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An important part of the Pre-Forum’s program was the presentation of different experiences concerning the struggles of the indigenous people and of socially excluded communities for land and a dignified life. The stories of massacres against indigenous people and the latter’s struggle for their land were in a vivid and fresh fashion by the Macuxí of the Roraima territory and by the SAPI group (India). An Indian religious woman was met with applause when she recounted her struggle to enable women from a slum in the State of Andhra Pradesh to organize themselves and fight for their rights. Her story was a testimony of the importance of the faith in God and in the people for keeping going in moments of despondency and when divisions arise within the same organization. 

The vivid stories about so many committed lives made us understand that only with a genuine gaze of the Love for life, for the earth and for living and real people can we feel in our heart the pain, indignation and hope for the future. This meeting is teaching us through experience that in spite of geographical and cultural experiences, we all share common experiences: environmental deterioration, disregard for the lives of poor people the struggle for life; and that in spite of all the cruelties, there is still hope in a better future.

(Fernando Franco SJ with the collaboration of J. Xel, Mexico)