Long Gone From Theaters, 'Avatar' Plays On as Protest Symbol

(July 30) -- James Cameron's 3D sci-fi blockbuster "Avatar" has crossed the threshold into the real world again this week in a London protest featuring blue-painted activists railing against a proposed mining operation by a British company that would displace hundreds of native Indians from their ancestral homeland (in India).

While some criticized the movie for having derivative characters and an unoriginal plot, that same broad, quasi-mythical presentation seems to have made it a touchstone for activism that still resonates eight months after its release. Cameron himself has explicitly stated that the call to action in "Avatar" was only made possible by steering clear of the real-world issues that make films like Al Gore's global warming tome "An Inconvenient Truth" overtly political, and thus abrasive to some.

Of course, this latest incident is far from the first time "Avatar" has been used as a (very literal) symbol for threatened ecosystems and disparaged peoples back here on Earth (just 4.4 light years away from Pandora, the movie's setting, fyi).

Indeed, over the past year, a number of different activists around the world have evoked various aspects of the film to make their political points in the form of articles or public actions, with many dressing as the Na'vi -- the race of aliens at the story's heart. So upon learning about this latest one, we at Surge Desk plugged our "queue" braids into the Web to bring you the highlights:

1. Chinese Blog & Farmer Protests
Where: Computers and farms around China
When: January to present
Number of Na'vi Stand-ins: At least two Chinese.
Purpose: Calling attention to the plight of China's numerous recent land seizures, housing demolitions and forced relocations by developers and the government, to make way for ambitious new economic prosperity.
Outcome: The demolitions continue apace, but things may be changing: One farmer who had been defending his home against demolition with homemade rockets recently won a lawsuit against developers attempting low-ball him for his land and received a record-setting compensation claim (75,000 yuan, or $110,000). In other China-"Avatar" news, the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park's amazing rock feature the "South Sky Pillar" reportedly served as the basis for the "Hallelujah Mountains" in the film, and was later renamed after the fictional range.

2. West Bank Barrier Protest
Where: Bil'in, The West Bank, Israel
When: Feb. 2
Number of Na'vi Stand-ins: Five Palestinian protesters.
Purpose: Opposing the Israeli separation barrier, which they say is ruining their farmlands.
Outcome: The barrier is being rerouted. While the protesters were pleased with that step and the media attention that their stunt raised, they have not stopped protesting weekly, as they will not be satisfied until the entire thing is taken down.

3. Brazil Dam Protest
Where: The Amazon Rainforest, Brazil
When: April 20
Number of Na'vi Stand-ins: James Cameron himself "with war paint on his face and a spear in his hand, met with leaders of 18 indigenous tribes."
Purpose: Opposing the Belo Monte Dam, one of the world's largest hydroelectric projects, which would flood hundreds of miles of the forest the tribes call home if constructed, displacing an estimated 45,000 people.
Outcome: Work on the dam continues, but so too do the protests. In fact, they are getting increasingly aggressive: Last week, 400 Indians from several tribes reportedly took 100 dam workers hostage.

4. London Avatar Protest
Where: London, England
When: July 28
Number of Na'vi Stand-ins: Two Brits.
Purpose: Opposing British company Vendanta Resources' plans to mine for bauxite, the the hills near the Niyamgiri mountain in India, the traditional home and sacred space of the Dongria Kondh people.
Outcome: Although the company's plans have been called into question by international regulators and it has been hit by petitions demanding they halt the operations, it looks as though the operation is legal and will proceed. Also, The Wall Street Journal isn't a fan of the protesters, confessing to suffering from "the real Avatar tribe" fatigue.

In addition, myriad other articles have been written comparing the subjugation of the film's alien Na'vi by Earthlings (the American military and a corporation in particular) to the Chinese occupation of Tibet and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.