subsidies were put in place 40 years ago to aid Ecuadorians in buying fuel at a low cost). This has resulted in fuel prices doubling across the country. The new measures also include cuts in public worker benefits and wages.
October 3: Truck, taxi and bus drivers lead countrywide demonstrations protesting the repeal of the fuel subsidies. These demonstrations are later joined by Indigenous groups who say these measures threaten their livelihood.
October 4: President Lenin Moreno declares a state of emergency and mobilizes the National Police to quell the protests.
October 8: President Lenin Moreno moves the government to the coastal city of Guayaquil and announces that he will not reverse the IMF agreement.
October 12: Violent clashes between protesters and police continue. Some unofficial reports say that so far up to 8 people have died, over 1500 injured and over 700 have been arrested.

The ongoing protests in Ecuador have resulted in violent clashes between the National Police and protesters and furthered political divides between its citizens. Supporters of the austerity package argue that canceling fuel subsidies will help reduce the country’s crippling debt. However, Indigenous groups say that the new agreements between the Ecuadorian government and the IMF will endanger their territories and increase inequality. The movement is also supported by labour unions, women’s rights groups, and students.

Indigenous women in Ecuador have historically been the frontrunners of many land protection movements. I spoke with 17-year-old Helena Gualinga, an Indigenous Ecuadorian, about the need for a more nuanced approach by the media.

Helena is a climate justice activist and Indigenous Right defender. She has spent a large part of her childhood in Sarayaku, a village in the Amazonian region of Ecuador. The people of Sarayaku have long been fighting off various efforts to drill in their communities. Along with other Indigenous groups, they have spent decades protecting their land and way of life. She credits her family’s activism for inspiring her to join the Indigenous movement. Helena often uses her platform to raise awareness (she’s been featured in the media as a youth activist to follow).

Over 20,000 indigenous people have marched to the capital city of Quito this past week to protest the austerity measures. Why is this so important?

The Indigenous movement in Ecuador had planned a march for this month before the economic measures were announced. Once the transport [transportation workers] started this march, the Indigenous people joined them. Besides the gas subsidies, they are also protesting against land exploitation. These new economic measures make it easier for the government to come into our land without permission. They have also been fighting this all their lives, to keep companies outside their territories.

Helena admits that there is a disparity in opposing land invasion by gas companies, while also protesting the removal of fuel subsidies that help people buy gasoline in the first place. But she worries that this measure will ultimately hurt low-income communities. Indigenous farmers in the countryside will likely be some of the first ones to experience the negative effects of the new measures.

There are numerous reports that protesters have been met with violent action from the government. And while the media has largely portrayed the demonstrators as the instigators of this violence, Indigenous leaders have tried distancing themselves from this narrative. A joint statement from CONAIE (Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador) and CONFENIAE (The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon) reads:

“We denounce the campaigns of misinformation promoted by the central government and by both national and international media outlets. Opportunists, both politicians, and looters are attempting to co-opt the indigenous movement and distort our message. This inflames violence and division. We repudiate the violence, vandalism, and looting by external actors who are not affiliated with our movement or goals.”

Helena also laments the violence saying “It's sad to see that there is violence going on in these protests but at the same time I understand why they are so angry because they have been left out of all the decisions that are about their lives for hundreds of years, and they’re tired."

She is also critical of the media’s fixation on sensationalizing the situation “I actually spoke to a few people in the protests who are not Indigenous people and they say that inside it's super calm and nothing is happening. So we don’t know what’s actually happening and what the media is covering”

So far there has been at least one confirmed death of an Indigenous activist. Despite the reported police brutality the media, as well as several neighboring countries (including Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia) and the United States, have been quick to back the Ecuadorian government.

Have you seen a bias in the way Ecuador is being depicted by the media as opposed to how other more ‘powerful’ countries are portrayed?

I think people don’t really understand this, and they don’t look at this in its full context because to understand why this is happening you have to know Ecuador's history and its economy of the past 50 years… It’s important for the media to cover what has happened, what is happening, and why it’s happening and not just look at a few incidents so that they don’t come to an incomplete conclusion

When I ask Helena about the lack of nuanced international media coverage she doesn’t seem surprised, “That’s what happens all the time, we have no idea what’s happening in these smaller countries."

What can Ecuadorians living abroad do to support our Indigenous brothers and sisters?

It’s important to be aware of what is happening and why. Try to see the whole picture… how the people have been living for a long time. If we don’t know what’s really happening, we’ll turn against each other.

Although Indigenous groups have succeeded in pushing presidents from office in the past, there is little indication that the Ecuadorian government will be able to negotiate a satisfactory resolution in the immediate future. The media will undoubtedly play a part in how the negotiations are handled and who the international public lends its support to. A more nuanced analysis of the situation must include the voices of the most vulnerable groups.

You can follow Helena Gualinga on Instagram

The Ecuadorian crisis story is missing Indigenous voices

The international media has shown its support for young white climate activists before, but will it do the same when the Indigenous people are fighting for the survival of their lands?

A quick rundown of what is currently happening in Ecuador:

Indigenous women in Ecuador have historically been the frontrunners of many land protection movements. I spoke with 17-year-old Helena Gualinga, an Indigenous Ecuadorian, about the need for a more nuanced approach by the media.

Over 20,000 indigenous people have marched to the capital city of Quito this past week to protest the austerity measures. Why is this so important?

Helena also laments the violence saying “It's sad to see that there is violence going on in these protests but at the same time I understand why they are so angry because they have been left out of all the decisions that are about their lives for hundreds of years, and they’re tired."

So far there has been at least one confirmed death of an Indigenous activist. Despite the reported police brutality the media, as well as several neighboring countries (including Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia) and the United States, have been quick to back the Ecuadorian government.

Have you seen a bias in the way Ecuador is being depicted by the media as opposed to how other more ‘powerful’ countries are portrayed?

When I ask Helena about the lack of nuanced international media coverage she doesn’t seem surprised, “That’s what happens all the time, we have no idea what’s happening in these smaller countries."

What can Ecuadorians living abroad do to support our Indigenous brothers and sisters?

It’s important to be aware of what is happening and why. Try to see the whole picture… how the people have been living for a long time. If we don’t know what’s really happening, we’ll turn against each other.

You can follow Helena Gualinga on Instagram

Further reading

Paro Nacional: Ecuador en Resistencia

Statement from Ecuador's Indigenous Organizations regarding the Mobilization and Civil Disobedience

The IMF is hurting countries it claims to help

Ecuador's Government Departs Capital Amid Deepening Violence And Unrest

Sarayaku: People of the Zenith

Ecuador’s indigenous people are leading the anti-government protests. They have a record of ousting presidents

The Amazon Women Defenders Urge President Lenin Moreno to Respect Human Rights During the Strike and to Listen to the People

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