“The U’wa people are thankful for the solidarity from everyone who made possible this trip in favor of our territorial defense. We have brought to light our situation. The U’wa people are not alone in this process, many Riowa (non-U’wa) have accompanied us each step of the way. We hope that, with your help, we will be successful in defending Mother Nature. Thank you!”Aura Tegria
Help the U’wa Defend Their Ancestral Lands!
Support the Indigenous U’wa delegation to the UN to build international solidarity with their campaign.
After a four-year absence from the United States, the U’wa people of Colombia have returned to tell their story accompanied by Amazon Watch. Last week Aura Tegria Cristancho – a dynamic young representative and the U’wa Association’s legal advisor – traveled many miles from her traditional U’wa territory to meet with hundreds of people at a host of public presentations, private advocacy meetings and media interviews in New York City and Washington, DC. Aura had a clear mandate: raise the profile of the U’wa situation, recruit new allies and gather critical information that will inform territorial defense strategies going forward.
Though this was Aura’s first international advocacy trip beyond a three-month internship she did in the Lima offices of EarthRights International, one would have thought she was a seasoned professional. Aura was consistent in her message and steadfast in her conviction, regardless of the audience. She was entirely unintimidated to be speaking to congressional aides, State Department experts, journalists and media cameras.
The timing of the trip was serendipitous given current events within U’wa territory. As detailed in recent Eye on the Amazon posts, the U’wa found themselves in a tense stand-off with the Colombian government in April. They have since negotiated an agreement with the government, but ongoing conflicts are likely. For example, the government agreed to suspend gas exploration activities in the Magallanes block over the course of May. While the U’wa are working to implement a socio-environmental study of the likely impacts of Magallanes, experts tell them they need at least eight months to carry out an effective study.
So what will happen on June 1st when the U’wa and the government come back together to revisit their respective commitments? The negotiating power of the U’wa will largely depend on what kind of national and international support they have been able to drum up. Stay tuned as Amazon Watch continues to accompany the U’wa and keeps you posted as to how you can be involved from wherever you are.
YOUR support truly matters – Thanks again for continuing to stand with the U’wa!
Snapshots of Aura’s U.S. Visit
Video courtesy of Kyle Bouquet. Photos by Andrew Miller / Amazon Watch.
