More than 1,000 indigenous journalists and leaders came together in mid-November to devise a continent-wide strategy for the protection and education of their communities and to develop a communications network for the entire hemisphere. Summit organizers chose the site where 100,000 people marched in opposition to the U.S.-backed Plan Colombia, in the Cauca region of Colombia.

Their efforts resulted in the Declaration of The First Continental Summit of Indigenous Communication of Abya Yala. “Abya Yala” means “Continent of Life” in the language of the Kuna peoples of Panama and Colombia. In the 30-page document the participants spelled out plans, intentions and actions already taken on behalf of all indigenous peoples in the Western Hemisphere, many of whom are fighting for their lives against armed parties like the Colombian Army, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), paramilitaries, and a variety of other governments, guerillas and corporations.

This international gathering was held in Cauca, the starting point for the Minga of 2008 which was dedicated to “opposition to the imposition of Plan Colombia and bilateral trade agreements with the U.S. that are driving the neo-liberal economic policies which call for the blatant destruction of the indigenous peoples as distinct cultures with territorial and human rights that precede the establishment of the state of Colombia,” according to one of the Summit press statements.

While the hosts of the event were from Colombia, summit participants came from more than 25 countries, mostly from Latin America but including the U.S. and Canada as well as allies from Europe, Israel and Finland. The principal organizers however came from Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. Many of the participants were leaders from larger national indigenous organizations like the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) and the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC), however there were many hundreds of print, broadcast and Internet media professionals helping to shape the agenda.

The activities in the five-day summit – held Nov. 8 – 12 – were organized in terms of “Four moments of reflection and analysis.” The first moment was for communication, identity and culture; the second was for “the resistance of the peoples through communication; the third focused on “the challenges of the indigenous communication process; and the fourth involved “communication strategies for the journey of the indigenous peoples.”

Communication was the central theme of the many sessions and presentations at the summit, but participants were also addressing many different issues like networking, defense of people and the earth, education, international advocacy and others.

One of the first points in the Declaration elaborated on the idea of a network where it stated, “As a first step we have decided to establish a continental link of indigenous communication that describes the different networks, processes and experiences of the indigenous people, organizations and communities. This platform must also serve to publicize efforts of the people of African descent, the rural people, the social activist sector and groups sympathetic to the thinking of indigenous peoples.”

Another aspect of the trans-continental effort involves education and the establishment of a continental archive of indigenous information and resources, as well as a traveling school of communication to be managed by CRIC, ECUARUNARI of Ecuador, and the Center for Mapuche Kona Communication Productions among others. The “itinerant school” is one of hundreds of projects being worked on by many working groups created at the summit.

Following the idea of international communication the Declaration states they will “urge national states to respect the right to communication and information” of indigenous peoples, and for these countries to develop legislation that specifies protections and sanctions relating to these issues. The document also noted the recent murders of indigenous journalists Teresa Bautista Merino and Felicitas Martinez Sanchez of the “The Voice of Silence” radio show in Mexico, and that these crimes should not go unpunished.

There was special attention given to “the grave situations of violence facing the original peoples throughout the continent, but especially the peoples of Colombia, Peru, Chile and Mexico, tormented and violated by state policies of genocide, militarization, criminalization by terrorism, and by conflicts of paramilitary, guerilla and state military natures. It is not by accident that this first Continental Summit of Indigenous Communication is held in these lands, where 37 Colombian peoples are at risk of forced disappearance.”

The organizers also mentioned the plight of the Ngabe Bugle people of Panama, who this year had suffered the murders of seven men as well as the injuries sustained by more than 700 people, including women and children, who were subjected to tear gas by Panamanian military during a demonstration against the passing of “Law 30.”

In approaching the continent’s governmental officials they intend to “request from communication ministers on the continent to define public policies in favor of indigenous communication, and to consider grants for sustaining these processes. … from the formation to the equipping of indigenous media and it’s legal exercise, which must be addressed in the next meeting in Peru.”

One of the summit participants was David Hernandez Palmar, an internationally known filmmaker, photographer and media activist from the Wayuu community of Venezuela. Hernandez Palmar is part of the Capacity-building and Formation working group in charge of graphic design and infographics for all media. For him the summit was a success.

“What I liked most was the special treatment and focus on building communications for the indigenous organizations. … as well as the networks, the right to communication and sustainability of our initiatives,” he said. “We are distributing the declaration in our communities in Venezuela and Colombia through audiovisual and indigenous communication workshops in those countries.”

While many participants have started to develop the larger network along with communicating the declaration to the 62 indigenous nationalities listed the follow-up meeting for the summit is already being planned for 2012, which has been designated as the Year of International Indigenous Communication.

 

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