The Mapuche, an indigenous people in Southern Chile have endured colonisation for well over 500 years. Forcibly displaced from their land, many now live in the capital Santiago. Land struggles and demanding restitution of their former lands is an ongoing issue. In 2010, 34 Mapuche prisoners, imprisoned for defending their land went on hunger strike. This prompted public protests in Santiago where the Mapuche demanded that the prisoners’ rights should be upheld and that the anti-terrorist law should not be applied.
In this piece, arpillerista Aurora Ortiz who participated in the 2010 protests, reminds us that the Mapuche land issue is far from being resolved. Against the backdrop of the vibrant Araucanía landscape, she depicts protestors – mainly women – demanding “No to the antiterrorist law”. Their banners announce “for the defence of our culture” and the “defence of our land”, an apt slogan for this indigenous group whose name “Mapuche” means “People of the Land”.
In a letter tucked in a pocket on the reverse side of the arpillera Aurora explains what seeded this piece: "This is to let people know the injustices done to the Mapuche people … with this form of "art" I express myself … it is the best form for me, letting the world know…"
And the world has responded. In October 2017, Independent Experts within the Special Procedures body of the United Nations Human Rights Council commented on the case of four Mapuche activists who have been detained since 2016 and who began a hunger strike in protest: “We urge Chile to refrain from using the anti-terrorism law to deal with events that occurred in the context of social protests by Mapuche peoples seeking to claim their rights.” http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22209&LangID=E
Following a statement by Chilean Interior Minister Mario Fernandez that the government would not use the Anti-terrorism bill in this case, the activists ended their 117 day hunger strike.
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