3 Things South American Protests Taught Me

Photo by Kumiko Hayashi

3 minute read

"We are not protestors; we are protectors," I heard a woman shout out in the middle of a protest. What exactly is a protest anyways? Technically it's an expression or declaration in objection to something. However, after hearing this women declare that they were protectors rather than protestors, I began to reflect more deeply on what protestors are protecting.

To be honest, the first time I took to the streets in a massive protest in South America I didn't really understand what I was protesting. A friend invited me, so I agreed to go out of curiosity. As soon as I arrived, I felt I was joining something much greater than myself. Since then I've many to many more protests. What are the three most important things I've witnessed from Latin American protests?

Community

In South America community is everything. A strong sense of community is built upon an interwoven web of relations, between the people and their environment. People in Latin America live daily life based on this foundation, and therefore can successfully organize in protests.

Last year in 2019, I participated in one of the most historic protests in Ecuador. It lasted over 11 days and halted all transportation throughout the country. The indigenous communities in particular left their villages and camped out among major roads, blocking all incoming and outgoing traffic. This statement to the government showed the strength of their communities. 

Of course, after several days access to food became an issue. On the ninth day of the protest, some families came on canoes to bring fresh food to the protestors; others brought water and supplies to the people on foot. On the eleventh day, the government realized the strength of the communities was far greater than themselves and they agreed to negotiate the political agenda that was being rejected by the people in the protest.

Culture

Latin America is rich in culture. Also, there is a great number of indigenous tribes, each with their own unique set of traditions and customs. One of the most powerful components of protests in Ecuador that I've witnessed is the power of culture as a tool of resistance.

In the Andes, the Incan culture still exits. Every June the communities gather together for a seven-day celebration, Inti Raymi, where each family dances from house to house, and then community to community until they have circulated around the entire village.

While filming for, The Roots Awaken, I once attended a protest where a group of youth from the Incan town of Peguche gathered for a protest, with their traditional instruments. They danced as if they were celebrating Inti Raymi. They brought this special energy of the ancient ceremony to the other participants in the protest, who united alongside them.

Ceremony

You can see a protest as a gathering of people that are in opposition to a political action or an incident that occurred. However, in another light protests are gatherings of people who deeply share the same feeling for something. The heart is what drives people to leave their homes to march. A simple intellectual opinion might not be enough to leverage someone to stop their daily life to unite with others.

Witnessing ceremonies during protests have taught me the power of united prayer. One time at a protest I saw a group of people circled around an alter in the middle of the street. There were flowers and offerings beautifully placed on the ground. In the middle there was gourd filled with incense and a fire dancing in the air. There were many elders from different communities praying together.

People from all different backgrounds were gathered around them. There was a moment when everyone kneeled to the ground and at the climax of the ceremony. I looked around and saw many people in tears. This opened the protest, which led late into the night. I witnessed the power of ceremony as a way to connect people from one heart to another; a force much greater than we can understand with our minds or perceive with our eyes. It is felt in the collective soul.

Essentially people march on the streets because they are protecting rights that will not be compromised. A sense of one heartedness, culture, and community are the three greatest aspects of protests in South America that I've witnessed. To see more stay tuned for scenes of protests in the documentary, The Roots Awaken.

written by Kumiko Hayashi - kumiko@therootsawaken.com