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哥倫比亞瀕太平洋的海岸地區，是一條夾在海洋與安地斯山脈之間的狹長叢林地帶。當地有豐富的植物與動物，1,060萬名非裔哥倫比亞人是19世紀中葉被解放的黑奴後裔，目前約有1/3居住在這裏。近年來，伐木、開金礦、大規模農業以及哥倫比亞內戰，都影響到這塊區域。
葛魯索（攝影：David Lent）
現年43歲的葛魯索是出生在這塊海岸區的社會工作者，也是「黑人社區進步組織」（PCN）的共同創立者。PCN是鼓吹非裔哥倫比亞人的組織。在1990年代早期，她與結盟的團體幫助通過《LAW
70》，使得非裔哥倫比亞人得到法律上的認同和擁有土地權利。他們引用這條國家法，與養蝦場及其他開發海岸的工業計畫對抗。此外，葛魯索也大膽發聲，抨擊導致環境破壞的內戰與美國軍事援助。
這是危險的活動。從1988年以來，在這個地區，約有75位非裔哥倫比亞領袖遭到暗殺，另外還有許多人因從事環境與人權運動而遭迫害。但是在提到她家鄉的自然與文化多樣性時，葛魯索依然昂揚發聲。
2004年4月19日，葛魯索在加州舊金山獲頒環保金人獎，她是六位獲獎人之一。她計畫利用部分獎金幫助PCN的支部工作，剩下的作為孩子的教育費用。下面是她透過翻譯人員與Grist
Magazine的對話。 |
The Pacific Coast of Colombia, a narrow slice of jungle between the
Andes and the ocean, is rich with plant and animal life. It's also home
to about a third of Colombia's 10.6 million Afro-Colombians, descendants
of black slaves emancipated in the mid-1800s. In recent years, this
isolated area has been hit hard by logging, gold mining, industrial
agriculture, and Colombia's civil war. Social worker Libia Grueso, a
native of the Pacific Coast, is a cofounder of the Process of Black
Communities (PCN), a civil-rights group that advocates for
Afro-Colombians. In the early 1990s, she and her allies helped pass "Law
70," which granted legal recognition and territorial rights to
Afro-Colombians. They've used this national law to battle shrimp-farm
projects and other industrial development along the coast. Grueso, 43,
has also spoken out against the environmental damage caused by the civil
war and U.S. military aid.
This is dangerous work. Since 1998, some 75 Afro-Colombian leaders
have been assassinated on the Pacific Coast, and many others have been
persecuted for their environmental and civil-rights work. But Grueso's
voice still rises with excitement when she talks about the natural and
cultural diversity of her home region.
On April 19 in San Francisco, Calif., Grueso was awarded one of six
2004 Goldman Environmental Prizes. She plans to use part of the money
for a PCN branch office and the rest to pay for her children's
education. She spoke to Grist through a translator. |
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問：請大略介紹哥倫比亞瀕太平洋海岸區的自然與人文。 答：那是全世界生物最豐富的五個地區之一，擁有全世界10.9％的鳥類。但是目前規劃的高度工業化、伐木與金礦開發，深深地威脅著當地的生物多樣性。於此同時，當地也存在著單一作物耕種的危機：棕櫚與古柯鹼。這兩種作物的栽培，威脅著當地的自然環境以及傳統農耕。這個地區93.4％的人口是非裔哥倫比亞人，他們早已有一套與叢林共存的農業方式──叢林塑造了當地人的生活型態，其中也包括了自然觀。最重要的是我們的社群有不同的生活方式和自然的關係，對於生死也有不同的想法，這是我們可以提供給這個世界的。
問：哥倫比亞的內戰是如何讓這些問題更嚴重？
答：由於土地所有權的爭議，引發此地的軍事衝突，這些地區都被規劃用以進行大型開發計畫。這個地區的戰爭，明顯是因領土引起，我們已在這片土地上安居了400年。而衝突的結果就是使得當地300萬名居民被迫遷移，其中200萬人為非裔哥倫比亞人。我們的領導人受到威脅，而有些遭到暗殺。
問：你如何決定要成為這個地區的倡導者？
答：這是個很長的個人故事，許多人都和我一樣，意識到如果我們不負起保護我們的文化、土地、自然與環境的責任，那麼消失的不只是我們的文化，和文化相連的環境也會消失。以往的各種經驗，使得我意識到我們這個地區的重要性，以及所謂的「發展」對這個地區造成的威脅。
問：我知道你在1993年曾協助《LAW 70》通過。這項立法有什麼重要性？
答：非常重要。這條法律承認了在此地居住400多年的人民，擁有這塊土地的所有權。這項法律也向國內的重要人士凸顯文化、差異與社會各地域的重要。這條法律也開啟了非裔哥倫比亞人與國家的其他人民之間的對話。
問：你認為你目前最大的勝利是什麼？
答：首先是讓非裔哥倫比亞人知道自己是參與者，由此獲得自尊。我們與哥倫比亞其他社會運動保持聯繫，發展文化間的對話，認同且欣賞文化間的差異，也就是認同多樣性。在叢林中可以非常清楚的看見，生命本身就充滿多樣性。我們的願景是建立不同形式的發展。
哥倫比亞太平洋海岸區的Yurumangui河（照片提供：PCN／Solstice基金會）
問：由美國支持的「哥倫比亞計畫」，對這個地區造成什麼影響？
答：會影響整個國家，特別是這個濱太平洋地區，例如使用煙燻消毒法。最近的調查已經證實，在國家公園使用煙燻消毒是有害自然的，其強烈的效果，能完全根除非法的農業耕種，但也造成其他植物死亡。許多在軍事產品上的投資，花了數百萬元派遣人力和飛機來毒害森林與水源，卻沒有真正援助當地居民與保育工作。我們不是反對（美國的）援助，但是不贊同援助的方式。（編按：美國的反毒工作之一，便是支援飛機在哥倫比亞古柯種植區上空噴灑植物枯萎劑。）
問：這個獎對你的意義是什麼？
答：它提供了一個交流經驗的機會，並且使我們更堅定地團結在一起，努力改變「發展」的定義。同時也讓大家知道讓太平洋海岸叢林及其傳統文化的重要性。
問：我知道你有一些同盟夥伴曾遭迫害甚至被殺害，是什麼力量鼓舞你繼續向前的？
答：我們是許多人的組合，而且我們知道這些努力不只對我們有益，對世界也是值得。如果我們之中有人死了，其它人會接下來繼續前進，這樣的堅持使我們產生奮鬥的力量。我們的口號是「我們的土地充滿了生命、快樂與自由」。雖然有些事情發生，我們盡力使每個時刻都會快樂。
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Grist: Please tell me a little bit about the nature and people of
Colombia's Pacific Coast region.
Grueso:
It's one of the five richest biological areas in the world -- it
has 10.6 percent of the bird species in the world. The biological
diversity is threatened by extractive industries, by the timber and gold
industries and by all the mega-projects being planned in the area. It is
also threatened by the expansion of monocultures: the palm industry and
the monoculture of cocaine. Both of them are threatening the natural
conditions in the area, and they are also threatening traditional
cultural practices. The community in this zone is 93.4 percent
Afro-Colombian, and they have maintained practices associated with the
jungle. The jungle makes our lifestyle, and our natural vision,
possible. The most important thing is that the [Afro-Colombian]
community has a different lifestyle, a different kind of relationship
with nature, a different sense of life and death. That is what we have
to offer the rest of the world.
Grist: How has the civil war in Colombia worsened those problems?
Grueso: First of all, it should be said
that armed conflict exists in this area because of a dispute over who
owns the land. The area where armed conflict can be found coincides with
areas where major projects are being proposed. War in this region is
clearly about territory, about the land we have conserved for more than
400 years. It's resulted in the movement of people within our region --
of the 3 million people displaced [by the ongoing conflict in Colombia],
2 million are Afro-Colombian. It's caused our leaders to be threatened,
and some have even been assassinated.
Grist: How did you decide to become an advocate for the region?
Grueso: It's a long personal story, but
many like myself are conscious that if we don't assume the defense of
our culture, the defense of our territory, the defense of nature and our
environment, not only will the culture disappear but also the nature
associated with that culture. I've had a variety of experiences that
have made me conscious of the importance of our region, and how it is
threatened by so-called development.
Grist: I understand you helped pass Colombia's Law 70 in 1993.
What was the importance of this legislation?
Grueso: It was very, very important. It
recognized the right to land, to territory, of the people who have been
there for more than 400 years. It made it possible to show the
importance of culture and of different and distinct parts of society --
we were able to show them to the dominant parts of the country. It led
to the development of a dialogue between Afro-Colombian people and the
state.
Grist: What do you consider your greatest victory so far?
Grueso: First, that the Afro-Colombian
community recognizes itself as an important player, and has dignity.
That we've been able to relate to the other social movements of
Colombia, that there's been an intercultural dialogue and a recognition
and appreciation of differences -- a recognition of diversity. One can
see very clearly, in the jungle itself, that there is a diversity of
ways of life. Our vision is that we can construct a different model of
development.
Grist: How has the U.S.-backed Plan Colombia affected the Pacific
Coast?
Grueso: It really has affected the whole
country, in particular the Pacific. For example, in the Pacific
practices such as fumigation have begun. Recently a measure was approved
to fumigate in national parks -- that is completely anti-nature. In this
vehement effort to eradicate illicit agriculture, one can obviously
eliminate other plant life. There's been a lot of investment in military
products, millions of dollars spent sending personnel and airplanes that
poison the forest and water, and no support for people or conservation
efforts. We're not in any way opposing the help [from the United States]
but how that help is being invested.
Grist: What does this prize mean to you?
Grueso: It's an opportunity to exchange
experiences, to reaffirm ourselves in solidarity with those who are
struggling to change what development means. It's an opportunity to
share the importance of the Pacific Coast jungle and its traditional
cultures.
Grist: I understand that some of your allies have been persecuted
and even killed for their work. What's given you the courage to
continue?
Grueso: We are many people, and we know
that this effort is worthwhile not only for ourselves but also for the
whole world. If some of us have to die, that means that some of us have
to continue -- and in that persistence one finds the strength for the
struggle. Our slogan is that our territory is filled with life,
happiness, and liberty, and we make every effort in every instance to be
happy, despite the things that occur.
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