A recent video documentary called CRUDE is all about the Ecuadorian Amazonians and their 10 year fight against Chevron Texaco for polluting their land.

Pablo Farcado, the 2009 Goldman prize winner, was not a lawyer when he commenced legal proceedings on behalf of his Ecuadorian Amazonian people...

... 10 years on and rubbing shoulders with his American barristers, he has taught himself English, studied Law, became a public interest lawyer and taken over the role of lead lawyer in his own litigation team. In 2009 he won the Goldman environmental stewardship prize and used the prize money to pay nearly half of his people's legal cost for the last 10 years. 

But it has been a long and dangerous road for Pablo!

Pablo’s entire family have been murdered to deter him from pursuing the case. His wife, daughters and brother were killed and the only surviving member of his family – his mother had been forced to go into exile in an undisclosed country! The killers remain unpunished because the government officials were bought off!

Pablo is very softly spoken and lonely man with a very strong spirit.  He fights on despite all odds with the help of STING, the singer and his foundation called Rainforest US.

I first met Pablo when he spoke at the launching of his documentary in Eugene, Oregon, USA last year and I could not stop sobbing. Not a single one of the 2000+ students from the University of Oregon who were in that auditorium had a dry pair of eyes!!!

CRUDE is extremely moving and highlights the realities of the sort of fight against multinationals – a fight against people with the money to do anything – a fight for justice – a fight for what is yours – a fight for your rights to be respected!!!

Papua New Guineans, WE have NOT got to that stage yet. While we fight on lets be reminded of the realities that confront us but lets not forget we must ACT NOW!