Angel and Tiggs

This was a manifesto-style document released at the Social Forum of Americas, Guatemala, October 9th, 2008). You can read my analysis of this manifesto here.

Evo Morales, elected president of Bolivia

1st. If we want to save Planet Earth to save life and mankind, we have to give an end to capitalism. The human hand shouldn’t be blamed for the grave consequences from climate change, food, financial and energy crisis. The current capitalist system, inhuman with its unlimited industrial development should.

2nd. Give up on wars because peoples are the greatest losers with wars; only empires win wars; nations don’t win, multinationals win. Small families profit from war, not peoples. The trillions destined to war must be turned to heal and cure Mother Earth that is hurt because of the climate change.

3rd. A world without imperialism or colonialism where relations should hinge upon the landmark of adding up and consider the deep asymmetries that exist from family to family, country to country and continent to continent.

4th. Water must be righted to every human being, and not privatized or concentrated in the hands of a few. Water is life.

5th. I want to tell you as my fifth point that we must end energy waste. Fossil energy sources that took millions of years to be created will be gone within 100 years. Given the fact that some presidents reserve lands for luxury cars and not human beings, we must implement policies to stop bio fuels and, this way, avoid hunger and poverty for our peoples.

6th. Respect Mother Earth. The capitalist system sees Mother Earth as raw material, but the earth cannot be treated as merchandise. Who could possibly privatize, rent or sell his own mother? I propose the organization of an international movement to defend Mother Nature so she can heal Mother Earth and restore a harmonic and responsible life with her.

7th. Essential services as water, energy, education and health must be basic rights to every human being.

8th. Consume only the necessary, make sure local products are priority, end lavish consuming, waste and luxury. We must give priority to local consumption, stimulating self-sustainability and community sovereignty within the planet’s healthy limits and scarce resources.

9th. Promote cultural and economical diversity, live in unity, respecting our differences, not only physical, but also economical; economies should be directed by communities and associations.

10th. Let us seed well-being, not living on someone’s back; a well-being hinged on the living of our peoples, the riches of our communities, fertile lands, clean air and water. A lot has been said about socialism, but it is necessary to improve this 21st century socialism by building a sort of community socialism or simply well-being, in harmony with Mother Earth, respecting all sorts of community living.

Translated from Terra Magazine.