U’wa Territory – 27 November 2007
Esteemed Friends from Europe, United States, Central America, South America, and the world
We, the U’wa, are writing you now looking to reinforce our international relationships given that you all have been and will continue to be a great encouragement in our process of cultural, societal, and environmental resistance. Since 1995, we have been leading this resistance against the national government’s decision to INVADE OUR LANDS AND EXTERMINATE THE U’WA CULTURE with the oil exploration and extraction projects called Sirirí and Cayleya Blocks in the municipalities of Toledo, in Norte de Santander Department; Cubará in Boyacá Department; and Saravena in Arauca Department, carried out by the oil companies OXY, REPSOL YPF, ECOPETROL and PEXIN S.A.
The Embera indigenous people have not had the same luck. Today, their lands are producing thousands of dollars for the owners of the Urra Dam, not for Colombians. The owners of these lands are begging for bread in the streets of Colombia’s main cities. Prostitution, alcoholism, hunger, discrimination and malnutrition afflict them every day. Most sad is the de-naturalization of their physical and spiritual worlds. They are so confused because they don’t know what is their final destiny, they don’t know where they are going to die and who is going to look out for them. This is logical because after having a world full of green landscapes, clean rivers and abundant food, now they have nothing. Today, the government of Álvaro Uribe Vélez, President of Colombia, with his National Development Plan 2006 – 2010 not only seeks to exterminate the Embera culture but also that of the U’wa, the Bari indigenous people, and others.
Within the U’wa Territory, the Colombian government has identified two large-scale projects: 1. The exploration and extraction of oil. 2. The pavement and rehabilitation of the North Central Highway that connects the departments of Boyacá, Santander and Norte de Santander, in addition to connecting Colombia with its neighboring country of Venezuela. These two projects directly impact the U’wa Reservation, the roads will cut through the center of our lands, damaging and polluting all of the rainwater system that feeds the Cobaría, Cubugón, and Bojaba rivers. It will also cut through the center of the El Cocuy National Park, its snowcapped peaks, and will impact the natural landscape that the U’wa have conserved for thousands of years.
On October 25th Ecopetrol publicized that “Formulation of the Environmental Management Plan has finished for 3D seismic exploration of the Sirirí block, which was submitted to the Ethnicities Directorate at the Colombian Ministry of Interior and Justice. The 500-page document, plus maps and annexes, tackles the biological, physical, socio-economic, and ethno-cultural aspects relevant to the project in its relationship to its environment.”
“It is the result of six months of work that included the collection of primary information from the zone, both outside of and within the United U’wa Reserve, and analysis of secondary information.
“Once the Ethnicities Directorate analyzes the Environmental and Social Management Plan, as soon as they determine that the seismic testing won’t threaten the ethnic and cultural integrity of the U’wa, Ecopetrol will start the seismic acquisition through their contractor Geofísica Sistemas y Soluciones (GSS), entering territory of the reserve.”
The communiqué sent out by Ecopetrol is intended to disinform our friends and create doubt. It looks as if the U’wa had participated in the collection of information within our reserve, which is not true. We are very clear about what are our ancestral rights and those held within “positive law”. Today we insist once again that we are not in agreement with the “prior consultation” because to accept this process would be to accept oil development on our land.
We demand that the Colombian President, Álvaro Uribe Vélez, respect our house, our family (in which we include nature) and our historic legacy. We aren’t invading Nariño Presidential Palace, we aren’t disrespecting the President’s family. And if one day we enter his house it will be because we have his prior authorization. The Colombian President should respect the greater law, the law of the first occupant and ancestral possession of land. This is basic for anyone who follows the law, social justice, the concept of sustainable development.
Finally we call on all our friends across the globe to send letters to Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez and to the Ethnicities Directorate at the Colombian Ministry of Interior and Justice, demanding respect for the life, the culture, peace and environment within U’wa territory. Ask the central government for more information about related projects and demand their immediate cancellation.
With a timely letter you can participate in the defense of the U’wa way of life.
Luis Tegria Tegria – Sirakubo
President of the Grand Council
U’wa Association
