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| Ophelia Rivas, Tohono O'odham, speaks at Build Peace in Spain. Photo Build Peace, Censored News |
Building Peace Conference in Spain
By Ophelia Rivas, Tohono O'odham, Censored News, Nov. 22, 2025
French translation by Christine Prat
SANTA COLOMA de GRAMENET, Spain -- Today I am speaking of the absence of true peace on O'odham lands, including personal peace, peace for plants and animals, peace for mountains and valleys, and peace for water and air.
The O'odham are under continuous surveillance from the U.S. government perspective of border security for protection of the american way of life.
The O'odham presently live on less than a tenth of original homelands, of which 62 miles are adjacent to the US/Mexico International border. The O'odham (people) are under 24/7 monitoring by ten 180-foot tall Israel Elbit Systems border surveillance towers and recently (10/2025) 20 GPS towers have been proposed.
O'odham are displaced into two counties by the US/Mexico International border, segregating our people and homelands vital to the O'odham way of life.
The United States enforcement of Immigration polices, on O'odham homelands and O'odham (people) includes the building of border security infrastructure and militarization of the border, violating cultural and human rights, through violence, detainment and deportation, removal of ancestral remains and destruction of O'odham sacred places.
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| (Above) Ophelia Rivas, Tohono O'odham, speaking in Spain today about the Israeli spy towers and militarization of her homeland, the Tohono O'odham Nation. On the wall is a photo of Elbit System's spy towers, in the photo display today at the international Build Peace 2025. Photo copyright Ophelia Rivas, Censored News. |
The journey to Spain is personally traumatic, to arrive at the homelands of the tormentors of my ancestors and homelands, the tormentors that at the fall of a blade removed my ancestors' limbs for incorrect gesturing of the christian sign of the cross. Tormentors who baptized the people with fear, fear of further brutality. This is the source of my surname.
I am here to say, I am the tangible proof of resistance and survival of my people today. I am fluent in our ancient language and I am not a christian and practice only the O'odham way of life. I hope only for a peaceful future for the next generations.
Our fire is burning.
Ophelia Rivas
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| Coffee break at Build Peace. Photo copyright Ophelia Rivas |
Build Peace 2025 -- About the conference
Ophelia Rivas, Tohono O'odham, spoke today, Saturday, at the "Closing Reflection: Dilemmas of a Tech Panopticon." "New technologies control public space through the use of surveillance in the name of “safety." At the same time, civilians are using technology to resist and reclaim who surveils who, in the name of accountability. This panel presents three different perspectives on the dilemmas of a tech panopticon," Build Peace said.
Santa Coloma de Gramenet in Barcelona County, Spain, is hosting the international Build Peace 2025 conference, November 21 to 23. Held annually, the Build Peace conference brings together activists, tech professionals, academics, and members of civil society organizations. The current twelfth edition is taking place at a resource centre for women, innovation, and feminist economics.
Read more at Censored News
Israeli-owned Elbit Systems surveillance towers on the Tohono O'odham Nation
'A Nation of Bullies' Israeli spy towers
'Grave Robbers and Thieves' Israeli spy towers
Support Ophelia's human rights work on her website:
Copyright Ophelia Rivas, Censored News. No portion may be used without written permission from Ophelia Rivas.
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