Painting the diversity of mangroves

The island of Muisne in the Province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador, witnessed a unique gathering earlier this year, from 29 to 31 May 2009. More than 80 women shellfishers, crabbers, fishers, and oyster and clam gatherers met to share their experiences of life in the mangroves. Women from the mangrove areas met with others from REDMANGLAR International, from Colombia, Honduras, Mexico and Brazil. The three-day meeting captured the historical memory of the women who live in, and struggle to defend, mangrove ecosystems. ‘My clamming work has helped me provide my kids with an education, so that they don’t have to be like me, so that they can be better. I feel proud that my kids have got a way forward, thanks to my work as a clammer. I haven’t left them like my mother left me, with no education’, said Jacinta, delegate from Muisine canton, Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador, on the first day of the meeting. These words set off a fierce polemic amongst the participants. Some women appeared to be disconcerted by her words; others were in total agreement.