Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Maradona Defends Wichí Indigenous Peoples

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

BUENOS AIRES, Oct 1 2005 (IPS) - On his television program “La noche del 10”, the most watched show in Argentina, former soccer star Diego Maradona asked the government to prevent the clearing of the Pizarro reserve, in the northeastern province of Salta, where a community of Wichí Indians lives. “Now it will be much more difficult for the government to ignore the request,” Emiliano Ezcurra, activist with the environmental watchdog Greenpeace which is working on this cause, told Tierramérica.

The protected area was stripped of its status by the provincial government two years ago and auctioned off to commercial farming companies. But the area, in addition to its rich biodiversity, is home to a community that does not want to move.

On Sep. 26, actor Ricardo Darín brought the demands of the Wichís to Maradona's TV program. In Pizarro, the indigenous community could not watch the show because they don't have electricity, but a neighbor told them about it, and they were very thankful, said Ezcurra.