Culture and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean
Collection Creator:
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
Can the culture of native peoples be a springboard for development, or does it inevitably block progressive change, creating permanent backwaters in society? For much of the 20th century, official development doctrine viewed indigenous culture as a barrier to improvement. Development policies in Latin America after World War II assumed it was necessary to "integrate" and "assimilate" indigenous peoples into the cultural mainstream of a modern industrializing society. Planning documents from that era frequently describe indigenous beliefs and customs as "backward" and "worn-out traditions" obstructing the path to modernization and economic progress. Perhaps it is not suprising that 40 years of these policies failed to produce most of their desired results.
Yet experiences in participatory development, alternative trade markets, and local education suggest sound ways to organize development projects and to build strategies for social change. Among the latter is an approach that Festival researchers referred to as "ethnodevelopment," which strategically places culture at the center of rural development planning. Local development projects that take this approach demonstrate how indigenous culture - technologies, knowledge, organizational skills, and talents of Indian groups - can be engaged for effective and sustainable development. Strategies for self-reliance like these create local political empowerment and socioeconomic revitalization and may even bring about reform of state policy.
As a group, the ethnodevelopment projects represented at this year's Festival combine the recovery of cultural and organizational resources with the use of technologies developed relatively recently, such as community-based surveying and radio broadcasting. All of these strategies serve the ultimate goal of empowering the original inhabitants of our hemisphere as active participants in their own development. Festival audiences had the opportunity to meet representatives of a range of development projects from throughout the hemisphere, to see them producing their crafts, and to discuss with them the challenges of sustainable development that respects community values and aspirations.
Olivia Cadaval and Kevin "Benito" Healy were Curators, and Cynthia Vidaurri was Program Coordinator, with Chuck Kleymeyer and Peter Seitel as Principal Advisors. Country Advisors included: William Barbieri, Guy Branch, John Burstein, Denise Humphreys, Christine Krueger, Robert Maguire, Eric Olson, and Kaye Pyle. Country Coordinators were: Amankay Instituto de Estudos a Pesquisas – Brazil; Eficiencia y Desarrollo (EFDES) - Chile; Grupo Para el Desarrollo Empresarial (GRUDEM) - Panama; Institute de Consultation, d'Evaluation et de Formation (ICEF) - Haiti; Seguimiento, Análisis y Evaluación para el Desarrollo (SASE) - Peru; Servicio de Apoyo Local (SALDEBAS) - Mexico; Servicios Multiples de Desarrollo "SEMILLA" - Bolivia; Sistemas de Consulta y Servicios, S.A. (CONSULTA) - Guatemala; Sistemas de Investigación y Desarrollo Comunitario (COMUNIDEC) – Ecuador.
Culture & Development in Latin America & the Caribbean was made possible with the collaboration of the Inter-American Foundation in celebration of its 25th anniversary of promoting grassroots development, with support from Fundación Esquel Ecuador, The Synergos Institute, and PROANDES-UNICEF.
Researchers:
Eligio Alvarado, Evelyn Barrón, Verónica Cereceda, Mac Chapin, Jhonny Dávalos, Manuel Fernández de Villegas Medina, Ismael Ferreira de Oliveira, Gisele Fleurant, Nicanor González, Alan Kolata, Pilar Larreamendi Moscoso, Gabriel Martinez, Carlos Moreno, Fernando Moreno, Rita Murillo, Santiago Pórcel, Juana Quidel, Julio Quispe Cruz, Rosa Rapimán, Mari Lyn Salvador, Oswaldo Sundt Rivera, Victor Toledo Llancaqueo, Antonio Ugarte, Néestor Moises Vega Pardo, Elayne Zorn
Presenters:
Evelyn Barrón, Michael Binford, Mac Chapin, Manuel Fernández de Villegas Medina, Ismael Ferreira de Oliveira, Gisele Fleurant, Nicanor González, Alan Kalata, Pilar Larreamendi Moscoso, Ruth Llanos, Gabriel Martinez, Carlos Moreno, Rita Murillo, Santiago Pórcel, Linda Rabben, Mari Lyn Salvador, Oswaldo Sundt Rivera, Bill Threlkeld, Victor Toledo Llancaqueo, Antonio Ugarte, Néstor Moises Vega Pardo, Elayne Zorn
Participants:
Participants
Associaçāo dos Pequenos Agricultores do Estado da Bahia -- Associaçāo dos Pequenos Agricultores do Estado da BahiaIsmael Ferreira de Oliveira, sisal farmer, Bahia, BrazilIvone Gonçalves de Oliveira, singer, sisal farmer, Bahia, BrazilStefhan Klasson, sisal farmer, Bahia, BrazilErenita Lionícia de Oliveira, singer, sisal farmer, Bahia, BrazilLorismar Lopes Araújo, singer, musician, sisal farmer, Bahia, BrazilLourisvaldo Lopes Araújo, singer, musician, sisal farmer, Bahia, BrazilMisael Lopes da Cunha, sisal farmer, Bahia, BrazilRenato Lopes da Cunha, sisal farmer, Bahia, BrazilReinaldo Lopes de Oliveira, sisal farmer, Bahia, Brazil
Centro de Capacitación Integral de la Mujer Campesina -- Centro de Capacitación Integral de la Mujer CampesinaTrinidad Andrade, 1971-, educator, Ruro, BoliviaUbaldina Salinas de Quispe, 1957-, educator, Ruro, BoliviaGermán Treviño, 1958-, illustrator, Ruro, Bolivia
El Ceibo -- El CeiboBernardo Apaza, cacao farmer, 1956-, El Ceibo, BoliviaJuan Choconi, cacao farmer, El Ceibo, BoliviaGualberto Condori, 1958-, cacao farmer, El Ceibo, BoliviaJuana Fañio, 1945-, cacao farmer, El Ceibo, BoliviaFlorentino Maceda, 1948-, cacao farmer, El Ceibo, BoliviaGabriel Natte, 1948-, cacao farmer, El Ceibo, Bolivia
Tierras Indigenas del Darien 1993, Zonas de Subsistencia -- Tierras Indigenas del Darien 1993, Zonas de SubsistenciaManuel Ortega, land surveyor, mapmaker, Darién, PanamaFacundo Sanapí, land surveyor, coordinator, Darién, Panama
Congreso Kuna -- Congreso KunaNicanor González, 1959-, Kuna interpreter, Comarca de San Blas, PanamaLeonides Cantule Váldez, Kuna cacique, oral historian, Comarca de San Blas, Panama
Cooperativa Productores de Molas -- Cooperativa Productores de MolasRodolfina Andreve, 1951-, mola maker, Panama, PanamaSerafina López, 1937-, mola maker, Panama, Panama
Cooperación para el Desarrollo Rural de Occidente -- Cooperación para el Desarrollo Rural de OccidenteTiburcio Martín Baquiax Vasquez, weaver, marimba player, Totonicapán, GuatemalaCecilio Luis Turnil, weaver, Totonicapán, GuatemalaFrancisco Sic, master weaver, Totonicapán, GuatemalaJuana Felipa Sic Son, weaver, cook, Totonicapán, GuatemalaAna Victoria García, natural medicine, cook, weaver, Totonicapán, Guatemala
Indigenas de la Sierra de Madre de Motozintla -- Indigenas de la Sierra de Madre de MotozintlaPadre Jorge Aguilar Reyna, 1961-, organization advisor, Chiapas, MexicoOlivar Laynes Ramírez, 1960-, coffee farmer, Chiapas, MexicoCiro Pérez Gómez, 1950-, coffee farmer, Chiapas, MexicoVidal de León Gómez, coffee farmer, Chiapas, MexicoGuadalupe Morales Zunun, 1953-, coffee farmer, Chiapas, MexicoAdelaida Diaz López, coffee farmer, Chiapas, Mexico
Casa de la Mujer Mapuche -- Casa de la Mujer MapucheMaría Eugenia Antipán Peralta, 1952-, weaver, Temuco, ChileHaydee Mónica Chequián Elgueta, 1968-, organization advisor, Temuco, ChileCarolina Huaiquinao Huichacura, 1970-, weaver, Temuco, ChileMatilde Mariquéo Sandoval, weaver, Temuco, ChileMaría Teresa Quintriqueo Huentenao, weaver, Temuco, ChileRosario Pilar Quiribán Nahuel, 1962-, weaver, Temuco, Chile
Asociación Artesanal Cacha -- Asociación Artesanal CachaMaría Rosa Morocho Hipo, 1970-, weaver, Provincia del Chimborazo, EcuadorJuan Leonardo Pilataxi Illapa, 1955-, weaver, Provincia del Chimborazo, EcuadorSegundo Angel Sucuy Aguagallo, 1968-, weaver, Provincia del Chimborazo, Ecuador
Radio Latacunga -- Radio LatacungaJorge Gonzalo Guamán Coronel, 1965-, radio reporter, broadcaster, Provincia de Cotopaxi, EcuadorMaría Martina Ninasunta Changoluisa, 1967-, radio reporter, broadcaster, Provincia de Cotopaxi, Ecuador
Federación de Centros Shuar-Achuar -- Federación de Centros Shuar-AchuarShamich Kintiu Chanketat, 1945-, craftsperson, Oriente, EcuadorAlbino María Utitiaj, 1951-, educator, Oriente, EcuadorCarlos Miguel Tankamash, oral historian, Oriente, EcuadorKayap Shimpiu Masuk, 1946-, craftsperson, Oriente, EcuadorFelipe Tsenkush, oral historian, Oriente, EcuadorPedro Yu Mukuip, topographer, Oriente, Ecuador
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Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1994 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
