I am reaching out to you to pass on this call for solidarity. Three of the indigenous communities I have been working with for my doctoral dissertation in the municipality of Puerto Leguízamo, Putumayo Department, Colombia, have been recent victims of forced displacement. As you can see on the link below, on December 25th, 2021, an illegal armed group entered the indigenous community of Bellavista causing the massacre of 7 people and the disappearance of 18 more. The military incursion, which also affected the indigenous communities of Yarinal and Ka+yano, has resulted in over 120 people having to abandon their homes and seeking shelter and safety in the urban area of the municipality and Perú. The traditional and political authorities of these indigenous communities are among the displaced as well.

The Association of Indigenous Cabildos and Traditional Authorities of Puerto Leguízamo and Resguardo Alto Predio Putumayo (ACILAPP) and the Yauda Foundation of Amazonian Studies are organizing this fundraising, which I helped organize and am currently supporting. The idea is that we raise around 4,000 dollars to help cover basic expenses of the displaced families, such as food, toiletry kits, kitchen kits, school kits, medicine, among others.

Any donations will be well received! You can read about the situation on the link below. To donate, you must click on “Become a vaker” and fill in your personal information. Then in “Select your method payment,” you choose “Worldwide,” and it gives you the option to fill in your credit card information.

Please help us spread the word!

 

To donate click here.

 

-Oscar Aponte

Ph.D. Candidate, Latin American and Caribbean History

Co-Chair of the Colombian Studies Group

The Graduate Center, CUNY