As one of the leading producers of oil in Latin America, Ecuador is known for cultivating and cleaning its own oil; for this reason, a general subsidy on gasoline was placed, so citizens were paying around $1 per gallon. However, this past month on October 1, the President, Lenin Moreno, removed the subsidy on gas which sparked the price to $2.25-$2.50. For a country where the weight of the dollar differs, this price change carries a lot of weight for citizens, rich, poor, and everything in between. Subsequently the next day, the bus and taxi companies and workers hit the streets and began striking. For a car that might generally cost $15 to fill, or a bus that costs maybe $100, that would now be more than doubled, and the workers and companies cannot manage gas prices that belong in the US, a country that does not cultivate nor cleanse oil to the level of Ecuador.
Since workers and companies were striking, buses were not running, less taxis were on the roads and the few that were had higher fares, people could not get to work, and school had been cancelled across the country. And so began nearly two weeks of unpredictability. Life here is typically taken day by day, however, with Ecuador in paro, this shifted to taking things hour by hour, as a morning might start off normal, followed by an afternoon where organizers and citizens took to the streets, and an evening where some protests ended in violence or looting. The movements that showed the greatest power and unity was that which was led by the indeginas from the sierra, the campesinos from the campo, the poor and migrants living on the margins. These are the groups that the removed subsidy affects most, these are the groups that really cannot afford the increased prices because of their places within society. But these are also the groups of people that the nation of Ecuador has been built on. The indigenas laid the foundation for society; their strengths in mobilizing and uniting communities showed during the paro. The seat of the President was moved from Quito to Naranjal, an area close to Guayaquil. This move sparked the mass mobilization of the indigenas to march from the North down to Guayaquil. Parents, community leaders, university students, artisanal workers, and campesinos, gathered in cars, trucks, on horseback, and by foot to march and protest the removal of the subsidy, along with the mistreatment and injustices they have faced. Historically, the indigenas in Ecuador have been used as scapegoats for issues, and they have also lacked resources and full citizenship. (Not until the 90s did they receive the right to vote.) They are people of power, of beauty, of spirituality, of unity. They are a people who through this march were demanding recognition and dignity. They alongside the campesinos cultivate the food that is gathered at everyone´s tables (rich and poor). The poor and migrants in Ecuador also do the work that is considered to be at the bottom. And while these groups continue to support themselves by doing work that has supported the nation, their repayment was this betrayal – this removal of a subsidy that has allowed for them to live. But groups of people who depended on that subsidy to barely get by, now felt betrayed, even more alone, and nearly incapable to support the survival of their families. These are the groups most affected. Generally, an individual commuting from an outskirt community into the city of Guayaquil, might make roughly $400 a month. With the removed subsidy, they now have to pay about $1 roundtrip to get to work, 6 days a week, whereas before they would pay about $0.70 roundtrip (bus fares were raised $0.10 during the paro). So in a month, this individual now lost about $30 on transportation alone (if a spouse worked, it doubled). Now imagine this individual supports a child who also needs to take the bus to school; that’s about $20 deducted, doubled if there are two children. Add in school fees and the increased prices for food, and a family is left with nearly nothing. A removed subsidy for gas affects everything. Food prices increased and food variety in tiendas were limited. Staple items like papas, huevos, and guineos now doubled in price. And items from the sierra like broccoli, cauliflower, and choclo (corn), were no longer available. The tiendas in my neighborhood only had produce that is cultivated here in la costa, and those items were more expensive than usual. During this nearly two-week period, households and individuals found themselves frustrated and anxious as their daily lives uprooted. Initially as a non-Ecuadorian, I found myself frustrated and inconvenienced as I could not rely on the bus, walked to and from work a couple times (2-hour roundtrip), and couldn´t find an ingredient I wanted. But as time went on, I felt myself growing in understanding for the history of politics within this country, growing in frustration for the injustices that were taking place, and growing in community and solidarity with my neighbors through conversation. People´s rights were being violated as their access to work, safety, education, and resources was being blocked. Quite literally, major roads and bridges connecting Duran to Guayaquil were blocked off by police, military personnel, and giant trucks and road blockades. These blockades prevented the indigenas to continue their march, as they could no longer pass into certain provinces or cities. Protesters found themselves being teargassed in Guayaquil, the city of Quito looked like a warzone, 13 indigenas were killed, school children went half the month without the guarantee of safely and easily getting to school, and some adults sat impatiently in their homes, while others walked 3 hours into Guayaquil to get to work. Finally, after 12 days of what seemed to be endless uncertainty and speculation of things getting worse (Would the country go into recession? Would things ever be "normal" again? Would people migrate out like in Venezuela and Colombia?), talks were opened between the President, his cabinet, government leaders, and indigenous and other special group leaders speaking on behalf of their communities and the citizens who were most affected by this. The talks were mediated by Ecuador´s UN ambassador and were televised nationally for what lasted around 5 hours. Though I did not watch all of it, what I did see were well-spoken testimonies and grievances shared by the indigenous and community leaders, and on the other hand, defensive responses from the President. After the dialogo and what seemed as though nothing would change, the President revoked Decree 883, which meant that his removal of the subsidy on gas would no longer take affect and that gas prices would return to $1. What followed the next day was uncertainty on whether or not President Moreno would actually sign the order – he did eventually. And now, the country is seeing a progression of "normalization" as buses and taxis are back on the road, fares are back to normal, school is back in session, and people can go back to work. Slowly but surely food prices and variety are also being normalized. However, what people have found to be more difficult is the drop in the economy; local business owners and working people who went nearly half the month without income are scrambling to make up for their losses (Ecuador lost over $2.3billion during the paro). The country is slowly trying the get back to the "normal" it longed for. But normal does not always equal just, and while the subsidy is back on gas, it is important to recognize that people´s rights and dignity were violated and are still being violated. The power of these people (especially those on the margins here in Ecuador) refuses to be silent, and this paro is evident of that. I do not share this information to cause fear, nor to bring pity or judgement towards this nation, rather, I share it as a means of transparency as news reports on this situation might have only been giving one narrative. I share it as a reminder of the US´ influence on Latin America, especially since this removed subsidy came soon after President Moreno met with Trump.I share it to also explain that the neighborhoods where I live and work were cooperating and safe. I share to emphasize that as a non-Ecuadorian, but Mexican-American global citizen, I am meant to learn, to understand, and to recognize that I do not know everything. And with all that, I also share the following links from trustworthy sources and news outlets: www.nytimes.com/2019/10/08/world/americas/ecuador-protests-president.html www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-49981521 https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2019/03/20/NA032119-Ecuador-New-Economic-Plan-Explained https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/aug/27/imf-economics-inequality-trump-ecuador https://conferenciaepiscopal.ec/comunicado-oficial-cee/ https://www.democracynow.org/2019/10/9/ecuador_indigenous_led_protests_lenin_moreno?utm_source=Democracy+Now%21&utm_campaign=d3751121c7-Daily_Digest_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fa2346a853-d3751121c7-191484465 https://federalnewsnetwork.com/world-news/2019/10/after-ending-protests-ecuador-faces-dire-economic-outlook/
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Author¡Hola a tod@s! My name is Madeline (Maddie) and here are some updates about my life here in Arbolito (Duran), Ecuador as a volunteer for Rostro de Cristo. Archives
December 2019
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