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Indian Women in Orissa Burn Genetically Modified Seeds in Protest
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Polly Mann, W A M M
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The Indian women of Orissa, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal, were obviously angry. On March 23rd more than 3000 Orissan women made a bonfire of hybrid and genetically modified seeds. Then the women took to the streets, shouting slogans, damning the genetically modified (GM) seeds and the high-yielding crops that they charge have pushed them into a cycle of poverty, indebtedness and hunger.
In the last few years there have been increasing reports of Third World women involved in protests against injustice. In Bolivia, wearing traditional costumes of full hand-woven skirts and dark derby hats, peasant women challenged the privatization of public utilities, which had resulted in enormous increases in the cost of drinking water. The government has had to abandon a private contract and return to its former utilities operations. Unfortunately, the contract was legal and the country is obligated to pay for services it is not receiving.
In Nigeria, in 2002, the peaceful protests of village women against Chevron Texaco culminated in an agreement with the oil company where Chevron agreed to provide jobs, business loans, schools and hospitals. The Niger Delta is one of the West African countryís poorest regions, although it is the source of $20 billion in annual oil exports.
In Orissa, charges were made that unemployment was growing annually by 20% due to the mechanization of farm work. The farmers claim that the Indian government—increasingly dominated by the multinational seed companies—are taking away their rights. GM seeds lose their strength after one crop; therefore, farmers are forced to buy seeds every year. Another negative result is the lesser amount of Vitamin E found in GM rice —nine kilograms—about the same that is found in one carrot. Some charge that GM seeds fail altogether.
The women of Orissa desire a state that produces only organic food, and call this demand a seed, “satyagrah.” This concept would be entirely consistent with Mahatma Ghandi’s use of the term “satyagraha,” meaning peace-force. A satyagrahi would be a non-violent civil resister.
The women of Orissa represent a deepening movement of worldwide grassroots efforts by women to challenge state power. These actions by local women provide instruction on how economic and political programs that are ecologically harmful and exploitive can be challenged and sometimes successfully dismantled. |
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© 2005 Women Against Military Madness. All rights reserved.
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Complete May 2005 Index - click here
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