We Want Light for Our Homes, Too! About Christmas Lights in Medellin
(Translated by Buddy Bell, a CSN Volunteer Translator. Edited by Teresa Welsh, CSN's Volunteer Editor.)
Press Release:
DIRECT ACTION AMONG THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS:
"WE WANT LIGHT FOR OUR HOMES, TOO!"
Medellin, Dec. 13, 2010
Last Friday, Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day, those of us from various neighborhoods and communities who were disconnected from public services decided to again take to the streets and public spaces in order to denounce our situation of vulnerability and of violations to our fundamental human rights. Afforded to our basic dignity, we have the right of access to potable water and electricity.
As of today, Medellin has disconnected 30,000 households from water and 42,000 from energy. Another 35,000 have had to use prepaid energy, but they keep getting disconnected all the same. That's why we took to the streets in order to make ourselves visible and to tell of our situation to the rest of the city.
With this nonviolent direct action we wanted to show the injustice of spending more than 8 billion pesos [roughly $4 million U.S.] on Christmas lights, while in our homes we can't light even one bulb, because we are disconnected. Therefore we demand the money to be invested in the remittance of our bills as we don't have money to pay them.
We started out on our march at 7:30 p.m. outside the Pablo Tobon Uribe Theater, where all of us met up--- the residents of neighborhoods like Bello Oriente, La Cruz, La Honda, Altos de la Torre, Esfuerzos de Paz, Villa Turbay and Las Independencias, all of us affected by the hiked up utility rates and the disconnection of what used to be our public services.
We marched down the entire length of La Playa Avenue accompanied all the way by the sound of an oboe playing; it raised the spirit of the Resistance. This night, we wanted to carry a symbol, a Christmas tree completely dark and without lights, consistent with our situation of darkness. Besides that, we used a Christmas carol to narrate our problem: "Christmas, Christmas, Sad Christmas, Medellín Most Be Lighted and the Most Disconnected". On the other hand, we wanted to re-gift a few items for the city on its birthday; these were carried by the children: we gave Medellín poverty, misery, hunger, disconnection, and the high utility rates that have drowned us in a dilemma--- do we pay to eat or pay to have light and running water?
The Youth Artists Network also joined us. They brought with them a representation of the community's reality, with personages like Mr. Candle, Mrs. Light, darkness, disconnected child, and a plug that can't connect to an outlet. Everyone yelled slogans such as "no more misery, no more disconnections, no more high fees, stop privatization."
At the end of the march, we struggled to blockade Oriental Avenue for a period of 15 minutes, where we made a circle with the darkened tree in the middle of the street, with candles burning, and right there the proclamation of the Inter-Neighborhood Board was read out loud. We wanted all of this to happen at that spot, as that is where the city's lighted Christmas tree stands: this was the place that would best display the sharp contrast to our reality of dark trees back at home.
This action didn't come out of the blue. The community that came together to articulate the sentiments of the Inter-Neighborhood Board had previously decided to march on La Playa Avenue, one of the streets with the most Christmas lights that the EPM corporation claims to have given to Medellin as a gift. The board made a united stand to demand a municipal accord which would cancel the money owed by households that were disconnected from service.
At the same time it demands that the government apply a policy of "Cubic Meters and Kilowatts of Dignity," which would guarantee a critical minimum threshold for potable water and electric energy for the first and second strata in the city, and a system of water pipes and sewers for the population living in settlements along Medellin's periphery.
Finally we condemn the city's failure to live up to the UN-HABITAT prize, which was presented to Medellin's mayor's office, for being one of "the most habitable cities." We must wonder how it can be true--- looking at the physical conditions of the people, we can't see what motives there are to award such a prize. We still find 25,000 families in high-risk (high-cost) zones with not much social investment, living without adequate water and sewer systems. A great many people live on remote ranches without decent roads or in settlements that are unrecognized because they are considered illegal; such places lack urban resources such as health centers, schools, and parks.
UNITE AND FIGHT FOR DIGNITY.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmL4FzIF8eg
English Transcript of Video
Opening chant:
Bystander friends, bring your passion together. The prepaid card is no solution.
Children reading:
[inaudible]
1st Woman with Microphone:
[inaudible]…we are here in the plaza to say that in our houses, there is not even one light bulb that can be lit... [inaudible]
Man reading paper:
[inaudible]…has been increasing?
Respondent:
No, that they don't have it to pay it.
Man:
That they don't have it to pay? [inaudible]
2nd Woman with Microphone:
All of us, people of Medellin, let's disconnect this Christmas tree. We want to clean up the injustice that is represented by thousands of millions of pesos being spent on Christmas lights while in our houses we can't light a single bulb. We demand that the money be allocated to settle our debts from the privatization of public services. We don't have money to pay. In this and every following year we want our electric service to not be cut off. Medellin Unstoppable! [electric company advertising slogan] In disconnection and unemployment!
Text of Leaflet:
We want light for our homes, too!
The people disconnected from electric and water want to show the injustice of spending millions of pesos on Christmas lights, while in our homes we can't light even one bulb, because we are disconnected. Therefore we demand the money to be invested in the remittance of our bills as we don't have money to pay them.
Medellin Ynstoppable… in disconnection and unemployment.
We want to see Medellin lit up from the river to the neighborhoods.
EPM [electric corporation]: "it's right there" [another EPM slogan]… to disconnect and rob you.
Children singing:
Christmas has arrived.
My electric isn't running anymore.
EPM is here
But they don't know how to connect.
Christmas has arrived.
Happiness is no longer with us.
EPM you're here
But you don't know how to connect.
Christmas, Christmas, Sad Christmas
Medellin… [inaudible] …disconnected.
Christmas, Christmas, Sad Christmas
[inaudible]
Christmas, Christmas, Sad Christmas
[inaudible]
Woman wearing bandanna:
[inaudible]
Respondent:
Eat
Interviewer:
You're disconnected?
Woman with Candle:
Yes I'm disconnected. And now I'll have to prepay.
Interviewer:
And what are you here to say? What do you think…?
Woman with Candle:
So that just…stop disconnecting all the people that don't have money to pay, please, because it's not fair to tell them they must prepay.
Man with Microphone:
Today on International Human Rights Day, we who are from various neighborhoods and communities in Medellin who were disconnected from public services are here to take to the streets and public spaces in order to illustrate our situation of vulnerability and of violations to our fundamental human rights. Afforded to our basic dignity, we have the right of access to potable water and electricity. EPM and the municipal administration know the costs are too high for us, but they prefer their own agreement where they cut our public services in order to start raking in huge profits. They order all of us cut off, they let us go hungry if we pay these high rates. We want to see Medellin serviced with electric from the river to the communities. Just like they're lighting up La Playa Avenue they have to light up our homes, too. Energy is for everyone. It's unjust, that in a country, in a region using so much energy, to then cut it off in people's homes in city neighborhoods and the surrounding settlements and all around the state. EPM needs to provide as much for human beings. We demand reconnection for everyone disconnected. We begged the politicians too long; there's no one among them that will help our families. We will be the unstoppable Medellin--- everyone out here in the streets and the commons.
Medellin unstoppable in disconnections! Medellin unstoppable in poverty! Medellin unstoppable in unemployment! Medellin unstoppable in hunger! Medellin unstoppable in disconnections! Medellin unstoppable in hunger! Medellin unstoppable in unemployment! Medellin unstoppable in poverty…those are all the presents we are giving back to the city! Don't give us any of it this Christmas!
First things first, we have rights. We will keep our homes! Full employment for everyone such as we will all live in dignity!
Unite and Fight for Dignity!
Unite and Fight for Dignity!
Closing caption:
Neighborhoods: unite with the struggle for life and dignity
This translation may be reprinted as long as the content remains unaltered, and the source, author, and translator are cited.
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posted by CSN at 2:33 PM
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