Educational Media Reviews Online

“Where did these gringos come from, telling us Peru needs to produce copper, silver, and gold? No, Peru needs food. Man lives by what he eats.”

This was a simple statement of conviction by Godofredo Garcia Baca, the voice of resistance in a small farming community, as he rallied the villagers against the large Canadian mining company, Manhattan Mineral.

In 1999, the paradise that was Tambogrande was being threatened. At that time, Peru was already a top producer of fish meal, lead, zinc and gold in Latin America, raking in more than 4 billion dollars in yearly gold exports alone. Alberto Fujimori, who used brute force to crush terrorism and rescue the economy when he took over the presidency, gave Manhattan Minerals special permission to explore beneath the valley streets and farmland of Tambogrande. With a large deposit of gold found running through the town, Fujimori, declared the project a public necessity, and without warning, the inhabitants of this agricultural community awoke to mining equipment outside their front doors. Through a series of political maneuvers, the government gave Manhattan leave to take over the land, demolish the main square, cemetery, church, and one third of the town, culminating the project with a large open pit to mine the gold.

From the outset the residents of Tambogrande were irate and with good reason. During the 1950s and 1960s thousands had migrated to Tambogrande and with their toil, perseverance and love of the land, turned Tambogrande from a desert, into an agriculturally lush land of mangoes, limes, oranges, tamarinds and many other fruits. This highly productive paradise in time employed over 40,000 people as the produce was increasingly exported throughout North America, Europe and Asia. In addition to their love of the land and the agricultural way of life, the people of Tambogrande already knew about the horrors of Choropampa, a small Andean village poisoned by a mercury spill from a mine. The residents of Tambogrande declared they would not bear the same fate and so led by Godofredo Garcia Baca, one of the original settlers, the people formed the Defense Front to protect their town, the environment, and their way of life.

Initial resistance was through peaceful means but after the assassination of Garcia Baca and a protest where Manhattan Mineral’s compound was burned the movement began to lose its focus. However, the Defense Front leadership was able to re-establish the cause and channel the resident’s anger, fear, and indignation into peaceful action. Protesters carried mangos and limes, not sticks and stones. Their new weapons were to rally the public through music, art, dance, media, and the Internet. This rebirth of the movement gave way to the idea of a public referendum to determine how the people felt about the proposed mining project. More people showed up for the referendum than any other election, many traveling several miles to vote. After the votes were tabulated a resounding 95.24% of the people voted no to the mining project. Even though not legally binding, Manhattan Mineral’s shares dropped 28% on the Toronto Stock Exchange the following day and over a period of 5 years, the mining company lost several significant political, legal and public battles. Manhattan Minerals left Peru in disgrace and financial ruin, vowing to never return.

At times this film can be heavy handed and is somewhat slow paced. However, the use of archival footage and scenes of mass demonstrations are quite striking. Additionally, the timeline and historical tracking of the anti-mining movement was handled in a logical manner. The chronological unfolding of the story gives the viewer a clear picture of the political, economic, and social impact the Defense Front made on its community. The commentary and interviews of people on both sides contribute to the story, but in particular interviews of the residents of Tambogrande show the passion, fortitude, strength, and eloquence of a group of people from who most would expect little. This is an extraordinary story of a small town, who against insurmountable odds and threats to life and livelihood, banded together and did more than keep the invaders at bay, but expelled them form their country with a reverberating “No” that the whole world heard.