Revitalization of the cultural manifestations of the zapara nation

(source : Unesco Equateur)

Auteur : Sonia López, slopez@unesco.org.ec



Monitoring Mission for the Third Phase of the “Revitalization of the Cultural Manifestations of the Zapara Nation”

From 1 to 4 March, the Monitoring Mission was held to execute the Third Phase of the Revitalization of the Cultural Manifestations of the Zapara Nation Project in Puyo, organized by Ada Rosa Pentón and Sonia López, Programme Specialists from the UNESCO Quito Office. The purpose of the mission was to hold meetings with those involved in the process of revitalization and transmission of the native language and other cultural practices to youth and adults. 

The Cultural Revitalization Project, presented by the Organization of the Zapara Nation of Ecuador (ONZAE) and approved by UNESCO, is composed of three phases: Phase I – Collection of Data for the Population Census of the Zapara Nationality in Ecuador and Peru; Phase II – Bilateral Meeting of the Zapara Nation; and Phase III – Revitalization Plan of the Zapara Language and Culture.

This last stage of the project has the following objectives: to develop community plans to improve systems currently used for the necessities of the community and to strengthen the oral teaching system used in the Zapara communities that speak the Zapara language.

This main points of action in this monitoring mission were: to hold interactive workshops to improve oral teaching, to gather conclusions from workshops to structure a circular oral teaching network in the future for the Zapara language, to organize crops and maintain their orchards for basic nourishment, to raise emergency funds to attend to the health of those with the knowledge, and to identify other native users of the language and incorporate them to the oral teaching project.

The meetings dealt with aspects related to the coordination of Phase III with ONZAE, a physical inventory of equipment, an information meeting, consultation and coordination with DINAZE, and a visit to Omaere Foundation.

Throughout this mission, an activity calendar was discussed and approved. It was decided that Dr. Ruth Moya, who was responsible for Phase I of the Project (Population Census), will be the expert and coordinator for Phase III. Furthermore, the leader of the female Zaparas, Gloria Ushigua, will be the linguistic assistant and work together with Dr. Moya.

The meetings were concluded successfully in Puyo and put into action this final phase to revitalize important manifestations that form part of a nation and ancestral culture of Ecuador.