The film “Si paramos La Colosa, paramos cualquier cosa” (“Stopping La Colosa, reclaiming our territory”, duration 26 min.) by Hanna Thiesing and Kristina Dietz documents the use of popular consultations (span.: consultas populares) in the conflict around the La Colosa gold mining project in Tolima, Colombia. From the perspective of the different actors involved, the film tells the story of the organization of anti-mining consultations in Tolima asking the following questions: Why did the protest actors mobilize for popular consultations? What obstacles were they confronted with? What possibilities do popular consultations offer for protest groups to enforce their claims in conflicts over mining?
The research group GLOCON (Global Change – Local Conflicts?) at Freie Universität Berlin launched an interactive web mapping application on large-scale mining in Burkina Faso and conflicts related to mines. The website aims to integrate geo-data and data of qualitative social research to inform about conflicts over mining in Burkina Faso.
Social actors and local politicians in Latin America increasingly apply popular consultations as a means of protest in conflicts over mining. The research group GLOCON summarized hitherto realised or envisaged local popular consultations against mining in Latin America. The overview was compiled based on academic literature and media reports.
