Fragile Ecuador
Events in Ecuador caught up with me last week here at the shop where I spent a tense few moments absorbing what was happening there. Though relatively stable in recent years, Ecuador demonstrated the fragility of its democracy.
The country has had a long, but tenuous relationship with democracy. During the earlier part of the last century, elected regimes held power, but many of them were weak or authoritarian. Then in the early 70s, military juntas ruled the country. Modern democracy, with a new consititution, emerged in the late seventies.
One of the indirect benefits of Fair Trade is that it promotes stability in many ways. Fair trade is based on democratic principles. In the many cooperatives in which Fair Trade goods are produced, each member has an equal say in management. Many Fair Trade goods are produced by family owned businesses as well — families in which business decisions are made together.
The principles of social justice are propogated to the larger community through Fair Trade ventures. There is a strong presence of Fair Trade in Ecuador among artisans and producers. In the long run this supports democratic institutions.
The country is quieter this week, but rests in the shadow of last week’s turmoil and the knowledge that democracy could be swept aside again.