Amazon Week in Berlin: Women’s Leadership in the Colombian Amazon and Commitment to Eco-peace

Welcome back to the HCIAS Blogcast! This is a series of posts on the HCIAS blog, in which we summarize some of the key points from our most recent podcast episode. This week, we report on a Spanish language podcast recorded as part of Amazon Week in Berlin, featuring Amazonian activist La Maga and HCIAS publications coordinator Marian Orjuela. La Maga shares her experience leading collectives that empower women from rural areas in Colombia, especially those with Indigenous or African heritage, to defend their land and rights. She emphasizes intergenerational leadership, land rights, and international solidarity as vital tools for ensuring that the Amazon is valued, protected, and celebrated for future generations.

The Colombian Amazon. Photo credit: Mauricio Pineda

Women in the Amazon face multiple forms of violence, often exacerbated by environmental degradation. In the interview, La Maga stresses that women’s struggles cannot be separated from the Amazon’s fate. The rampant deforestation, pollution, and destruction of the ecosystem parallel the abuse and discrimination faced by Amazonian women. Although the Amazon was recently declared a subject of political rights by Colombia’s court system, La Maga points out that enforcement lags far behind this recognition, and that both ecological and gendered violence persist.

Despite these obstacles, La Maga emphasizes the interconnection and unity among Amazonian women, who face a variety of hardships related to their diverse ethnic and regional backgrounds. Though their individual challenges may vary, the underlying causes of these struggles bind them together. The message is clear: threats to the Amazon are also threats to women’s well-being, making their activism inextricable from their personal survival.

La Maga’s work centers around empowering young women, with many members of the groups she works with aged between 13 and 28. In her view, cultivating a new generation of leaders is essential to preserving the movement’s long-term strength, highlighting the importance of succession and the fresh energy that youth brings to the cause. However, this intergenerational transition is not meant to force out experienced activists but rather to build upon and continue their legacy. La Maga articulates this vision as one of mutual learning: young leaders benefit from the knowledge of veteran activists, while experienced leaders gain from the fresh perspectives of their successors.

Although La Maga perspective is rooted in the Colombian Amazon, her work in not constrained by national borders. Her involvement in international forums—such as the Dublin Human Rights Platform, the Escazú Agreement, and the March of the Margaritas in Brazil—has allowed her to bring the struggles of Amazonian women to a global stage and connect with other movements. Through these partnerships, La Maga brings attention to the violence faced by Amazonian human rights defenders. Colombia has one of the highest rates of violence against environmental and human rights activists. To oppose this, Colombian seek international solidarity, raising awareness of these issues in venues that can amplify their message and offer protection.

La Maga’s activism extends into the realm of land rights, a core issue for rural Amazonian women. She describes the struggle many face in gaining access to land, which she views as crucial to economic independence and community sustainability. While land in the region is often controlled by wealthy cattle ranchers, who may hold up to 56 hectares per animal, women are largely excluded from this resource, impeding their ability to build stable lives. For La Maga, land rights are inseparable from women’s broader goals of economic empowerment, environmental preservation, and rootedness in the Amazon.

Her organization has also embraced agroecology, a sustainable farming approach that integrates traditional practices and knowledge with ecological preservation. In this model, they practice circular planting, an approach that nourishes the land while conserving local biodiversity. La Maga’s agroecology projects serve not only the community but the environment itself, as food is grown to sustain Amazonian wildlife alongside the women’s families. These Amazonian gardens, are symbols of reciprocity, as they nurture both human and animal life.

Ultimately, La Maga hopes her work will inspire more women to join the cause and build upon this foundation of solidarity, strength, and joy. She dreams of a future in which Amazonian women’s voices are heard, their rights are respected, and the Amazon’s unique ecosystem and cultural heritage are preserved for generations to come.

This HCIAS Blogcast has been just a short recap of a wide-ranging and thought-provoking discussion. If you would like to learn more about our guest and his work, you can listen to the whole episode here.

Marian Orjuela

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