A feminist commitment from northern Cauca

This is precisely what I-Radia does, the independent radio station made by women from Northern Cauca that makes visible the stories, opinions, and political analyses of women and LGTBIQ+ people in the region. Working for the “democratization of the word,” I-Radia produces radio programs thanks to the joint work of people who take the microphones to break down the cliché that a woman’s voice on the radio can only be heard in entertainment slots. On the contrary, I-Radia conceives an alternative communication where women are valued in their life experience through the very narration of their organizational struggles. As Diana Figueroa, one of the members of Ensayos, says, in the act of speaking into a microphone, of hearing one’s own voice out loud, of being heard by other people, a great power resides. It is thanks to this that women who were at some point silenced, are encouraged to let their word go, and to do so without fear, which strengthens their confidence and community leadership.

But radio is not the only way that these women contribute to the strengthening of leaderships. Angélica Chantre is one of the women who participated in the diploma course on feminist economies proposed by Ensayos and the Javeriana University. There, tools were provided to promote the economic autonomy of women and LGTBIQ+ people in Northern Cauca. For her, “to stop being economically dependent on third parties, breaks the cycles of violence, inequalities, and discrimination.” In addition to training, Angélica found in the space of exchange created by the diploma course, a place of care that allowed her to talk about her life project and listen to those of her companions. Talking about and making evident the community efforts that these women have made to consolidate the self-sustainability of their organizations and communities is, in itself, a way of reaching the dream of a society of autonomous and independent women. And it is a dream that continues to materialize with Ensayos, since at the end of the diploma course, ten of these women will travel to the Basque Country, filling themselves with courage to tell about their economic-productive projects from a perspective of territorial, interethnic, and intercultural feminisms.

Closing of the diploma course on feminist economies proposed by Ensayos.

According to Ana Mile Bermúdez, who belongs to the Association of Women of Northern Cauca (ASOM) and has participated in the training processes promoted by Ensayos, “one of the merits of the Corporation is that it has managed to bring together the organizations in the region that are also feminists.” From the construction of networks of women who question economic and power asymmetries, its members have been emphatic about the importance of talking about the violence that produces inequalities, of creating support spaces, and of giving a character of community responsibility to the injustices that occur in the territory.

This community care becomes particularly relevant in the southwest of the country. Between enclaves of coca and marijuana crops, illegal mining, and land disputes, the war has left indelible marks on the territory and the people who inhabit it. The armed structures of illegal groups have found a strategic zone in the department for the maintenance of their armed struggles. In the midst of the war, Ensayos stands as an organization that not only accompanies women’s processes with liberating songs but has also been contributing to the construction of peace in the territory for more than 13 years. It does this through political training processes, community research, and political advocacy so that people know their rights and can organize to demand changes and transform their lives.

Their paths are diverse. It is a struggle that, as its current director, Clara Ávila, an indigenous Nasa woman, says, highlights the importance of the organization being a space for learning that makes possible the “ability to say and decide,” to “put the word,” to “allow oneself to live,” to accompany each other among women so that we can get to places “where we cannot get to alone.”

The members of Ensayos create new ways of imagining freedom in their daily lives. Working to make their dreams come true, they show us that, contrary to what the song says, women and diverse people can indeed reach political and community spaces where they have historically found the entrance door closed. Popular and feminist power is enough to open the door and enter the room to state their word.

(*) Researcher at Dejusticia

(**) This article is part of the special #TejidoVivo, a product of a journalistic alliance between the Dejusticia study center and El Espectador.