While the officials may be playing both deaf and dumb (pun intended), it is clear that this will not deter those campaigning to cancel El Zapotillo Dam. The affected communities will continue to fight, and they will do so with the national and international communities behind them. As the dialogue streamed live on Friday, Twitter and Facebook exploded with real-time updates, comments and messages of solidarity from around the world. The struggle of Temaca, Acasico and Palmarejo is the struggle of many and is replicated in communities worldwide. Governments and authorities around the world are turning a deaf ear to environmental and social impacts, to the concerns of affected communities, and to the potential for alternatives to large, destructive hydropower projects.
The next step for Temaca is the mesa resolutiva – a resolution discussion – which is preliminarily scheduled for May 15. In the meantime, to borrow an image from Padre Gabriel, Temaca’s song continues to get stronger and louder. As officials filed out of the meeting on Friday, the emblematic song “Temaca vive, la lucha sigue” reverberated around the room. Try as they might, this moving song of solidarity and struggle could not be ignored.
