Tambogrande: Mangos, Murder, Mining

Tambogrande, sentados en una banca de oro

Overview

Tambogrande is a town in North Peru. Over the years, the inhabitants have taken great pains to transform this initially barren area into a fertile valley. This is where the majority of the national fruit production comes from, including mangoes and limes. The relative affluence of Tambogrande became endangered in 1999, when foreigners began exploring a gold deposit beneath the town. The Canadian firm Manhattan Minerals made plans for a huge mine that would eat up a large part of the town and bring the danger of serious soil and water pollution. The people of Tambogrande preferred mangoes over gold, so they revolted. A grim struggle ensued, documented over the course of several years. In Tambogrande the filmmakers give an account of a murder and show how the government of President Fujimori falls into discredit. Eventually, the inhabitants of Tambogrande manage to achieve some success in their cause and the story of their mainly peaceful protest is heard all over the world.