Colombia/Giving voice to Creole narratives: preserving a living heritage in Colombia
How can we preserve a little-known cultural heritage? And how can it be passed on to younger generations? These are the issues addressed by the "Creole Narratives on Space, Language and Identity in Colombia" project, supported by the AUF as part of its Social and Technological Innovation in the Americas program.
Supported by the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Colombia), in partnership with the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) and the community organization One Raizal Corporation, this initiative aims to document and promote the cultural expressions of the raizal community, present in the Colombian archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina.
A living heritage to be preserved
Located in the Caribbean Sea, the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina is home to a population at the crossroads of several cultural influences. Its local community, the Raizales, is characterized by its Creole language, its strong relationship with the island territory(maritorio) and its own cultural identity.
In the face of social, economic and environmental upheaval, the need to preserve this intangible heritage is becoming crucial. The project responds to this urgency by collecting, structuring and valorizing cultural narratives, practices and expressions, in order to pass them on to younger generations and strengthen intercultural dialogue on a national and regional scale.
At the heart of the project : highlighting Creole narratives, defined as a set of cultural expressions - oral, written, musical, culinary, spiritual, bodily or audiovisual - through which the Raizales racontent are able to express themselves. through which the Raizales recount their relationship with the world, their island territory (maritorio), their language (criollo sanandresano) and their own identity.
Memory in action
Through a participatory research-action approach, the project will identify, document and disseminate these narratives in a virtual collection. This digital platform, designed with the active participation of young people in the community, will bring together oral, written, audio, visual and multimedia data. It will constitute a concrete tool for the preservation and transmission of the Raizal cultural heritage, in support of local educational and memorial efforts.
A collective and inclusive approach
Led by an interdisciplinary team of researchers in linguistics, anthropology, philosophy and Caribbean studies, the project places Raizal youth at the heart of the action. Through community workshops, digital training and promotional tours, the young people of One Raizal Corporation become the relays of this living memory.
Beyond the archipelago, the project aims to open dialogue with other Afrodescendant communities, notably in Brazil, by addressing common struggles against racial, linguistic and cultural discrimination. It is fully in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular MDG 10 on reducing inequalities.
Another way of writing history
By revealing the richness and power of Creole narratives, this project proposes a plural, inclusive and decentered vision of Colombian history. It's a way of imagining the nation as an archipelago of living memories, capable of embracing the diversity of voices and experiences that make it up.
This project is one of the initiatives selected as part of the AUF Americas' InnovSoc&Tech 2024 call for projects, which encourages partnerships between universities and local players around projects with a strong social or technological impact.
To find out more and discover the other projects supported under the InnovSoc&Tech 2024 call for projects:
- Social and technological innovation: AUF Americas supports seven new projects
- Brazil - Quebec: listening to student voices to better welcome them - AUF
Source: www.auf.org/
