I thought I would share this piece of work that I did some years ago. It is a little out of date but nevertheless a powerful story that people should always be reminded of. If you do work through it either by yourself or with a group of people, perhaps a good follow-up would be to research what happened next – what is happening now -for this continues to be a live and current story. You can download the full resource at the end of this post.
Introduction
Every year, London Mining Network, where I work, invites community representatives to London to attend the Rio Tinto AGM (large mining company) as dissident shareholders. We work with them to hold the company to account for human rights abuses, loss of land, livelihoods and environmental destruction caused as a consequence of the company`s mining activities. There are usually a variety of other activities including demonstrations, public meetings and discussions with shareholders.
Unfortunately, in 2020, this was not be possible due to the Covid-19 pandemic and both Rio Tinto`s AGM and London Mining Network`s response went online.
To mark the 2020 Rio Tinto AGM, I created and shared some resources to be used with young people to celebrate the resistance by communities on the island of Bougainville to the Panguna Copper mine. The Bougainvilleans were the first Indigenous people to permanently (to date) to shut down a mine. They endured a ten year civil war and blockade of the island which meant no food, fuel, medical supplies and travel to and from the island. The pain and suffering was massive but in the end, the mine remained shut and the Bougainvilleans gained their independence. However, this was not the end as the mining company left a a terrible legacy of environmental damage for which the communities are demanding justice. Some people call this struggle the world`s first eco-revolution.
It is a chapter of Black History that ought to be better known. The experiences of the Bougainvillean people raise many questions and insights about
- Colonialism and neo-colonialism
- Life under lockdown (albeit of a different sort during the blockade of Bougainville)
- Resourcefulness and resilience in times of scarcity
- Who owns and controls the land
- The role of women
- The need for mining, who benefits and what the alternatives might be
In this presentation, we share a number of links to documents and films. These might be of interest also to storytellers including some I have highlighted here
We are Crying for our Land: Stories from the Panguna Listening Project
Produced by the Catholic Diocese of Bougainville and Misereor
Personal testimony, stories, songs and photos.
- Film – The Coconut Revolution
https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/coconut-revolution/
- Film – Soldiers without Guns
https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/soldiers-without-guns-2019
And here is the resource I made in two different formats.
Just Storytelling 