Saturday, March 06, 2010

JACHAL BURIED THE MILL`S WHEEL


I was interviewing different people in Jachal, in western Argentina, who have something to say about mining explotation. Ramón Dominguez is one of the few who rememmbers the time wen his town was a proud grain producer... and didn´t have to beggar mining companies for their royalties.



A nomal postcard in nowadays Jachal. Draught and the hope for recovery...

This used to be an olive field....


Ramón takes out old photographs. Until 1960s he used to herd cows into Chile, mounting his loyal horse...



Pedro dreams with an alternative develoment model, which includes agriculture, tourism and houses built with natural local materials. His point is most people claim that working in the gold mines is their only way to afford to build their houses. But there are ways of building your house without paying tribute to the system...



The entrance to Veladero Gold Mine, in San Juan Province, Argentina.



Pedro´s daughter complains. "The guys from the mine are bad guys... Where I am going to play when the river becomes completely dry?

EDUCATIONAL NOMADIC EVENT AT ANGUALASTO, SAN JUAN


The educational nomadic project is designed as a bridge among the cultures I walk across in my round the world hitch-hiking expedition. Last week the event took pace at Angualasto, a tiny mudbrick town in San Juan province, Argentina. As an exchange, the guys mentioned their difficulty to attend the only high-school in the region, which is 20 kilomeers away. Tourism also threatens them. If the toen becomes touristic, people from San Juan city may buy all facilities and sotres and new generations will face real high real state prices...

MURGA VS. BARRICK




Pictures of the manifestation and popular assembly against Barrick. The company operates Veladero Gold Mine, in San Juan Province. The problem started when the town`s murga was censored for singing against Barrick... The murga emerges in its original rol of denouncing and protesting against Empire....