Imagining the Fire: Conversations on the African American | Episode #1
This week, at VIST, we started a cycle of workshops, ‘Imaginar el Fuego de la Memoria’ (Imagining the fire of memory) and to accompany them today, we launch ‘Imaginar el Fuego: Conversaciones sobre lo Africamericano’ (Imagining the Fire: conversations on the African American): a series of talks with activists, artists, leaders, afro-descendant and black intellectuals of Our America about the various forms taken by the struggles for recognition, representation, afro-descendant rights in several countries.
The first destination of this trip will be Ecuador. And today’s guest is Inés Morales. Inés was born in the province of Esmeraldas. She has led critical processes at the territorial and regional level in the search for the vindication of the rights of the Afro-Ecuadorian people, particularly black women. For the third time, Inés is the Mayor Palenquera or president of the CANE.
Her history as a leader already totals 30 years, as she says: “She took the floor because it was loose,” and in these years, she has dedicated to the defense of her territory against threats such as large-scale logging, shrimp farms, oil palm cultivation and now global warming. She has also significantly contributed to constructing national ethnic education plans for black communities. Her people, says Inés, dress and eat tasty, “but we still can’t live tasty in dignity compared to the other.”
Imaginar el Fuego: Conversaciones sobre lo Africamericano is an interview program hosted by Marcela Vallejo.
