About 1000 people, including activists from 40 countries, local residents and bathers, gathered this Saturday, 12 August, on Odeceixe beach, to create the image of a dolphin in the sand, in solidarity against oil exploration and exploration on the Portuguese coast, accompanied by a red line, where the beach meets the ocean, to represent the voices of those who say no.
“At a time when fires are raging across the country, destroying nearly 30.000 hectares of forest over the past week alone, witnessing 80% of the country in 'severe' or 'extreme' drought conditions, this combination of intent, art and political action it sends a clear and unifying message: water is life, water is sacred, life is sacred and it is necessary to defend what is sacred», emphasizes the promoters of the initiative.
environmental groups ASTHMA (Algarve Surf and Marine Association), ALA (Alentejo Coast by AmbientAnd), climax, Vila do Bispo without oil, Tavira in Transition, Red Line Campaign, as well as the municipalities of Aljezur and Odemira, joined in this action, which is part of the “Defender the Sacred: Imagine a Global Alternative” initiative.
Laurinda Seabra, ASMAA director, recalled that “between April and June 2018, GALP and ENI are threatening the exploration and exploitation of oil off the Portuguese coast. From this beach, we could see the oil platforms. What we do today is dedicated to protecting our oceans, our beaches, our lands and our planet».
Martin Winiecki, coordinator of the Institute for Global Work for Peace in Tamera, and host of the meeting, added: “We dedicate this action to changing the paradigm, from a culture of exploration to a culture of cooperation with all that lives. We also want to raise our voice for the fires that ravage Portugal and the whole world. These fires result from the harmful management of forests and water resources. Eucalyptus monocultures are encouraged by the same short-term profit-oriented system that is now putting pressure on us to explore for oil on this coast».
The action was designed by John Quigley, an American environmental spokesman, known the world over for his aerial art activism. «Today the movement is growing… this beach is an example of that. These families thought that they came here to play with their children, and ended up becoming activists in defense of this beach”, stressed John Quigley.
Using their bodies to draw a huge message on the ground, hundreds of people created a huge dolphin in the sand with the message “No to the Hole! Yes to the Future” and “Defend the Sacred”.
The message was also part of the Linha Vermelha Campaign – a campaign created by Climáximo and by Citizen Academy. The red line represents "the voice of those who have repeatedly said no to oil exploration, both in Portugal and in the rest of the world, and who, by knitting and crochet, intend to inform and mobilize the population that otherwise would not be sensitized to this crime" .
Welcoming the participants were Sabine Lichtenfels, co-founder of Tamera, and LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, founder of the first indigenous resistance camp against the pipeline in the Dakota and the movement in Standing Rock, which emerged in 2016, in the United States .
“I know that when we rose, the world rose with us, so I came here to join you… We no longer have a choice, we have to take sides with water and we have to do it now. It is my wish that everyone's hearts and minds will be inspired to unite in prayer for a better life,” stressed LaDonna Brave Bull Allard.
The international meeting “Defending the Sacred: Imagining a Global Alternative” is taking place in Tamera – International Center for Peace Research, from 7 to 16 August, “focused on reconciling indigenous wisdom with thinking about the future, to find a common vision for a regenerative global culture”.
Tamera is a holistic peace research and education center with 40 years of experience in creating sustainable communities to build trust.
Tamera is recognized worldwide for its Water Retention Landscape and its work towards decentralized regional autonomy through solar energy, water retention, ecosystem regeneration and food autonomy.
For 15 years, Tamera has worked to empower global change agents and activists, supporting countless peace initiatives around the world. Tamera broadcasts live parts of the event, free of charge, in www.tamera.org/defend-the-sacred.
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