misak-ette-ennaka-british-council
British Council team with Misak and Ette Ennaka representatives at the Great Barter Pro-Peace, Silvia - Cauca.

What is the Cultural Heritage for Inclusive Growth / Sowing Our Knowledge programme?

  • A catalyst for change.
  • A two years’ pilot plan across three countries to explore new ways local culture can improve life, socially and economically.

The programme develops from our “Cultural Heritage for Inclusive Growth” report, which is a new way of research to put in practice the United Kingdom and other sources of know-how. 

The implementation proposes in the three participating countries – Colombia, Kenya and Vietnam- is different because every focus is unique and relevant for the particular context and location.

The Cultural Heritage for Inclusive Growth (CH4IG) programme in Colombia “Sowing Our Knowledge” aims to promote the development of strategies and welfare to ensure the sustainable safeguard of the culture and ways of life. We work along with valuable partners such as Fundacion Etnollano, Asociacion Teje Teje and Cabildo Indígena de Guambia.

Where do we work?

  • Cauca
  • Magdalena
  • Casanare
  • Vichada
  • Guainía

What is our goal?

We seek to promote the knowledge transmission from elders to youngest generations and strengthen the cultural heritage and ways of living so they can compete in a globalised world without putting in danger their worldview. We work under the base of respecting the traditional manners and territories seeking to accompany the communities improving their handcrafting quality, traditional recipes and environmental knowledge, so they can become active agents of cultural safeguarding and culture sustainability.

Our strategy

Based on four participative working areas:

  • Material and Inmaterial Cultural Heritage strengthen.
  • Creative Economy promotion.
  • Design plans for Sustainability Tourism.
  • Allies and Partners strategy.

With which indigenous peoples do we work with?

We work with the Yaruro and Cuiba people in Caño Mochuelo (Casanare), with the Puinave’s at the Resguardo Bachaco-Buenavista (Guainia), with the Piaroa’s at the Resguardo Gran Selva Matavén (Vichada), with the Misak’s at the Resguardo Guambia (Cauca) and the Ette Ennaka’s in Nara Kajmanta settlement and the Resguardo Issa Oristunna (Magdalena). We have defined with each one of the six indigenous people the components to strengthen their cultural heritage related to their worldview and traditional knowledge. The participative process is developed under the current normative framework and each community’s laws promoting the safeguarding of culture and traditions.

Puinave People

  • Around 150 Puinave people inhabit Caño Bocón, in the department of Guainía in the Amazon region.
  • Their language, Puinave, belongs to the Makú-Puinave linguistic family.
  • CH4IG is being implemented with our co-delivery partner, Fundación Etnollano.
  • We work through a participative approach to strengthen their cultural heritage, by focusing on the production of sustainable handicrafts and the transmission of traditional cuisine and agricultural know-how that takes the jungle’s natural cycles into consideration.
  • We promote locally-led research to strengthen the governance of their territory and transmit knowledge of sacred sites associated with their worldview.

Piaroa People

  • More than 220 Piaroa People inhabit the Gran Resguardo de la Selva de Matavén in the department of Vichada, on the border with Venezuela in the Amazon region.
  • The Piaroa language belongs to the Sáliba-Piaroa linguistic family.
  • CH4IG is being implemented with our co-delivery partner, Fundación Etnollano.
  • We work through a participative approach to strengthen cultural heritage and community organisation by enhancing the transmission of traditional knowledge, with a focus on the sustainable production of handicrafts, ecotourism and strengthening of their production of food and raw materials.
  • We promote locally-led research into traditional territorial knowledge, which will contribute to the construction of a bird watching eco-tourism route and a better use of natural resources.
  • We promote locally-led research to strengthen the governance of their territory and transmit knowledge of sacred sites associated with their worldview. One of the aims is to promote the formation of a community association for the Piaroa to manage their own eco-tourism projects in their territory.
  • CH4IG will promote training across the production chain for the benefit of the community itself.
  • CH4IG and the Piaroa people will jointly develop an Intercultural Research Centre, where training, research and experimentation processes will be guided by the principles of inter-cultural knowledge, experiential learning and community governance.

Misak People

  • The Misak speak Namtrik, a language belonging to the Chibcha linguistic family.
  • Over 14,300 people inhabit the Resguardo of Guambía, located in the department of Cauca in the Andean region.
  • CH4IG is being implemented with our co-delivery partner, the Guambía indigenous council (Misak Government).
  • We work through a participative approach to strengthen their cultural heritage in four main areas: An ethno/eco-tourism route, traditional agriculture and food production, handicrafts and supporting the development of a Misak Harmonisation Centre.
  • The Misak people are expert artisans, well-known for their weaving skills and the distinctive colors of their clothes.

Yaruro People

  • 107 people recognize themselves as belonging to this indigenous group.
  • The Yaruro inhabitants of the Resguardo of Caño Mochuelo (Calvario) originally come from the department of Meta (Akane-jundo).
  • Their language, Yaruro, is part of the Chibcha linguistic family.
  • We foster the transmission of knowledge regarding weaving techniques through the sharing of know-how and related stories and tales.
  • We work through a participative approach by strengthening the production of artisanal products such as chinchorros (hammocks), mochilas (woven bags) and hats made from raw materials extracted from Moriche palm trees.

Cuiba People

  • 1,100 people recognize themselves as belonging to this indigenous group.
  • The Cuiba people come from the department of Vichada and are part of the Guahibo linguistic family.
  • We work through a participative approach by strengthening the production of artisanal products made from raw materials extracted from Moriche palm trees, such as, chinchorros (hammocks), mochilas (woven bags), baskets, headbands and bracelets.

Ette Ennaka People

  • 2,238 people recognize themselves as belonging to this indigenous group.
  • Their language, Ette Taara, belongs to the Chibcha linguistic family.
  • 63.9% of the Ette Ennaka population lives in the Resguardo of Issa Oristunna, and in other settlements such as Ette Butteriya, Itti Takke and Nara Kajmanta, all located in the department of Magdalena in the Caribbean region.
  • CH4IG is being implemented with our co-delivery partner, Asociación Teje Teje.
  • We strengthen cultural heritage through participative work with the production of woven mochilas (bags) and chinchorros (hammocks), the carving of wooden musical instruments and the transmission of knowledge regarding traditional medicine.
  • The Ette Ennaka People mainly produce handcrafted products made from cotton and other natural fibres.

Know more about our next event's:

Name "Cultural Heritage for Inclusive Growth of the communities” Regional Symposium
Date 18th to 20th September 2019
Place Bogotá, Colombia
Objectives
  • Generate a meeting space between the communities who participate in the CH4IG Programme to share experiences related to the strengthening of their cultural heritage.
  • Establish connection between various levels (community, national and global) related to the safeguarding Cultural Heritage.
  • Think about the use of new communication technologies for cultural heritage development and how these can be an opportunity to strengthen diversity.
  • Promote the discussion about challenges for the correct use of communities’ cultural heritage, regulations and challenges related to intellectual propriety rights and the strategies developed around the intellectual propriety.
  • Establish a dialogue about the possibilities, opportunities and threats, which relate to communities cultural heritage, they can have with touristic activity.
Allies entities Regional Centre for Latin America Intangible Cultural Heritage safeguard (CRESPIAL). An UNESCO entity.
Experts United kingdom and Latin America.

If you want to talk with the programme team, click the button "Send us a message" below. On the section "What is your matter? select "Artes consult".

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