Professor Aldana, Kari Peterson '23 Meet with Indigenous Women in Colombia
In early August, Professor Raquel Aldana, American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative Latin America & Caribbean Council special advisor, traveled to the Nariño region of Colombia to help conduct a workshop for indigenous rural women. The workshop focused on land rights and self-determination.
Aldana was part of a contingent of seven trainers, including recent UC Davis Law graduate Kari Peterson ’23, Sandra Morello and Efrain Cruz of ROLI Colombia and two representatives from the Defensoria del Pueblo (or the human rights ombudsman’s office in the region.)
Aldana wrote this about the trip:
“The Nariño region of Colombia is in the Andes and borders Ecuador. It is a gorgeous landscape and several indigenous and Afro-Colombian groups inhabit the area. The Cumbal collective of Women – Renacientes (reborn) is comprised of an impressive inter-generational group of indigenous women who successfully recovered their lands and are now engaged in a process of ongoing resistance to preserve their lands and their culture, as well as to advance the rights of women. Here is a short video about the collective narrated by Janneth Liliana Taimal, an indigenous anthropologist and community leader who organized the workshop in her own home and convened the group.
We met some of the ‘mayoras’ – the older women leaders – who took part in the recovery of their territory, a project that involved both physical and legal resistance – ultimately, the community received collective title to their lands by proving their ancestral ownership and their forced displacement in court. … Over the course of two days, we engaged in an exchange of ideas, stories, and lived experiences that allowed the women to reflect on their own vision of healing and renewal. The women still face enormous struggles but consider themselves spiritually rich. … They are fierce protectors of the environment. Indeed, their land remains gorgeous and thankfully not as impacted by extractive industries.”
The trip was made possible through funding from UC Davis’ offices of Global Affairs and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the Grand Challenges group of initiatives.
Aldana also wrote about the trip in this blog post.