Under the banner of the WSF, on the grounds of La Carlota, the indigenous peoples of South America presented a reflection that leads towards the consolidation of a South American nation based on "the rejection of imperialismo, the recognition of diversity and intercultural and bilingual education".

The forum was called "Indigenous peoples and the construction of a South American nationality" and was attended by both indigenous delegations from Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil as well as non-indigenous delegates.

The panelists warned that only thinking in a South American nationality is an immense challenge given that "a colonizing vision persists within the states themselves, in their very constitutions".

The topic is not new and debating it at the 6th WSF makes it more relevant. The delegate from CONAIE said that as indigenous people "we have fought for our emancipation throughout the entire continent, but when the state architecture was built we were left out".

While they propose a nation and not specifically a new pan-andean state, the indigenous delegates that spoke, clearly mentioned that a South American nationality should "reject imperialism" by principal and adopt mechanisms that lead to new forms of education, which "should be intercultural and bilingual, including not English, but the language of each group".

"What they propose is a great challenge: you speak of autonomy and the state recognizes this, but at the same time it gives out licenses to exploit the forests, to build hydroelectric dams" said one of the non-indigenous participants.

In effect, while the the indigenous peoples debate the challenges of integration from the perspective of their cultures and struggles, the Regional Initiative for South American Integration (IRSA) is an agreement between governments to build gas ducts and highways. While they suscribe to ILO convention 169, which recognizes the rights of indigenous peoples, they sign international development agreements that badly effect them, as in the case of the hydroelectric dam known as RALCO, built on Mapuche territory in Chile.

In this country, as well "the government is privatizing land for the forest industry without consulting communities. The government of Chile is neoliberal-socialist. There is not a country more privatized than Chile", said a Mapuche delegate.

That is the reason for discussing the option of a South American nationality as a great challenge, not only for the attitude of the governments and the legal blockades. "What are we going to do with the 90 million poor people we have?" ased Humberto Chalango of Ecuador. "We must not only think in terms of economic integration but also in terms of support, to solve problems with strategic alliances, with integration from the bottom up", he added.

Trans. Amanda Procter