In her recent book, Jaguar Dreams, Susan MacBryde has done a thorough job of showing the struggle between the people who live in the Amazon, and who are descendants of communities that have lived there for thousands of years; their current supporters; as well as the corporate and governmental coalitions that want to remove the oil and minerals from the Amazon, resulting in its demise. Through the elaboration of the character’s personalities and their roles in this on-going struggle, we come away with a feeling for the many pressures at play on each person.
As a cultural anthropologist, I appreciate how the nuances of the cultural perspectives on all sides are presented. My bias is, of course, to support the peoples of the Selva whose home is threatened by government
approved contracts with the mining and extraction corporations, and whose legal and illegal operations cause irreparable harm to Nature.
The injustices are even more salient because Ecuador has several Constitutional provisions for the preservations of natural resources and all living beings. Many NGOs, like the Andes-Amazon Conservancy, provide international support for preserving the home of all living beings, from insects to humans.
I totally recommend this book for its elucidating insights and for its call to action.
Address: Cuenca
Contact information: smacbryde@gmail.com
Recommended by Julia Rux: juliaecuador260@gmail.com
