culture & news

COLOMBIAN GUARDIANS OF SEEDS p12

REGIONAL MOVEMENT OF PUTUMAYO p14

EXPERIMENTAL THEATER. It is a work that qualifies the student training in the

knowledge of the performing arts. In the study and practice of

staging theater repertory works universal and national

working group that plays by its nature and promote dramatic

content in spectators critical reflection on key aspects of our

reality. These assembly processes are assumed as a permanent

workshop comprehensive training of actors, with core

expertise in areas of scenery, lighting, costumes and makeup.

It arises in 1984.

Teacher director: Mauricio Córdoba

2 CULTURE & NEWS November 2012

November 2012 CULTURE & NEWS 3

CONTENTS

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12

20

28

From the Crop to your Cup

Colombian Guardians of Seeds

Styling:

Photographer:

Digital

Operative:

Clothing:

Manuel Neira

INDIOS CARIACHILES

Oficina de Comunicaciones

Direccion de bienestar Sede

Bogotá

Francisco López

Maria Maldonado

Crazy - Motorboat

Do we Make Robots?


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w.b

anre

pcu

ltu

ral.o

rg

Culture

58

52

The Yuhub People

The Tibacuy Experience


46

Regional Movement Of Putumayo

The other side of Cartagena

40

34 The Most Beautiful River


This institutional group was created in 2002.

It does a work that favors construction of scenic open space, as a result

of the joint artistic techniques such as street theater, circus acts,

acrobatics, dance, music, choreography and, especially mastering stilts.

Teacher director: Giovanni Gamboa

25 CULTURE & NEWS November 2012 8 CULTURE & NEWS November 2012

Colombia is a country located on the equator line. This location provides

Colombia a warm weather, an unique raining pattern and good luminosity

which are favorable factors for coffee harvesting. In certain regions is

possible to harvest fifty weeks in a year. Hence fresh coffee can be offered

at any time of the year.

The historic data suggests that the coffee seeds were brought by the

Jesuits circa 1730 CE, but this is not the only version. It’s also said that

coffee seeds were brought by a traveler from Guyana.


From The Crop

To Your Cup

To take the coffee from the tree to your cup, it requires a lot of

effort. First the beans are selected and only the mature ones are

collected, this process is made manually. Then the coffee’s pulp

has to be removed and after that the beans have to stay still to

be fermented.

Further evidences points out that there were coffee

crops in Santander and Boyacá before 1800 CE.

Nowadays coffee is mainly cultivated in the Colombian Coffee

Grower Axis, also known as Coffee Triangle. This is constituted

by three by three departments, Caldas, Quindío, and Risaralda.

There the coffee growers grow coffee in small plots, which are

not bigger than two hectares.

Then coffee beans are washed to remove their mucilage and sugar

remains, after that the coffee beans are exposed to the sun to reduce

their humidity. Finally the coffee beans are toasted. In that point they

get their characteristic and delicious smell and flavor.

The next time you buy a cup of coffee in your favorite cafeteria,

remember it took a lot of effort to be served at your table.

By Daniel Pallejá López


Musical and cultural university group that integrates music academy, through the tradition established since the thirteenth century. It is based on the

brotherhood of singer students who play a varied repertoire with string instruments like the laud, bandurria, guitar, bass, “cuatro llanero” and tambourine.

The tambourine is almost a symbol of the tuna and their dance is an art that combines lightness and a sense of rhythm. This group was institutionalized in

2008

Teacher director: José David Rojas

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Musical and cultural university group that integrates music academy, through the tradition established since the thirteenth century. It is based on the

brotherhood of singer students who play a varied repertoire with string instruments like the laud, bandurria, guitar, bass, “cuatro llanero” and tambourine.

The tambourine is almost a symbol of the tuna and their dance is an art that combines lightness and a sense of rhythm. This group was institutionalized in

2008

Teacher director: José David Rojas

Colombian Guardians of seeds


for their lives of how rural youth are

not at work land a viable path for their

lives, how increasingly filled crops

colorful landscape, now where there

are paddocks sad if the grass grows.

However, Fabriciano is convinced of

the importance of his work, knows that

it is not sown and promptly lost every

minute remainder of his life, he'll know

to put a seed and plant life to create

awareness.

“Don Fabriciano” has witnessed how the peasant culture has

rundown of how rural youth are not at work land a viable path

Feel a peace and calm typical of the region of Boyacá. Mr. Fabriciano is showing us the history as seen through the monument designed to bridge Boyacá. He's surprised as fields, cultivated land where the food we eat, is running alone, without hands that work. is amazed as the few remaining young in the area are embarrassed grab a hoe and to work the land. The peasant culture, which we should be proud, this being relegated to the background as he wishes, with some nostalgia, “Don Fabriciano”. The villages are leaving impose new cultures not their own roots, their ancestors. That is why this character has become a custodian, a guardian of the seeds.

Colombian Guardians of seeds


He defines it as a person who is responsible for conserving, retrieve and disseminate the seeds native to the region. These seeds are the identity, the culture, the mystique of a community that has grown up with them. This man lives in the village of Soconsaque, in the town of Boyacá, in the department of same name. And now in a process of selection of bean seeds. The selection is done manually for plantations to be stronger, more abundant. He mentions that the only way to save seeds is cultivating, planting them year after year. "The best seed for cultivation is not to negotiate" His work in the field inherited from their parents, their ancestors, who like many of us, found a peace and satisfaction to grow and harvest food for the children, for the brothers, for the community. Also inherited the house, humble as him, but with a lot of history and memories that can not be exchanged for cash or other valuables. On his farm is planted potatoes, lentils, chickpeas, beans, peas, onions and yucca. His method of tillage is tillage or minimum tillage, which consist of not touching the ground at all, due to the rugged terrain of his farm. To plant, simply open a hole in the ground and the seed is deposited. Don Fabriciano highlights the important role that the local varieties as guarantor of human life, as support for the autonomy and food security of the people of a community and region. With this he tells them not to use GM seeds and an invitation to us all, not only to Colombians but to all peoples, communities and regions to look native seeds, and preserve the culture with them, long roots and ancestry of the native communities around the globe.

November 2012 CULTURE & NEWS 15 16 CULTURE & NEWS November 2012

t is not easy to find such a young woman who is so fully committed .

. to the theme of the seeds as Portillo's Alba. She is coordinator of

the Network of Life Seed Guardians, in southern Colombia, this

network comprised over 300 seed guardians born in Ecuador and is

such strength and importance that makes it through borders and

consolidate a serious process and simple in our country. The conviction

of these people about the work they do leave anyone puzzled. Alba's

family after chemical opted to cultivate it and drop the "poison"

beginning to grow so agro ecological the sake of achieving food

sovereignty, the health of the land, the family members and to rescue

the seeds as a way to defend biodiversity and culture of their region.

Looking across the landscape passing by the window, Alba shows how Yacuanquer Township has become a producer of wheat to a mining town. Because they dig tunnels to extract sand from inside the mountains, the fields become unstable, but more worrying is that they are losing moisture soils, making them unsuitable for crop production. Portillo Alba has started this activity to integrate the ancient knowledge of native crops, with the importance of preserving the environment surrounding the community and society also integrate with the local economy, for 9 years. It has grown with the peasant culture, seeing as it has brought the seed is grown and harvested as food consumed eventually. At home they consume what is grown, except for some products can not be produced there.

I


In the kitchen of his house, not only cooking, also are woven

fibers and are selected for planting seeds. But mostly open space

for the family, for the relations between parents and children. For

her, this space is sacred because family to share lunch after a hard

day of work. The sovereignty leads to autonomy, and this in turn

allows a change of attitude towards what you do, to what is

consumed. Also allows a shift from political and ideological

aspects of how agriculture should be in the country. Most

important to promote Alba is that local economies are managed

supportive relationships between communities and the people

within them.

Who has the seed has the power. Seed, food can not be in the

hands of a few, because the seed is all, represents a very important

part of people, the peasants, the people who produce the food.

Instead of generating profitable business with food, local markets

should be encouraged, agroecological, in which not only display

products from one or other, but an interrelated community

together.

For Alba, be guardian is to protect, conserve, consent, promote

and share the native seed from other farmers. But also good to

sell, to promote economy, provided

it is a good seed, preserved native.

And this is only possible if

you know listen to nature,

if you can interpret your

message sound propagation

without damaging the seed,

the spirit and essence of each

community, of each region. COLOMBIAN G

UARD

IANS

OF S

EEDS


This group was created in 1936. It performs the work research, recovery and distribution

of the different aspects of colombian culture in a modern language, with all the resources

of the theater and the performing arts. But they are authentic expression of nationality,

offering a work deeply rooted in the values of the people in the rich lore. Repertoire that

involves choreographed dances and games.

Teacher director: Rafael Barrera Socha


Right now what is being

sought is to consolidate

mining large-and medium

scale interventions by mul-

tinationals and large mining

companies.

We live under the minerals fever like gold, coal,

titanium, Coltán, nickel, iron, oil .... This situation

has led to discussions about the benefits and

complications of large-scale mining, this debate

should be deep because this activity will be

condition the country's future.

Colombia is a country of great attractive natural,

cultural, academic, structural, etc.. Colombia

is a country of multiversity and on this

are the eyes of world. Our country, as

Latin American countries, is considered

like energy and mining power beco-

ming a key point for the global eco-

nomy. Thanks to this, our govern-

ment has decided to promote the

local economy around energy

mineral extraction to compete

in international markets.

Crazy Motor-boat

We are in the minerals boom thanks to the prices

of raw materials are rising for its outstanding

worldwide shortage, which has led to put the

interests of foreign investment in Colombia and

neighboring countries, its characterized by

biodiversity and devotion to obtaining raw

materials. The debate is about

the economic future, we must

evaluate mining on several

fronts, one of which revol-

ves around the history

we find in the country.

In Bogotá despite being

the capital city of the

country is not out of this

type of problem, the south

of the city have lived under

the extraction activity of building materials for

over 50 years, more specifically it is mining of

clay, stone, top dressing, gravel, loam and sand.

Those responsible for this area have been the

multinational Cemex, Holcim and San

Antonio foundation, who have been

given the degradation of water,

landscape and soil conditions

in the area.


Crazy Motor-boat


More specifically we are

talking about the urban-rural

area near to Tunjuelo River,

one of the most important

rivers in the city due to its

environmental richness,

population density and

dynamics around.

The Tunjuelo River is the

main tributary of the Rio

Bogota. This unit

biogeographical southern of

the city, consists of eight

locations: Sumapaz, Usme,

San Cristobal, Ciudad

Bolivar, Tunjuelito, Rafael

Uribe Uribe, Kennedy and

Bosa, four of which mainly

rural and Sumapaz fully

rural. The Tunjuelo River

Basin

has an area of 39,000

hectares, where rural

addresses: 31,515 hectares

with about 35 villages, the

urban area occupies 7485

hectares, with nearly 1475

neighborhoods. The total

population of the eight

localities is 3,416,045

inhabitants,

distributed in 725,944 households

The population in poverty by

unsatisfied basic needs NBI is of

400,787 inhabitants and

population in misery by NBI is

67,403 inhabitants, the population

is 247,428 people unemployed

and illiterate population of 38,785

inhabitants. On this river

conditions have changed

gradually, the river has been

diverted on three occasions,


which have caused the loss of its

flow, the drought of underground

reserves of water and removal of

stone material, completely

damaging the contribution of

river to water bodies, which is

not allowed by any concession.

In the mining area has caused

displacement, loss of vocation

and identity peasant in rural

communities.

The area has left the possibilities

of maintaining food sovereignty,

sustainable development and a

dignified life.

Plan the end of mining in the city

this year 2012, especially to

safeguard the water source more

affected by the activity, the river

Tunjuelo. The idea is doesn't

grant titles or permits for

exploitation and deny the renewal

of existing ones, and when these

came to term, its cannot be

extended. All in order to get out

to Bogota of the compatible areas

to mining.

We have a living example of the

causes and consequences of

mining on the community and the

environment, eg more than 50

years after of irreparable damage,

we could achieving promotion or

obligation urgent to seek

recovery zone. And we have at

the same time a legal and total

delivery of Colombia to the

mining, a industry clearly

devastating.


As demand of a advocacy organization of Tunjuelo rivers,

Territorio Sur network, in one of their manifestos, we propose a

similar discurse but about the national territory, to make us

think.

Manifesto:

It is very important that if it is not on the theory,

we base the discussion on facts and experiences,

to accept that the introduction of mega-mining the

country is generating voids and social and

environmental imbalance throughout the country.

We must find an economic base that really benefits popular

mandates and no enrichment of foreign companies and the

country's elite.



Take action to release Tunjuelo River Basin of mining activities.

Attend international spaces for the defense of human rights against

foreign investment in mineral extraction.

Promote opportunities for consultation, intervention and

construction of alternative economic proposals to promote and

implement sustainable productive activities.”

Take action to release Tunjuelo River Basin of mining

activities. Attend international spaces for the defense of human

rights against foreign investment in mineral extraction. Promote

opportunities for consultation, intervention and construction of

alternative economic proposals to promote and implement

sustainable productive activities.”


By Camila Fonseca


MUSICIAN VOCAL ASSEMBLY

This vocal-music group emerges as the previous reorientation "Official Choir", in order to accommodate modern musical expressions. It is dedicated to the assembly,

interpretation and dissemination of universal repertoire of Latin American music, popular Colombian music, classic Spanish rock, with a vocal work at 4 and 5 voices a

cappella, with the musical accompaniment of strings and percussion; this group was created in 1970 and refocused in 2010.

Teacher director: Alexander Munevar

November 2012 CULTURE & NEWS 39 http://i590.photobucket.com November 2012 CULTURE & NEWS 29


Robotics has been many generations future dream. Many

of us have imagined how would be a world in which many

activities that are performed by the man nowadays go to be

performed by intelligent machines, even they have scared us

with the idea that may be one day we lose the control on these

machines and they control the universe. Neither the Mayas, or

Nostradamus, have informed us about this theme, however

there is a reality and it is that the robots are becoming

powerful in technology.

countries or powers in technology, like Japan, Germany or

United States among others; although many people can’t

believe, in Colombia they are making robots and they are not

copies as many would think. They are brilliant minds original

ideas that still dream watching Colombia as a better country

which is characterized by its creations and not by its

destruction.

New generations are the most interested in the development of

the robotics, and because of this in some of the best

universities in Bogota, some projects have been developed

with high level and quality that would become recognized all

over the world. For example we have the robot LIMBO

created by students of the last semester ok Javeriana

University,


Carlos Felipe Santa Cruz and Camila Ponton, which is a biped

machine which can make a very good imitation about

movement of human beings; or the robot CARITAS, created in

the engineering department of the Colombian school of

engineers, which can make happy top some patients with

terminal illness by many human gestures; and one of the latest

winners of the most important contest of artificial intelligence

made in Colombia, was the USTABOT which can organize

boxes and put them in a specific place according to its color,

which could be used for distribution and support in the

merchandise office.

The national university of Colombia is not behind, since 2001

UN Robot, was created by a group of investigation of the

university which has taken care of the design and make

different robots that go from biped walkers until mobile

explorers, among them it is found the UN Rover which Is

based on the robots that have been sent to Mars (as the

Martian- Sojourner), it can bear rugged land lift up to three

kilograms. Besides the university organize robotics contest in

which any kind of people can participate, in other words it’s

not necessary to have a lot of experience in this theme.

Nowadays the robots aren´t a dream, they have become a

reality. Although sometimes it is difficult to believe, but build a

robot is possible, and it’s possible in Colombia. It is enough to

leave fly the imagination, and the wish to create something to

mark the difference.

By Eric Fabian Herrera León


This group was created in 2007. It works the experience of dance creativity. It is enriched by the variety of styles, rhythms, steps and choreography that salsa offers, such as the

pachanga, mambo, boogaloo, son and cha cha cha, along with the tango. This reflects artistic movements and sensuality in harmony with the couple. The pop genres develop individual

abilities and qualities for bodily expressiveness as a media and personal expression and social.

Teacher director: Olga Lucia Ceballos

Urban

Dance


This group was created in 2007. It works the experience of dance creativity. It is enriched by the variety of styles, rhythms, steps and choreography that salsa offers, such as the

pachanga, mambo, boogaloo, son and cha cha cha, along with the tango. This reflects artistic movements and sensuality in harmony with the couple. The pop genres develop individual

abilities and qualities for bodily expressiveness as a media and personal expression and social.

Teacher director: Olga Lucia Ceballos

Colombia has many natural parks in diferents departments, but one

of these parks has the most amazing river in the world, its name is

“Caño Cristales”, it is located in the “Sierra de la macarena” this is a

natural park in “Meta”. The first question is , Why is the most

beautiful river in the world?. Likely, the best way to explain its name is

to mention another of its names: ”River of five colors ” and this name

is because this river has five colors: red, green, yelow, blue, and black.


This is amazing right?, this is

a short river; it dosen´t have

100 kilometers, it is so easy to

encrease its wáter level

because it´s full of stones, the

wáter, in this river, is too pure,

it lets you to enjoy its amazing

colors.

The reason of these Colors is

because into the water, some

algae grow up, and these

plants give the color to the

river, in summer the river is

not full of water

in that moment the plants get the sun light and grow up, when the

rain come, the river get some water and that is the best moment to

go, because you can enjoy the waterfalls and the beautiful colors, the

beautiful colors on the river do not still for a long time, because the

rain increase the water´s level and the current of the river increase.

To arrive at this river you must take an airplane since Villavicencio


These flights depart every

day, or you can depart since

Bogota, these flights

departo on fryday and return

on Sunday, these flights will

leave you in the macarena,

after you should to take a

boat and cross the Gayabero

river, after take a a jeep 4x4

and to walk one hour until

the entrance park. Is a long

trip but is the most beautiful

river in the world

29 CULTURE & NEWS November 2012 November 2012 CULTURE & NEWS 37

This experience seeks to explore multiculturalism, through the study of folklore dance performances different rates of other countries, including the art of belly dance (classical and modern), allowing

knowledge of artistic expression related to other political, geographical and cultural. This dance is configured as an excellent program for improving the quality of life on the physical and psychosocial.

The semillero was created in 2011.

Teacher Director: María del Mar Pinzón


SEMILLERO OF ARABIC DANCE

The Putumayo region is a part of the Colombian Amazon that was

colonized since nineteenth and twentieth century, principally by

population from the Andean region as response to the economic,

political and social convulsions of country.

To understand the phenomenon of the Putumayo region it is

necessary to give a short review of its historical context:

From 1900 to 1946, the population primarily is engaged to the

extraction of the “Quina” and of the rubber; this allowed the

expansion of the agricultural frontier, these processes initially the

caused the missionaries, but the Indian rebellion not allowed them to

evangelize, then came the Capuchin, which managed the creation of

roads of comunication, which improved the extraction.

During the period after April 9 of 1948, (the date on which starts the

violence in Colombia with the death of Gaitán). The Putumayo

region was based economically on the exploitation of wood (1950)

which it became important to 1960.

Since 1960 there were booms into the fur trade which prompted the

indiscriminate hunting.


From 1963 to 1976, emerged in this region the oil fever. In 1963 arrives

the company Texas Petroleum Company, which discovered oil areas in

Orito, La Hormiga, Acaé and San Miguel. This prompted the offset to this

area with order of better life expectancy and in search of formal job.

In 1974 there are two civil strikes in which are demanded water, sewage

and roads of communication. In this processes the armed repression by the

state denies the process of building citizen ship that was brewing in the

region.

Between 1977 and 1987, is given coca cultivation, with a boom between

1981 and 1987, this became the main economic entrance of the

population. Comes Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha, and this area of the country

is becoming more area of coca production and the epicenter of

paramilitary activities.

Finally from 1988 to the present, reduces the price of coca and intensifies

the fight against drug trafficking. Civic movements are performed against

the nonconformity of the population with the spraying in the period

between 1994 and 1996, with the called coca marches where nearly

200,000 farmers decided to leave. Puerto Asis was one of the

municipalities that faced this crisis.

It launches the national alternative development program, which proposes

the forced eradication of illicit crops accompanied by a social investment.

The program was not a solution to the structural problems of the region

and ended up being unworkable and broken.

The poor living why there were the protests have as the main culprit the

state, whose intervention into this area was null for many years. The State

has a responsibility to ensure the welfare of individuals. This case that has

not been met, and human in need meet their production needs to survive,

is the need to seize illicit crops as a means of survival before that state

abandonment


It was founded in 1994. This group has a body formation work in a creative space, understood as a set of techniques that movement takes different and new trends, styles and dynamics that

provide the main theoretical and practical elements necessary for real contact and scenic development of contemporary dance Amateur in the country.

Teacher director: Astergio Pinto

CONTEMPORARY DANCE


The city of Cartagena is one of the most iconic cities of Colombia, because of its

important geographical location has become the most attractive tourist

destination in the country and for visitors from out of this. Unfortunately the city

currently has two faces. This article will show the face that visitors rarely see,

but citizens of Cartagena live day to day.

This coastal city presents a extraordinary

attractive, for example: the architecture

of the city is one of the richest in Latin

America, with many colonial and

Republican buildings, is also known for

its beautiful and long beaches, its

beautiful bay and advanced port.

This is the other side of Cartagena,

which tourists do not see, but

unfortunately the locals of this city live

every day.

That said a person could argue that the city is among the most developed in the

country, to support all this, the city must have a great service and road

infrastructure. Unfortunately the reality is different, the city has big problems of

social exclusion, unemployment is high and informality abounds in the city. The

mobility infrastructure and service are poor, which is why its inhabitants feel

abandoned by the state.

Contemporary architecture does not

respond to the historical weight of the

city, however the new buildings seem

yachts dozens of stories above the bay.

The white color of all buildings have

nothing to do with the past or the culture

of the walled city, the blue glass of the

buildings look more like barriers between

the past and present of Cartagena.

The city is on track to be a small-scale replica of Miami or Panama City,

ignoring all the historical and cultural commitment piggybacking


What shows outside the city are its

beaches, pleasant climate,

architectural and cultural richness

of the city but, how can talk of

richness when more than 80% of

the population lives precariously,

when the mass transit system of the

city " Transmetro "takes 3 years

behind with a cost overrun of more

than 300%, when prostitution and drugs are on every street and have become a

service rather than the city offers its visitors. It is not possible that all our assets are

owned by large foreign chains.

It is time to care about us, to

have identity and preserve our

heritage, the city has supported

hundreds of heroic pirates

advances, naval invasions of

major powers and many natural

disasters. Do not be the reason

why the city falls, we call

attention to our leaders and

from academia as well as in our

practice we are consistent with

our past, in order to build the

foundation of our future.

The other side of CARTAGENA



STORYTELLING It was born as a response to the need to understand and raise awareness of the word as the basis of

the poetic and narrative. It has a weight and an importance in the construction of texts to be

oralizados through construction techniques, building , and various assemblies narrative structure

in styles ranging from the recovery of the oral tradition, fantastic stories, urban narratives,

literary adaptations, to creation itself. In the 2002, it goes to Art Group Workshop Institutional.

Teacher director: Rafael López.

Student of Sociology at the National University of Colombia. 52 CULTURE & NEWS November 2012

1

Sumapaz is undoubtedly synonymous of contradiction, while being the

largest moor, its people (historical heirs of those first settlers Indians, forced

to get there at the hands of violence and those who have come attracted by

the hope of the benefits of these lands) have developed one of the strongest

resistance against the greed of big capital. There have been hundreds of

painful stories from this process, but also valuable and impressive lessons of

solidarity, sacrifice, struggle and devotion for a better future for the

inhabitants of the moor.

The Sumapaz region located in the department of Cundinamarca consist of

eight municipalities and its natural park which covers an area of 154,000

hectares, of which 88,891 are part of the city of Bogota, it has three districts:

San Juan, Nazareth and Betania, with a total of 28 paths. This area was

integrated under the name of Sumapaz; between 1536 and 1794, with the

founding of Pandi, Granada, Fusagasugá and Tibacuy. Precisely, in this

article we will approach a little to Tibacuy topic.

Tibacuy central square with Peñas Blancas at the background.


Leave the sabana of Bogotá and enter to the Sumapaz province is an ancestral

territory change; Tibacuy is 87 km from the capital of Colombia. Tibacuy is

permanently configured as a border territory, its space has never been divided,

instead groups, condensed and allows exchange: limits to the north with Viotá and

Silvania, to the south with Fusagasugá and Icononzo, to the east with Fusagasugá

and to the west with Nilo and Viotá; then, it is evident due to their spontaneous

nature which is in communication with provinces cundinamarquesas of Alto

Magdalena (Nilo) and the Tequendama (Viotá), besides being in contact with the

geographic and cultural department of Tolima.

As it is not be located at the edge of the road, Tibacuy has retained its peasant

essence, with beer, hoe, tejo and rancheras. It Has 5000 inhabitants;

approximately 500 people living in the municipal and administrative center. The

remaining people live in one of the 22 villages within the municipality: Piedra

Ancha, El Cairo, San Luis, El Chisque, La Gloria, San Jose, El Mango, La Cajita,

Albania, Capotes, Jericó, San Vicente, Caracolí, La Vega, La Vuelta, El Ocobo,

Calandaima, San Francisco, Escuela, El Naranjal or Siberia.

In the 70’s, with the expulsion and extermination of the guerrillas in the area,

coffee production has been reactivated in private hands, and large tracts of coffee

crops are effective in an environment of inclusion orchestrated a marginalized

community and needy. Moreover, the imposition of the capitalist market logic has

generated a process of proletarianization of much of the peasantry of Tibacuy.

They have sold for some years their labor to certain occupational settings,

abandoning the work on farms, selling the land to expand the areas of crops of

coffee and swelling the urban population of nearby municipalities.

Besides the food crisis situation, because there is no local farmers market equal

exchange of goods and services, and that the forest reserves are getting smaller.

This causes them to forget botanical knowledge, cosmological and traditional

production, break the ties of solidarity and community work, population shifts

from the village in search of better job opportunities.Tthis reflects that the

community and its social and environmental surroundings are changing, breaking

the daily experience, and intention to promote a process of transformation that

uses the field only as a means of commodity extraction, leaving other vital areas

of development in poverty and oblivion.


Sunset from Fusagasugá. At the background, the hill of Quininí and Peñas Blancas. The essence of Tibacuy is reflected in these mountains.

However, taking into account these considerations of the municipality, there is

no doubt that Tibacuy fundamentally continues being a peasant village. There are

crops of coffee, banana, fruits, besides livestock and orchards. The magic of

Tibacuy is having the ability to make people remember, imagine, dream and live.

The hours pass slowly, unhurried completion. The sun breaks through every

corner with its endless glare. Only the lower Peñas Blancas fog can reduce

radiation and place the people in infinite time, where everything is black and it is

difficult to focus on the vision.

Observed a few blocks of cobblestone streets that form a rectangular plaza

bounded by the church, school and Carias small colonial-style houses, made of

wood and clay, some with traces of modernity. A big sign on the wall of rock

Peñas Blancas clearly reflects: TIBACUY, sign visible from Fusagasugá,

throughout the route through Chinauta to reach Tolima. In this magical place

have been burning the guacas: who dares to enter them is on their own luck, with

the conviction of elusive wealth, Indian gold that has weathered away.


By Angie Vanessa Álvarez C. Student of Sociology at the National

University of Colombia.

REFERENCES

• Velandia, Roberto. Cartografía Histórica del Alto

Magdalena: Girardot, Honda, Neiva. Publicación digital de

la Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango del Banco de la República:

http://www.banrepcultural.org/blaavirtual/geografia/carma/in

dice.htm


This group was created in 1965. It promotes and preserves the cultural values of the black communities of Colombia from their traditional dances and songs. In 2004, it

adjusted its name and its scope to contribute to the recognition and legitimization of the multicultural and multiethnic nature of the Colombian nation. They took a leading

role in the support and dissemination of Afro cultural expressions.

Teacher director: Ketty Valoyes

AFROCOLOMBIANAS SONGS AND

DANCES


This group was created in 1965. It promotes and preserves the cultural values of the black communities of Colombia from their traditional dances and songs. In 2004, it

adjusted its name and its scope to contribute to the recognition and legitimization of the multicultural and multiethnic nature of the Colombian nation. They took a leading

role in the support and dissemination of Afro cultural expressions.

Teacher director: Ketty Valoyes

The Y

uhup

Peopl

e

By Caterine Cita

In Colombia, there are several languages and cultures but there is no

much information about them. For that reason, in this article I want

to present some aspects related to the Yuhup people, an indigenous

group located in the Amazonian Northwest. Firstly, I will mention

where this people live. Secondly, I will talk about their way of life.

Then, thirdly, I will do a brief description of their productive

activities. Finally, I will present some matters concerning to their

language.

Student of Linguistics at the National University of

Colombia (Universidad Nacional de Colombia).

1

1


Currently, the Yuhup people of the

Amazonian Northwest live in the

border of Colombia and Brazil.

Specifically, they live in a tributary of

the Apaporis River called Ugá River.

To arrive there, a long trip is necessary

to do. A possible route is to fly to

Leticia and there, to fly to La Pedrera,

a town’s subdivision of Amazonas

department. There, you should sail in a

boat down

The Yuhup People


Caqueta River until a place called Villa Betancourt, a

military base located in Brazilian territory, where the

Caqueta River and the Apaporis merge. After that, you

should continue travelling upstream the Apaporis. You

should stop and stay overnight in a settlement of other

indigenous group.

Well, concerning to the way of life

of the Yuhup people it is important

to say that, according to Ana María

Ospina (2010, p. 190), an

anthropologist, linguist and

professor of the National

University of Colombia that has

described the Yuhup language, the

Yuhup people and the groups Hup,

Dâw, Nukak and Nadeb belong to a

cultural and linguistic complex of

people that

After that, you should continue

travelling until the afternoon. It is

important to mention that the

person who wants to travel must be

with a guide, a person who knows

very well the region and the river.


Finally, with regards to linguistics aspects, the Yuhup language has been

classified in a linguistic family called Makú, Makú-Puinave or Puinave

(Ospina Bozzi, 2010, p. 194). According to Ospina (2010, p. 195) the yuhup

language is still vital because is a sign of ethnic identity. This language is

spoken by all of the members of the group (about of forty people) in all

domains of the everyday life. It is very important to mention that although the

yuhup language is still vital, it is endangered because there are not many

speakers and the yuhup people have a permanent contact with other social

groups (Ospina Bozzi, 2010, pág. 195). The yuhup language it very interesting

and different from Spanish because it has tones, like Chinese.

To conclude, Colombia is a multilingual and multicultural country.

Unfortunately the Yuhup people are a group that not many people know and

like this case there are many others of groups that live left out the occidental

culture.

The main productive activities of the Yuhup people are hunting, fishing,

harvest and now, with the sedentarization process that they are living,

agriculture. Fishing and agriculture are the most important. Regarding to the

fishing, the Yuhup look for small species not much oily. The Yuhup men go

fishing almost every day and indeed, they have good fisher man reputation

among the other groups. Nowadays fishing is the main source of animal

protein (Ospina Bozzi, 2008, p. 205). With regards to the agriculture activity, the main product is yuca brava, specie of yucca whose poison has to be extracted through various processes like peel, rate, and squeeze.

has nomadic tradition. But, for historical reasons like a demographic crisis

caused by consecutive epidemics of infectious and viral diseases, the Yuhup

people had to migrate from their traditional territory and start a sedentarization

process to regroup the survivors (Ospina Bozzi, 2010, p. 191). Nowadays they

live in wooden huts with roofs made of palm leaf.

References

Ospina Bozzi, A. (2008). Claves para la comprensión de las relaciones entre la

lengua, la cultura y la sociedad yuhup: una perspectiva etnolingüística. Forma y

Función, 189-226.

Ospina Bozzi, A. (2010). Localización estática en yuhup. En G. Cabrera (Ed.),

Viviendo en el bosque: un siglo de investigaciones sobre los makú del Noroeste

amazónico (págs. 189-231.). Medellín: Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

A house under construction


www.absolut-colombia.com 64 CULTURE & NEWS November 2012

BAGPIPES AND DRUMS It studies, rescues and promotes traditional music of the

Atlantic Coast and the Sabanas de Bolivar. It is

enriched with the presence of native rhythms and

influenced on both coasts that spread of ethnic and

cultural wealth through outreach to cultural expressions

of the coasts. This group was created in 2000.

Teacher director: Gabriel Torregrosa.


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