On December 15, 2015 Naleb, a well recognized Indigenous group, gathered over 30 Guatemalan Indigenous organizations for their 10th workshop in Antigua, Guatemala. The previous nine workshops have focused on drafting a document of demands and recommendations from Indigenous Peoples to their government in order to bring to light these ongoing issues to the newly elected president. This last gathering brought to the table the ambassadors of Spain and Canada to discuss their role in Guatemala. As well, as distinguished national leaders like Thelma Aldana, Attorney General of the Guatemalan Public Ministry and Congressman, Amilcar Pop, current president of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
The gathering began with a traditional Mayan ceremony celebrating the day marked by the Mayan calendar as Jun Toj. The 10th gathering hosted over 50 participants representing approximately 30 Indigenous organizations. After the ceremony, words of appreciation and admiration were expressed by the ambassador of Spain, Alfonso Portabales, said “the Spanish embassy has been a huge supporter of the Indigenous movement in Guatemala and it will continue to support it in the upcoming year. We are proud of the work done by this organism and all its members. We wish for the best on all pending activities.” The ambassador of Canada also expressed her congratulations to the participants, “the government of Canada is a proud supporter of the Guatemalan Indigenous movement and we have big plans for the upcoming year. I am myself an Indigenous woman and I know some of the issues affecting my community also are a priority to the communities here. I am here not only to congratulate but to reiterate our support for the incredible work being done by all of you.”
Guatemala’s Attorney General, Thelma Aldana presented her work with the Public Ministry on issues pertaining to Indigenous community. Aldana expressed her gratitude and asked for the support to continue her work, she said “ there is much left to be done in our country, I know there are many issues we should be following but we are doing our best to get to all of them. 2015 was an incredibly unstable year that left us with a lot of follow up work. I kindly ask for your comments both positive and constructive on issues affecting you and what I could be doing to improve or move forward these problems.” The event began early morning and was concluded around 7:00pm that same day, a productive day that ended with new connections and goals for the upcoming year.
Cultural Survival staff was present and spoke about the importance of recognizing and eliminating the criminalization of Indigenous community radios. As a group there were also petitions to free the many political prisoners currently being held for acts such as protecting their land and environment. Naleb and its many members will continue to pursue agreements and recognition for the valuable work of Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala.
*photo credit: organismo Naleb
