By Ines Compan
In rural northwest Argentina, the indigenous Kolla's land and quality of life is threatened after the government permits a Canadian company, Standard Silver to open an ambitious open-sky silver mine in Mina Pirquitas.
The residents, mostly poor llama, goat and chinchilla farmers with little political clout, become understandably inflamed that the government would allow this usufruct without offering any sort of compensation for long-term environmental damage and share of the profits of the non-renewable resources. The residents feel that they are being bamboozled with promises of mining jobs that will enable them to stay in the area, yet the government ministers turns a deaf ear when reminders are made of long ago requests for a local clinic, school and improvements to drinking water quality.
A great community dialogue and discussion is established to educate and band together the locals who must fight against a powerful corporation and a government who rules by dividing and conquering and creating conflicts amidst the indigenous populace
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