The Andean Revolution

The Andean revolution of indigenous peoples against neocolonial violence under the rubrics of Free Trade, the War on Drugs and the Global War on Terror — all US imperial inventions — is anything but spontaneous or reactionary. Rather, it is the result of extensive research, education, and organizing by indigenous peoples to liberate themselves through unified effort.

The 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was not a gift from the First World to the Fourth World, but an acknowledgment of the moral and historic legitimacy of indigenous self-governance and culture. The liberation now taking place in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile is an achievement of the World Indigenous Peoples’ Movement which began thirty years ago in British Columbia, when global indigenous leaders first gathered to build an international network of solidarity.

Today’s actions by indigenous communities have deep roots of consciousness.