Stopping briefly at the Congress building, the marchers demanded their water rights: “The water is of the people—no privatization, stop the contamination!”. We passed by another group of protesters near the Congress building who were illegally fired workers under the Fujimori regime. In front of the building, gas stung our faces, making our eyes water.

The gas was surprising since it was a peaceful march. While everyone remained peaceful, Peruvians are determined to not let president Alan Garcia’s “Water for all” campaign underhand the current water laws and privatize the water. The main worry is that “water for all” does not really include “all”.

The march was organized by FENTAP (Federation of Potable Water and Sewage Workers of Peru) along with CONAGUA y VIDA (National Commission of the Defense of Water and Life.) Representatives from Acorn International led the march dressed in black, holding funeral flowers commemorating the death of the rivers in Lima from so much contamination. Sedapal, Lima’s public water company, provided people dressed up as a big drop of water, and another as a faucet.

The conclusion of the march took place at the Av. Abancay Bridge over the Rimac River with a speaker, Adriana Marquiso, from the CNDAV of Uruguay and the organizer of it all, Luis Isarra, the coordinator of FENTAP of Perú. Then led by Rodrigo Carpio of CONACAMI and a couple of Quechua women, a traditional indigenous ceremony was done on the bridge to bless the river. The Rimac River is an example of the consequences when a city of this size does not have an adequate water or sanitation system.

The day after the march, CONAGUA y VIDA continued its discussion with an International Forum “Water and Life: Sustainable and Participatory Alternatives outside of the Political Realm” with delegates from Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, and Europe. The main theme of the talks was how to ensure that water stays in the hands of the public. In many towns, for example Chimbote and Huancayo, the public organized itself without national support to keep their water publicly owned. The international speakers discussed the necessary keys for successful water programs which are involvement and participation of citizens, a transparent program, and the overarching belief that water is a human right.

An unexpected and notable guest on the international panel was Oscar Olivera, a Bolivian activist known for his outstanding work organizing unions for factory workers and leading the protest that drove out a private company that took over the water system in Cochabamba in 2000. Olivera spoke of the success story of the Water War in Cochabamba and told us “when you’re fighting for water, you’re fighting for life.” Water represents life for humans, animals, and plants. He suggested that an important point to consider when looking at water programs is to look at who is making the decisions, who is calling the shots.

Representing Peru’s government sector, Congressman Dr. Yonhy Lescano Ancieta spoke on the legal aspects of water as a human right. While actually a rightist politician, he spoke like a leftist. He cited the UN Food and Agriculture Organization who reported in 1996 that 26 countries (230 million people) were suffering from lack of water. By the year 2020, the number would supposedly increase to 41 countries. Describing seriously concerning water situations in India (New Delhi), Africa, Pakistan and Iran, he asserted that the solution lies in a good government managing the situation and not letting the water fall into the hands of the private U.S. companies.

Private companies undermine public sector campaigns and give excuses as to why it’s better if the water is in the hands of private sector by saying that people will only care for their water if they have to pay for it, that people will learn water is indispensable, and that regular people don’t have the know-how to manage natural resources. Sound similar to the U.S.’s position on oil? Don’t the people who watch their glaciers disappear and rivers dry up know full well that water is precious and not to be wasted?

While the international panelists were moving and impressive, the panel of indigenous leaders came on stage and took us further to the left, away from the idea of the private sector of control. The earlier panel had discussed working against the neo-liberal forces and modifying and modernizing the laws regarding natural resources. One indigenous leader said, yes, we all know how vital water is, but where does modernizing water laws take us? Wouldn’t that take us in the wrong direction?

Miguel Palacin, the director of the Andean Coalition of Indigenous Organizations (CAOI) and president of CONACAMI, explained where water fits in with the Andean world. Water exists in all three levels of the Andean world and represents the blood of the Pachamama (Mother Earth) and thus vital to life. He urged us to think of where does the water that comes in rivers to the cities come from? It starts in the mountains, where the farmers and indigenous people care it for. The defenders of the water are the peasants. Then the water passes through the mines, the cities with no trash pick-up system, and becomes so contaminated, it’s without life. 16 out of the 53 rivers flowing from the mountains to the Pacific are contaminated from mining.

The Women and Water forum in the afternoon was truly inspirational. It began with a group of musicians playing typical Andean music with lyrics about defending water. The whole audience was clapping, and everyone seemed to feel the energy of the fight for water and against its contamination. The harmonious voices cried out, “We will fight for what they’re trying to take from us”.

The women who spoke on defending water rights really blew away the audience with their energy and determination. The word that Marcelina Vargas Quispe – a small indigenously dressed woman who is the secretary for the Peasant Confederation of Peru (CCP) – kept repeating was their great “concern” over the state of the natural resources in our country. The UNICEF report on water and sanitation in 2004 describes how not having access to safe water and toilets affects women and girls disproportionately. The report describes how women and girls have to travel far to carry back water to their houses, risk violence against them by not having private toilets, and put themselves at further risk for disease by not having safe sanitation.

The women who spoke at the forum know the problems and sicknesses related to water through experience, without needing to read the UNICEF report on it. Quispe described how “the women are the people who fight to defend the water for our health and our lives.” Without water, their lives are without dignity and health, and for that their message hears loud and clear: “Enough with the contamination and privatization; the land is our body and the water is our blood.”

One woman said that 80% of the houses in El Augustino where she lives do not have water. They have done everything from marches to petitions trying to get the government to realize the situation and to be aware of the problem. Finally, Sedapal has provided potable water to her town on 2 days a week, and for that she is very thankful.

The sad reality however is that each day life in rural Peru is getting poorer and poorer, as mining companies contaminate their water sources, and private companies over-charge for water. The rivers are drying up, and women have to decide how to ration out the water between washing, food preparation, and their personal health and hygiene.

Article and photos by Chloë Waters

Gutiérrez stated that this price has been charged for the last three years, although he acknowledged that last year two tariffs existed – $80 for the seated area and $70 for other stands. He accused unscrupulous tourism operators of deceiving their clients by charging $80 dollars for non-seating areas as well.

Senor Gutiérrez seems to be a smart businessman and a terrific calculator: “All we have done is unifying both prices. This year we will charge $80 just like some agencies have already charged tourists last year”, he told Radio RPP Noticias.

He also denied that the price increase is solely based on making more profit. “Ticket revenue sometimes doesn’t even cover our costs”, he emphasized. 3,500 tickets are offered which means that a sellout would fill cash registers with 280,000 dollars. However, Gutierrez estimated that this years overall expenses would reach about 240,000 nuevo soles, which is actually less than a third of the ticket revenue. Who knows, maybe it was just a slip of the tongue and he meant to say dollars.

He also detailed that the city of Cusco is sponsoring the event. “We do not receive any money from the municipality nor from the State. That’s why we make strategic alliances with other companies and institutions like Promperú”, he declared.

Three different grandstands – orange, blue and green – will be constructed for the the celebrations with an overall capacity of 4,435 people. Advanced payment for the reservations in the seated area will be a minimum of 30 percent during March, 40 and 50 percent in April and May. In June, the month of the Inti Raymi, tickets have to be paid in full.

The Inti Raymi (”Festival of the Sun”) was a religious ceremony of the Inca Empire in honor of the god Inti. It also marked the winter solstice and a new year in the Andes of the Southern Hemisphere. Since 1944, a theatrical representation of the Inti Raymi has been taking place at Sacsayhuamán (two km. from Cusco) on June 24 of each year, attracting thousands of tourists and local visitors.

During the Inca Empire, the Inti Raymi was the most important of four ceremonies celebrated in Cusco, as related by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. The ceremony was also said to indicate the mythical origin of the Incas, lasting nine days of colorful dances and processions, as well as animal sacrifices to ensure a good cropping season. The last Inti Raymi with the Inca Emperor’s presence was carried out in 1535, after which the Spanish conquest and the Catholic Church suppressed it. Some natives participated in similar ceremonies in the years after, but it was completely prohibited in 1572 by the Viceroy Francisco de Toledo, who claimed it was a pagan ceremony opposed to the Catholic faith.

Today, it’s the second largest festival in South America. Hundreds of thousands of people converge on Cuzco from other parts of the nation, South America and the world for a week long celebration marking the beginning of a new year, the Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun.

Article by Wolfy Becker

A lunar eclipse occurs whenever some portion of the Earth’s shadow falls upon the Moon. Two conditions are required for this to happen. First, the Moon must be full; that is, from the perspective of the Sun, the Moon must be directly behind the Earth. A beautiful red sunset is expected for tomorrow.

Totality can be seen from parts of all seven continents including Peru and all of Europe, Africa and the eastern half of North America.

Europe and Africa are favored. People there will see Earth’s red shadow swallow the Moon for more than an hour around 23:21 GMT (18:21 p.m. in Lima).

see animation at http://www.shadowandsubstance.com/

Here in Lima and Peru, at the end of the day on Saturday, go outside and face east. As the sun sets behind your back, a red Moon will rise before your eyes — it will be a fantastic site if the sky is clear. You will see it by naked eye (there is not harm to your eyes), using binoculars or telescopes is even better.

The Moon does not completely disappear as it passes through the umbra because of the refraction of sunlight by the Earth’s atmosphere into the shadow cone. The amount of refracted light depends on the amount of clouds or dust in the atmosphere, and this light causes the Moon to glow with a coppery-red hue that varies from one eclipse to the next.

Every year there are at least two lunar eclipses. Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be viewed at a certain relatively small area of the world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of the Earth.

(thanks to Anibal Paredes for providing this info)

Wolfy Becker

World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) is being organized and supported by many different groups. The groups are only connected by their determination to all be naked on their bikes on WNBR Day, riding in celebration, jubilation to deliver a vision of a cleaner, safer, body-positive world to the masses. There are many great reasons to be celebrating, with all the glory of naked two-wheel sanity. It’s time to join hundreds of naked compatriots in a free, non-sexual, fun bike ride!

All are welcome! From the shy to the bold. Cyclists, rollerbladers, rollerskaters, skate boarders. All ages, sizes, and colors welcome. Bring your family and your co-workers!

What to wear? Do not fear! The World Naked Bike Ride dress code is “As Bare As You Dare”… How bare is that? How dare is that? It’s all up to you. You decide what you are comfortable with. No one is excluded or discriminated against based on levels of clothing, bodypaint, or anything else for that matter!

Engage the public! Bodies are painted and bikes decorated with political messages or beautiful designs to complement forms and shapes. Please be creative and colorful in expressing yourself! Bodypainting, bike decorating, and other creative expression is strongly encouraged! See Body art and Art bike for more info.

We pass out flyers informing the public about our message. We use portable public address systems or raise our voices and chant in unison. Getting people to laugh and smile is a great way to connect and share ideas in a non-threatening way.

The ride also wants to demonstrate the vulnerability of cyclists on the road and is a protest against oil dependency. Safety for cyclists is almost non-existent in Lima. In February 2007 three cyclists were killed by cars and trucks and their irresponsible drivers.

Visit the Lima Naked Bike Ride site at http://www.ciclonudistaperu.org/ for further details.

You can also visit the global World Naked Bike Ride site at http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/.

Lima Naked Bike Ride 2007

Date: March 10th
Main meeting place: Parque Kennedy in Miraflores
Time: 09:00 am

- Come join us to defend our lives against killer cars
- Come naked
- Come dressed with a custom
- Come body painted
- Come in a bikini
- Come as creative as you can
- Bring flags, printed text for display, etc.

Article by Wolfy Becker