A Vincentian voice for indigenous people

John Freund, CM
August 1, 2008

Vincentian priest Fr. Joe Fitzgerald offers a website giving voice to the concerns of the  Ngobe people in Panama.  Complete with YouTube channel he gives voice to the voiceless using simple internet pages.He writes,

With a poverty level of 97%, the Ngöbe are truly the poorest among the poor here in Panama.

The secondary purpose of this site is its use as part of my graduate studies. I am a distance-learning student in an exciting new initiative of St. John’s University – A Master’s in Liberal Studies with a concentration in “Global Development and Social Justice”.

Throughout my studies, I will be reflecting on the concrete reality of the Ngöbe, and connecting that reality to my studies on social justice from a Catholic perspective.

See an example of this social analysis applied to exploitation of mining resrouces in “Mine Games”.

Going beyond just analysis he and the mission team speak out about systemic injustices exemplfied in specific events in an Open Letter.

We, as the Soloy Catholic Mission team:

1. Denounce the violent actions of the government and the National Police during
the protest.
2. Ask for an investigation into the actions of that day and those responsible.
3. Ask for the solidarity of the Panamanian people with our indigenous an d campesino brothers and sisters.
4. Confirm our commitment to continue supporting and accompanying the  indigenous and campesino communities in their struggle in defense of the environment and human life.

Famvin is preparing a podcast in which he tells the story in greter detail.


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2 Comments

  1. Indigenous peoples researcher

    Thanks for the link on the Ngobe indigenous people – it is a fabulous website with great information. Keep up the great work.

  2. madeline kavanagh

    Great link by Joe Fitzgerald connecting his ministry with indigenous people with SJU. Thanks!