Installing a fence in Cancun

Installing a security fence in the hotel zone of Cancun.More

Stories from Mexico

Hola! It’s hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk here in Mexico, and while the tourists are walking around in swimmers and towels, I’ve been modelling the latest resort wear from Cancun; a big pair of ear muffs and a mike.

Yesterday I went to the Global Biodiversity forum. After jumping on a local bus, which had the alarming tendency to fling open its doors whenever it felt the need to get expressive, we arrived to listen to a panel on the issues surrounding genetically modified maize. Alejandro, from Greenpeace Mexico, talked about the state of emergency with massive contamination of Mexican maize by imported genetically engineered maize from the US. (Interview in Spanish.)

Also on the panel were two indigenous farmers from Oaxaca, Mexico, who talked about how central maize is the traditional way of life. “Maize is our life”. They came with corn cobs of yellow, red, black and white – colours I’ve never seen before, because my culture doesn’t have the diversity of maize that Mexico takes for granted.

We interviewed Rosario and Melesio in a separate room, and they opened up a bit about where they have come from. They believe that the situation facing Mexican farmers is so dire that they have come to the WTO to speak for their countrymen. It is the first time in their lives they have ever left their region, the first time they have ever seen the sea. ((Interview in Spanish).

When I got back here today to edit the pieces I recorded, I grabbed a chance to record Cecilia, one of our press officers here, reading aloud from today’s paper. Thankfully for me she spoke in English, and as she read aloud the stories from today’s local news, I realised that all the stories emphasized how serious the issues being discussed at the WTO really are. Of course we get a taste of seriousness almost every hour now, as more and more barricades are being erected, and more and more police crop up on every corner. It occurs to me that if the WTO was a completely legitimate organisation, the feeling of fear that necessitates the erection of such lines of demarcation would not exist.

We are getting closed in

The barriers are going up around the Greenpeace office here in Cancun.

The fences going up around Cancun.

Our office is close to the Convention Center where the meeting is to be held, so it appears we are getting a double ring of fences - about ten feet tall, made of wire and topped with the barbed variety - cordoning off the entire area.

By the end of the day, manana at the latest, we will have to come and go by one of the security overpasses that are being installed all around the Convention Center.

It is a little strange to see so many police milling about and workers putting up barricades, while beachwear-clad tourists wander past. I am not sure all the tourists are aware of what is going on. The tourism minister assures all of us in an article in todays paper that the tourist industry will not be affected. Meanwhile, a local activist has been taunting police (also in todays paper) saying that if demonstrators want to come to the Convention Center, they will do so despite the police presence.

This talk is happening despite Cancun's history of police violence against demonstrators. At the World Economic Forum in 2001, police violence against demonstrators was heavy, including tear gas and violent beatings.

For now, the town continues to become more tense as the police presence grows.

Meeting with local journalists

Concerned by the very bad reputation of NGOs and the total misunderstanding of what we are doing in Cancun, we organized a conference-breakfast with local media from Cancun, to explain why we are here, what we struggle for, what the WTO is doing to each one of us.

Until now, journalists have been told that "globalifobicos" and NGOs in general are just troublemakers who do not take showers, that would affect tourism, break shopping center windows and complain about everything without making any kind of proposals to fix problems. They were told that WTO would bring more money and investments to Mexico, and that this is exactly what we need. We had to tell them the truth about what NGOs are doing in Cancun.

The reaction from journalists was really kind and open, they stayed with us until the end of the meeting, they have all types of questions from general to specific items, and, in fact, I would say we even converted some of them to our view. Our challenge is to approach people and to deliver our message in the right way. I think people, which include journalists of course, are open to listen and to understand us.

Cecilia Navarro is a Press officer with Greenpeace Mexico

The barriers are going up around the office

Barriers are going up around Cancun, as the security forces try to keep people away from the Convention Centre where the WTO meeting will be held.