The indigenous women of Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia reported expressing difficult times due to armed conflicts, internal wars, and the presence of drug trafficking in their communities. According to these indigenous women, the artistic expressions of their people and ancestral knowledge empowered them to be more resilient and heal.
Leaders and Wise Men of different indigenous peoples of the continent, with the same purpose, join their voices together with more than 200 indigenous women to “heal” and strengthen their dignity as women and members of their peoples.
Seven women: Otilia, Rose, Aida, Arelys, Fanny, Celerina and Guadalupe, met at the Universidad Del Rosario in Bogotá, Colombia, in March 2017, for an exchange of art, healing and peace, within the framework of Peace. There were healing ceremonies, songs, dances, poems and meals from more than 80 indigenous people of Latin America, of which most of them originated from Colombia.
They shared their ancestral cultural knowledge practiced by artistic women, who communicate through stories, embroideries, paintings and canvases the stories of their peoples, their environment and their dreams.
The leader, Guadalupe Martinez, stated at the opening ceremony: “We hope we will bring a bouquet of flowers and a bunch of ideas to continue working with great force, returning to our communities to be able to rescue, reflect and get the best out of ourselves.”
With that matrix and the ancestral spirits, the rights of women were reclaimed through culture and art. Knowledge that has allowed them to survive conflicts, disappearances, migration, forced displacement, violence, assassinations, “claiming the natural laws that they have as native, said Diana Jenvueel of the Misak people, to incorporate them and complement them with those of the State.”
For her part, the leader Otilia Lux of Coti said: “Peace is built with the participation of indigenous women in peace processes, so that they are sustainable,” says Otilia…
From the perspective of indigenous people and women, peace is justice and harmony between people and communities to understand each other better. Indigenous women require sustainable peace free of poverty, malnutrition, inequalities, corruption and impunities. With the collaboration of everyone we can foster peace and prevent the atrocities of the past. It is critical for young people to participate in this process in order to prevent ghosts of the past from returning, which impacts our human connection in the long-term.
According to Otilia, “Only the dialogue between generations allows older women share with young people.
Amilkar, an indigenous artist from Guatemala and Edna from Mexico, gathered their knowledge to compose the song of “Canto de Paz,” which dreams of a world without wars, peace, harmony and cultural traditions.
The poetic and profound song reads as follows:
“Imagine a world without wars,
With cultures close and in survival,
Without conflict between us,
Where harmony reigns,
a world without violence would be wonderful,
Yes, we did it
Yes, we made it”
Yes, we made it”
Fighting for the causes of our earth
What is needed to build peace?
The strength and the Heart of indigenous women.
Giving his walk and his memory
Union and peace sowing machines.
The feelings of the leaders and young people was that peace can be achieved through the union of people’s hearts. The young Amilkar stated: “music united us, it allowed me to meet women who had different perspectives of the world and a diverse form of self-expression; Music has been the best means to promote peace. I found in the women, many smiles of satisfaction, joy and a lot of light in the eyes, which inspires me to continue creating songs. “
Nidia, a healer of the Quechua people, said: “We can say with certainty that many healing acts are the” art of healing “. Art is the approach to the act of creating the beauty of actions, of the objects that surround us. It can only be achieved, with the approach of the spirit to the divine, being at peace with oneself and the environment. Art is not the privilege of a few artists. It is much more human to consider that all people can make their life a work of art, where they are the directors of the work they perform. His life itself. “
The END
The experience was lived in a festival held by the Alliance of Indigenous Women of Central America and Mexico, the Continental Liaison for Indigenous Women of the Americas, the Fund for the Development of the Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean and the Ministry of the Interior of Colombia March 7 and 8, 2017 within the framework of the Peace Accords of Colombia. To be carried out with the contribution of the Pawanka Fund.
