Polinizando en Cali

En la Universidad del Valle - At the Universidad del Valle

 Con el Circo Teatro Capuchini - With the Circus Theatre Capuchini

En la Colina de San Antonio -  At the Colina de San Antonio

Polinizando en Manizales con el Colectivo La Rayuela

Registro Fotográfico gracias a Johan Bauke

Pollinating for the first time with the Embera Chami People of Ríosucio, Caldas

Taking flight again, we Bees took off for the Department of Caldas. Although we've been in Manizales many times, this visit was the first time we'd been able to visit a rural area of Caldas. Luckily we happened to cross paths with a friend in Medellín who invited us to visit her community, the Embera Chamí community of the San Lorenzo Indigenous Reserve, in Ríosucio, Caldas.

During our stay in this territory we had the great privilege of meeting and sharing stories with many people in the community. In the time we were there, we were able to do presentations of Mesoamérica Resiste in the central park of San Lorenzo, with all of the council members of the reserve in the Council House, in the Educational Institute of San José, with the inhabitants of El Roble countryside, and in the Educational Institute el Salado of the Indigenous Reserve Nuestra Señora Candelaria de la Montaña. On top of us sharing our work, many people also shared their stories with us, explaining the history of this community and their struggles against violence, mega-projects, cultural assimilation and social disintegration. We were really inspired and moved by the persistence of some of the elders and the youth in strengthening their community and recuperating memory and knowledge, including their language that isn't spoken anymore in San Lorenzo.

In El Salado we learned about, and saw, how the territory is surrounded by mono-crops of pine and eucalyptus from the multinational company Cartones de Colombia. This community is named for an old salt mine that used to be here, and there are still some mining tunnels where today they mine coal. We learned about that and much more when we were working with students in an exercise of collective analysis of the Mesoamérica Resiste graphic and we were really delighted and inspired by one student especially who shone incredibly when she explained her scenes, she really had a strong understanding of the themes in the graphic and could talk about them easily. In El Salado and in San Lorenzo we were able to view the process of the Escuela Propia (Our Own School), an initiative of some teachers and youth to focus on learning Embera Chamí knowledge, and learning from its neighboring communities, with the intention of appropriating Embera thought, transmit memory, and be able to think of one self while creating and weaving bead-work, chumbes (long belt-like weavings), and baskets as well as creating music and painting.

In the entire territory where we were of the Embera Chamí communities of Caldas there is gold, a lot of gold, and because of its proximity to mining areas like Marmato, it is no surprise that mining companies (national and multinational) have their eyes on this territory and are trying to get concessions to exploit it. They've even brought electricity to a faraway community in the highlands on the border of the San Lorenzo Indigenous Reserve, between Jardín and Caramanta, Antioquia, which people from this area think that they've put in this energy infrastructure in order to begin a mining project there. In this area there are abandoned mining tunnels believed to be from the end of the 17th or 18th century. The thing is that it is known there is gold and since there are already long tunnels in Marmoto and Caramanta, some think that miners can already be picking away from below.

From talking to a young man dedicated to protecting native seeds, we learned that the community did a study in San Lorenzo and found out that 78% of their corn is already contaminated with genetically modified corn genes. They did the study because they suspected something was wrong with their corn, because the arepas would not stay together and could not be made for preparation.  Also because their chickens rejected the corn. It's been such a serious problem that the Cañamomo and Loma Prieta Indigenous Reserves, that work together with San Lorenzo as "custodians or guardians of the seeds" have the same genetic contamination. All of the reserves are taking measures to protect their seeds from this problem.

In the countryside of el Roble we were able to learn about a community initiative to recover a sacred site known as Piralago. Los Chamis are people from the mountains, so these hills are very important. Piralago was recovered, from a land owning politician. An elder consulting with his ancestors said that it was a site of study, a place for dreaming, because the Emberas are dreamers and these dreams are important for the community´s well being and persistence. The territory where Piralago is found was part of a larger farm called Casa Grande (Big House). They plan to harmonize and recuperate the place by reviving the memory of their ancestors, walk the paths that used to exist here, using the ceremonial sites to talk with their ancestors, the jaibas (good spirits), and the other surrounding mountains.

The bittersweet part of being on tour is that our stay in each community is always too short. After a few days in San Lorenzo, getting to know people and sharing, we were so impressed by the committed people of the Embera nation and their process of resistance and defense of their territory. Above all we were really happy to be able to share our work with the youth of the community, and see their enthusiasm for using the graphics campaigns to understand their reality and the reality that many others are living in other places too. We now have a commitment to return at some point to this territory, to continue sharing, weaving, pollinating, and walking together with our new family.

Polinizando por primera vez con el Pueblo Embera Chamí de Riosucio, Caldas

Tomando vuelo de nuevo las abejas cogimos rumbo al Departamento de Caldas. Aunque en varias ocasiones hemos estado en Manizales esta visita fue la primera vez que pudimos conocer una parte rural de Caldas. De muy buena casualidad cruzamos caminos con una amiga en Medellín que nos invitó a conocer su comunidad, la comunidad Embera Chamí del Resguardo Indígena San Lorenzo en Ríosucio, Caldas. 

Durante nuestra estadía en este territorio tuvimos el gran privilegio de compartir con varias personas de la comunidad.  En el tiempo allá pudimos realizar presentaciones de Mesoamérica Resiste en el parque central de San Lorenzo, a todxs los cabildantes del resguardo en la Casa del Cabildo, en la Institución Educativa San José, con lxs comuneros de la vereda El Roble y en la Institución Educativa el Salado del Resguardo Indígena del Nuestra Señora Candelaria de la Montaña. Además de compartir nuestro trabajo muchas personas nos recibieron explicándonos la historia de esta comunidad y su lucha en contra la violencia, mega-proyectos, la transculturación y desintegración social. Sobre todo nos impactó e inspiro la persistencia de ciertos mayores y jóvenes en fortalecer su comunidad y recuperar memoria, conocimiento y la lengua que actualmente no se habla en San Lorenzo. 

En el Salado aprendimos y vimos como el territorio ya está rodeado por monocultivos de pino y eucalipto de la empresa multinacional Cartones de Colombia.  Esta comunidad que se nombró por una antigua mina de sal que tenía, todavía tiene unos socavones donde actualmente extraen carbón. Aprendimos de esto y mucho más por una estudiante que durante el trabajo de análisis colectivo con el gráfico de Mesoamérica Resiste brillo increíblemente mientras que explicaba sus escenas del gráfico con una fluidez y entendimiento del tema que nos dejó alegres e inspiradas por esta compañera tan pila y echada pa´lante. También en el Salado y en San Lorenzo pudimos ver el proceso de la Escuela Propia, una iniciativa de unos docentes y jóvenes de enfocar el aprender conocimientos propios Embera Chamí y de pueblos hermanos, con la intención de apropiar el pensamiento, transmitir la memoria y poder pensarse mientras que realizan actividades como tejer chaquira, chumbes y canastos y también la música y pintar.

En todo el territorio que estuvimos de las comunidades Embera Chamí de Caldas hay oro, mucho oro y por la cercanía de zonas mineras como Marmato no es una sorpresa que las empresa mineras (multinacionales y nacionales) tengan su mirada sobre este territorio y estén intentando adquirir concesiones para explotar.Incluso la electrificación que se ha visto en La Linea del Resguardo Indígena de San Lorenzo, una comunidad lejana en la parte alta en los límites entre Jardín y Caramanta, Antioquia,  las personas del sector creen que es para iniciar un proyecto minero ya que se hizo  la infraestructura energética necesaria para ese proyecto extractivo industrial. En esa zona hay socavones abandonados de finales del siglo XVII o XVIII, no se sabe con certeza. La cuestión es que se sabe que hay oro y pues los túneles de Marmato y Caramanta, son extensos, tanto que se cree que debajo la tierra puede estar echando palo. 

Por medio de un compañero joven dedicado a la protección de semillas nativas supimos que en San Lorenzo realizaron un estudio y se vio que un 78% del maíz ya está contaminado con genes de maíz transgénico. El estudio se hizo por que inicialmente se sospechó algo estaba mal con el maíz por que las arepas se cuarteaban y no daban forma para la preparación. También las gallinas rechazaban el maíz. Por eso se hizo el estudio. Ha sido un problema tan grave que en los Resguardos Indígena de Cañamomo y Lomaprieta, que trabajan a la mano con San Lorenzo, como “custodios o guardianes de las semillas” tienen el mismo problema. Todos los resguardos están tomando medidas en proteger sus semillas ante este problema. 

En la vereda el Roble pudimos conocer una iniciativa que tienen ciertas personas en la comunidad, la meta de recuperar un sitio sagrado conocido como Piralago. Los Chamis son gente de cordillera. De ahí que los cerros sean tan importantes. Piralago fue recuperado, ya que le pertenecía a un terrateniente politiquero. Un mayor consultando con sus antiguos dijo que era un sitio de estudio, de ir a soñar, porque los Emberas sueñan y esos sueños son importantes para el devenir de la cominidad. Piralago es el conjunto en sí, que como finca se llama Casa Grande. Se pretende armonizar el lugar, revivir la memoria de lxs ancestros con la recuperación del lugar, recorriendo nuevamente los caminos que existen allí, usando los sitios ceremoniales para dialogar con lxs ancestros, los jaibias (buenos espiritus) y los demás cerros que están alrededor.

Como andamos de gira, una parte medio amargo de la gira es que la estadía en cada comunidad es demasiado corta. Después de varios días en San Lorenzo compartiendo y conociendo con las personas quedamos más que encantadas con el proceso que las personas comprometidas están llevando con respeto de la resistencia de la Nación Embera y la defensa de su territorio. Sobre todo nos dio mucho gusto poder compartir nuestro trabajo con la juventud de la comunidad y ver su ánimo en usar las campañas gráficas para entender la realidad que se está viviendo en muchos territorios como el de ellxs.  Ya adquirimos y gratamente asumimos el compromiso de retornar en algún momento a este territorio para poder seguir compartiendo, tejiendo, polinizando y caminando con nuestra nueva familia.

Pollinating Mesoamérica Resiste in Medellin and Painting Resistance to Urban Displacement

After our time in Farallones, we little Bees quickly took off on a tour of Medellin to share our new graphics campaign, Mesoamérica Resiste. We were able to do a variety of presentations: a spontaneous one at the National University, a presentation in the Barrientos Plaza at the University of Antioquia organized by the Libertarian Social and Cultural Center, and one at the Museum of Antioquia as part of Contraexpediciones. Also as part of Contraexpediciones we presented the Mesoamérica Resiste and Plan Colombia graphics at an event called Intermundos: Cartografias al acecho.  

For two weekends in a row we participated in mural projects with the Inter-Neighborhood Working Group of Disconnected Peoples, Ríos Vivos Antioquía, and the Action Network against Extraction. The first weekend we did a collectively made mural, commemorating Ana Fabricia Córdoba for the Day against Police Brutality and for the Dismantling of Riot Police (ESMAD). The next weekend we spent two days painting at the Antioquian Cooperative of Collectors of Byproducts in the neighborhood of Puerto Nuevo in the Comuna 4. The making of this mural was the kick-off event for a month of activities as part of the 4^th National Effort in Defense of Territories.  

While working on the second mural, we learned more about how gentrification is impacting different parts of Medellín, and how so-called development and progress can devastate marginalized communities in big cities as much as in rural areas. The Urban Development Company of Medellin (known as EDU) is building the Madre Laura Montoya Upegui Bridge over the Medellin River to connect the comuna 4 with comuna 5. This project is already displacing people from the neighborhoods of Puerto Nuevo, La Herradura, and Pasaje Villa. The housing rights of many people who live in this area aren't being recognized and many are being left without compensation.

 
Supposedly they are going to relocate the Cooperative and other people and groups in this area, but up until now there have been no guarantees of anything. What abounds instead is uncertainty, and abandoned houses that are already being destroyed in a neighborhood where families are still living.

The mural was designed using a methodology similar to what we used in Farallones, where people of all ages from the participating organizations worked in teams to create sketches, and afterwards chose the concepts that were most representative of all the sketches that were created. 

The mural not only shows the problems of urban development and mining and energy projects, but also examples of how rural and urban communities can be more livable, healthy, and ecological for their inhabitants.

This time with our ant and bee friends in Medellin was short, but we hope that sooner than later we can return and continue dreaming, painting, and creating a colorful, lively, and animated resistance to this poor excuse of progress that only displaces and destroys, in its desire to impose manufactured landscapes on top of communities and territories.