President Juan Manual Santos Calderon
Casa de Narino
Carrera 8 # 7 – 26
Bogota, Colombia
Dear President Santos,
I am writing to you out of a general concern, shared
with many others, over plans for large-scale mining operations, which, it
appears, pose a serious threat to the delicate ecosystem of the Colombian
Massif. But I am writing also for personal reasons, which I hope it is
appropriate to bring to your attention.
I have visited Colombia a number of times, sometimes
for lectures at universities and to communities (and an honorary degree at the
Universidad Nacional de Colombia). Most of the visits, however, were along with
international human rights groups and human rights activists. My first visit
was on an Amnesty International mission, opening a global campaign for
protection of human rights defenders. On this and later occasions the visits
were primarily for inquiries, together with human rights defenders, into abuses
suffered by campesinos. Afro-Colombians, and indigenous communities, mostly in
La Vega in Cauca Department, but elsewhere as well.
A few years ago, my wife died. Shortly afterwards,
villagers in Santa Rita in La Vega decided to dedicate a forest to her memory
on the mountain above their village. I went to the ceremony with friends, and
with the gracious and invaluable assistance of the Defensoria. It was one of
the most moving experiences of my life to participate in the dedication of “The
Carol Chomsky Forest.” This was part of a well-designed program, carefully
explained by several of the Santa Rita planners in a public meeting, to develop
the water resources, and to protect these and the rich environment generally,
all sure to be severly harmed if not destroyed by mining operations.
I need not elaborate on the significance of
preserving these invaluable resources, not only for the local communities but
also far beyond. While my own appeal to you is primarily personal, the kind and
compassionate initiatives of the villagers of Santa Rita should be a highly
meaningful stimulus for international participation in the crucially necessary
efforts to protect the Amazonian territories and the surrounding regions, which
are unparalleled in their extraordinary biodiversity and their import for the global
environment.
I hope it will be possible to take steps to assure
that these local efforts will be successful, and to safeguard these
incomparable treasures for Colombia and for the world.
Sincerely yours,
Signed
Noam Chomsky
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