Lead Partner: AJONCE Cofan Youth Association
Description
The Cofan nation is one of the world’s smallest, with only 1,000 people in 10 communities of the Ecuadorian and Columbian Amazon. They speak their own language, A’ingue, with Spanish as a second language. The Cofan people have a long story of struggling for justice They suffered the impacts of inappropriate development on their traditional land since the 1960’s and lost more than 90% of their territory. From a population estimated between fifteen and fifty thousand, the Cofan people dropped to a few hundred by the early 1900’s due to European and North Amercian diseases. The Cofan people in the Ecuadorian Amazon are now on the edge of extinction but they are working hard to build their cultural, ecological and economic resilience with a special focus on working with young people and older people in the community.
In the past three years young Cofan leaders have used their strengths to:
- Establish new community associations such as AJONCE, a successful Cofan Youth Association, which won first prize last year in a folk music contest covering all the Amazonian indigenous groups in Ecuador. Cultural survival is at the heart o AJONCE’S ethos, together with education and the protection of their land. This award has been very important for the young members who now feel increasingly proud of their roots.
- Network with social and environmental justice networks in Ecuador and overseas and organise five workshops for fifty young people. The themes of the workshops included: Pros and cons of Eco-tourism, Exchange visit to Sarayaku, Siona and Secoya communities. This has built solidarity, promoted peace, and strengthened the indigenous networks.
- Build a traditional venue where they regularly meet and organize their activities including recovery of traditional medicine, clothes and games.
- The coordinator of AJONCE was able to attend the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in May 2007.
- Attend meetings of FEINCE (Indigenous Federation of the Cofan
Nationality in Ecuador). Influence the decision making process of FEINCE (Cofan adult organization) - Make plans to develop income generation projects in the areas of food and craft and medicinal plants.
Resources
http://www.redamazon.wordpress.com
http://www.cofanes.wordpress.com
“The Cofan people in the Ecuadorian Amazon are now on the edge of extinction but they are working hard to build their cultural, ecological and economic resilience”
Contact Details
Fidel Aguinda,c/o María Teresa Martinez
aguarunaes@yahoo.es