The long brassy call of a trumpet swooped over the chanting of protestors and drums. Shoes shuffling in time with each beat came to a halt in front of a grand gilded casino. In my hands, a huge banner, supported by two others, read proudly “MAR LIBRE DE PETROLEROS”. The throng of protestors coalesced into a semi-circle, as two groups rushed forward, one with cans of paint and brushes, and the other group dressed in orange fisherman’s bibs. The mock fisherman dropped a cardboard box in front of the protestors, each side of the box with a different logo, Shell, YPF, CGT, Equinor. The logos of the oil companies burst into flame and the orange dungarees danced around the flames, while the group with the paint, smeared “Nuestros Manos Cuidan el Mar. ¿Y Las Tuyas?” In massive black and red letters on the doorstep of the casino. “Our hands take care of the sea. And your hands?”. Behind me the rhythm of the conga drums tapered into silence, leaving only the crashing of the waves on the beach to keep time. Protest organizers with megaphones denounced the casino for hosting oil companies planning to exploit the oil buried under the ocean floor, yet underneath the raucous words of the protest, an irrepressible jubilance coursed through the crowd. Surfers, fisherman, shopkeepers and academics, children, medical personnel and street musicians all gathered together, forming a community, a resistance, a voice against the exploitation of their environment.
My interest in the offshore oil platforms in Tierra del Fuego mentioned in the previous blog led me to discover an on-going anti-oil movement along the coast of Argentina. Over the past two years institu
tions and NGOs have formed alliances to fight the looming threat of offshore oil exploration on Argentina’s Atlantic coast. The most notable case is in Mar del Plata, Argentina, a beautiful coastal city several hours south of Buenos Aires. Articles describing massive protests and a city united against petroleum prompted me to schedule a flight from Patagonia, to Buenos Aires then hop on a 5-hour bus to Mar del Plata. I arrived in Mardel late at night on April 2nd, the salty seaside air tousling my hair as I stepped off the bus.
It wasn’t until I set out in search of coffee on the morning of the 3rd that I realized I had arrived in paradise. The piercing ache of my caffeine addiction collapsed into a dull roar as I walked in wonder along the ocean promenade stretching for miles and miles along the sandy coast. Every corner was adorned with cafes and bakeries, medialunas and alfajores exchanged hands almost as often as people called out good morning to one another in the melodic, Italian-sounding accent. Tall multi-colored apartment buildings dotted the city, interspersed by chalets and mansions of a unique architectural-style, often referred to as Californiano in Argentina. Among it all, a massive apartment tower dominates the skyline. In orange neon letters, the iconic HAVANNA logo stands above beautiful golden beaches as the most recognizable feature of the city. HAVANNA, a famous brand of alfajores, a delicious traditional confection from South America that consists of a thick dollop of dulce de leche slathered between two cookies and sometimes covered in chocolate has its headquarters in Mar del Plata, so every other corner seems to have HAVANNA shop. Six hundred thousand plus residents live in this magical city garnished with film festivals, fishing boats and surf competitions. Almost every evening I walked across people dancing tango, salsa, or bachata in public plazas or fitness groups running along the illuminated promenade.
Mar del Plata survives off of the money beachgoers, surfers and artists bring in, so when in January of 2022, Argentina’s Ministry of the Environment authorized the seismic exploration of oil for the Norwegian oil company Equinor, along with YPF and Shell, residents from all walks of life were concerned about the impacts on tourism and the environment. In response thousands of citizens of Mar del Plata and other communities along the coast organized and protested, an event that has been referred to as “El Atlanticazo”. The mobilizations managed to stop the project for nearly a year, until last December when the Federal Court of Appeals of Mar del Plata lifted the precautionary measure that stopped offshore oil exploration 300 kilometers off the coast. Today, the protests continue to occur on a monthly basis and activists wage war in the courtroom with the help of Greenpeace, but Equinor has plans to begin seismic exploration in October. Seismic exploration is a technique that blasts compressed air into the water to create short duration sound waves that reflect off subsurface rock layers and are “heard” by sensors being towed behind a vessel. This process allows companies to visualize the geologic structures beneath the ocean floor, a useful tool when searching for oil and gas. This process might sound harmless, but marine biologists agree that this process alone can be harmful to marine ecosystems often disturbing, injuring and even killing sea creatures. Marine mammals like dolphins and whales within miles of exploratory activity are known to experience hearing loss and a disturbance of essential behaviors like feeding and breeding, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. Even though the companies have not started exploration, let alone drilling, activists and marine researchers are concerned that authorization of this process will open the door for oil drilling.
During my time in Mardel I met with leaders from the different factions that formed the resistance to the planned off-shore oil exploration. I was surprised to find almost as much disagreement as I found unification. I spent several afternoons with an organization called Surfrider that hosted surf championships and beach clean ups, then in the evenings I met with academics and activists who formed the “asamblea” a group not only denouncing the oil industry, but globalization, the World Bank and other entities and systems complicit in advancing the climate crisis. The more radical stance taken by the assembly was not part of Surfrider’s public relations image, and the branch of Greenpeace that provided legal assistance to the movement did not enjoy the flak they received from the assembly for being part of globalized conservation. Nevertheless, these ideological disagreements did not stop any of the groups from banding together to combat a mutual environmental threat. Spending time with the three groups enabled me to see the reality behind social and environmental movements such as this one: as long as the common enemy existed, these groups were willing to work together. However, it was clear that these bonds may not form long-term lasting partnerships. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing — in fact, the ability for groups with such different perspectives to organize together in the first place is impressive — but it was an important reminder of the heterogeneity that exists within social movements and communities. Not only are social engagements heterogenous, but they are also dynamic in nature. This was most obvious in the wavering opinions of regional politicians, who over the course of the past year have fluctuated between fierce opposition and affectionate embrace of the oil companies. In a more subtle way, it could also be observed in the friction between the “asamblea” and Greenpeace. The ideology of the “asamblea” generated short-lived acrimony between the parties, with the “asamblea” pushing back against Greenpeace’s involvement; however, the two groups were able to put the dissonance aside in favor of stopping Equinor. These are fantastic reminders for a conservationist engaging with communities: a “community” is a myriad of heterogenous groups, which are composed of collections of dynamic individuals influenced by thousands of outside factors that prompt them to weigh decisions and beliefs on a daily basis. Perceiving a community in this way certainly makes the idea of “working with communities” sound like a Herculean task — and it is! But so will be any endeavor that aims to truly give power to people, that aims to be just, equitable or democratic.
Despite the impending October date, the activists of Argentina, and specifically Mar del Plata, have done an incredible job rallying people into action. In conversations with taxi drivers, fisherman, shop keepers, restaurant owners and skateboarders, everyone I spoke to was aware of what was happening and voiced opposition to the exploration of oil. Even if the assemblage of groups had its cracks, as a whole, the movement had effectively educated and won-over residents. Hopefully, the government in Buenos Aires making the decisions will once again heed the calls of opposition to the project and shut it down.
Mar del Plata is a beautiful place, yet the most wonderful aspect is not the natural beauty, but the kind, welcoming disposition of its residents. Optimistic, amicable, and talkative, conversations with strangers were frequent and people were always quick to chime in. At one point a local photographer was giving me a tour when a vendor overheard us talking and decided to join the conversation. A minute later, a truck driver and a street cleaner also joined, sharing their beliefs on politics and the state of Mardel in a good natured manner. The conversation carried on for 10 minutes before we broke away to continue our walk. I was so awestruck by Mardel that I would later return for a second week, talking with activists, making friends and exploring the beautiful city and golden beaches. I’ve included a link to a quick video below with some of my favorite shots of Mar del Plata. It certainly isn’t a complete portrait of the city, but hopefully it captures some of the beauty.
P.S. I'm running out of space on the website hence the fewer photos. Hopefully the video makes up for it!