Venezuela Participates in NY Indigenous Film Fest

David Hernández-Palmar, a young Venezuelan man from the Wayuu Indigenous community, will be in New York City this Saturday to help present a documentary at the 30th Annual Native American Film and Video Festival.

“Owners of the Water: Conflict and Collaboration over Rivers” was created by Hernández-Palmar together with Caimi Waiassé (a Brazilian Xavante man) and U.S. Anthropologist Laura R. Graham. It chronicles an international campaign to protect Rio das Mortes River Basin in Brazil, a vital resource for the Xavante community that was threatened by soya production and related deforestation. The Xavante blocked a national highway to demand the protection of the basin.

To help tell the story of the Xavante’s struggle, Venezuela’s David Hernández-Palmar lent his talents as an up-and-coming documentarian. For more information about this and other films at the Native American Film and Video Festival, click here.

Read Full Post »

Venezuela Elected to UNESCO Cultural Committee

Venezuela was recently elected to serve on UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. “Intangible heritage” refers to popular culture, or culture that is specific to a group of people living within another culture. This includes traditional oral expressions, traditional music, dance, theater, rituals, festivals, crafts, and knowledge related to nature, among other things.

Venezuela has been working for years on endeavors that emphasize the importance of culture. Some examples are projects such as Misión Cultura, the Census of Venezuelan Cultural Heritage, and the recent call to enter the Contest of Bearers of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The effort to elevate culture is also seen in the 10-woman percussion and vocal group Eleggua. Its performers are direct descendants of African slaves who cultivated cacao and coffee along Venezuela’s central coast. The women research and recover the purest African roots in their music, fusing African polyrhythmic percussion with all-Spanish vocals. Belen Maria Palacios, a 72-year-old mother and grandmother, is the oldest member of the group — she was named a Living Cultural Patrimony by Miranda State in May 2004.

Venezuelan joins Italy, Cyprus, Croatia, Cuba, Paraguay, Republic of Korea, Niger, Kenya, Jordan and Zimbabwe on UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Read Full Post »

Venezuela’s New Indigenous Library

Venezuela’s Indigenous population makes up just 1-2% of the national population. In recent years, though, the government has made some noteworthy efforts to reach out to this historically marginal group.

A while ago, we wrote about a new initiative to promote Indigenous community radio. More recently, the state of Amazonas has revealed plans to create a public library focusing on Indigenous language and culture that will be designed in coordination with native leaders.

The governor of Amazonas, Liborio Guarulla (pictured at right), belongs to the Banvia indigenous community. The Banvia are one of 15 different ethnic groups that call Amazonas home, and all of them have distinct linguistic and historical traditions. The library will be located in Puerto Ayacucho, the capital of Amazonas.

Want to know more? Check out this article on the Guaicaipuro Mission initiated by the government in 2003 to restore the rights of Indigenous people in Venezuela.

Read Full Post »