+ MUJERES JÓVENES = + PAZ
“PATUNA” WOMEN IN HEART AND SOUL 1
“May young people take the reins to build a new country, a homeland the size of our dreams.” —Mayra Moreno.
TEXT: YULY ROMERO GARZÓN, Fondo Lunaria Communications Professional
he afternoon comes to an end and at the bus terminal in Neiva, Mayra Moreno boards a small truck, the only possible means of transportation to the rural area called Los Andes in the municipality of San Vicente del Caguán, part of the El Pato-Balsillas Farmer
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The demonym for people from Neiva.
Reserve. She is tired and anxious. Mayra has accepted the challenge of representing the CoMPaz youth network at the Annual Farmers’ Festival. This festival is also a setting to share the advances reached in their work with youth and women, where they help them develop their own voices in the defense of freedom of speech and the construction of communities with gender equality and social justice. Along the way, following a bumpy earthen road that leads to Los Andes, the green Farmer Reserve emerges, little by little. Women, men, boys and girls recognize Mayra and her work as a part of the CoMPaz youth network to strengthen youth leadership. They especially recognize
the voices, work, and agenda of the young female farmers of El Pato that allow for the construction of peaceful territories, the reconstruction of the communities, and the defense of their region. As political actors with rights, they share the same motivation; to generate dialogue, resilience, and sorority so they can live in harmony. Mayra first arrives in Los Andes after nightfall because of landslides that delayed them along the way. She tells us that during the festival they will present a play titled “Women and Peace,” made with the participation of young people from Balsillas, and a compilation of stories and letters written by patuna women with their bodies, souls, and hearts, titled “Clandestine Duels.” These two pieces seek to make young female farmers’ participation in peacebuilding more visible through art and culture. The presentations also seek to present
PHOTO: Fondo Lunaria.
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