About ten years ago, my life took an unexpected and fortunate turn when I got involved in mining. I have unlimited faith and a deep respect for this activity. I sincerely believe that mining, carried out responsibly, can positively transform the Colombian economy. Precisely for this reason, I feel a moral obligation to speak in its defense.

Since I know this industry inside and out, I can no longer remain quiet, sitting in a corner like I am embarrassed to speak out in favor of mining. Those who oppose this industry won’t stay quiet or rest for even a second. I don’t know if you experience what I do, that at least once a week I receive a video or meme against mining. In one of these clips, one of the most famous actors here in Colombia appears with a quivering voice, identical to the script they gave him, describing the horrors that mining causes. In other videos, images of the magnificent paramo of Santurban are displayed, which, according to the video, is about to be sold to the Arabs. In yet another, Jorge Veloza sings passionately, not about the little spoon, but about the miseries of mining.

At family gatherings, some of my friends and relatives make me feel unwelcome, given that, from their point of view, I am “defending the interests of multinational corporations that will finish off our water.” Not to mention some former judges from our honorable Constitutional Court and several presidential candidates who I have heard bad-mouthing mining on numerous occasions. This would be reasonable if their discourse wasn’t full of urban myths, misconceptions, and false claims, which obviously lead people to incorrect conclusions.

I think the time has come to talk about what mining really is, its usefulness, what it has done for the economies of many countries, what role it has played in our history, who owns the undersoil, what are the relevant questions about it, and what does it have to do with water, to give a few examples.

The time has come to bring this topic from the field of emotion, always so volatile, and bring it to where it should never have left, to that of reason.

Taking into account what I previously stated, I asked Huila’s newspaper for a forum to express my views. They kindly granted me the opportunity to address you, every two weeks, to express my opinion on these issues. I hope you will join me with an open mind for each installment. No, I don’t expect that in the end all of you will be fans of mining (although I hope many will be). Instead, I expect that the next time you are confronted with this topic, you proceed without fear and with knowledge about the true consequences that mining brings to a country and a community.
Author: Ángela María Salazar