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Produced in the early 1990s as part of Homelands Productions' Vanishing Homelands series, "Homelands Regained" tells the story of a campaign by the Paez Indians of Colombia to reclaim their ancestral territory from the great landed families of Spanish descent. The sound-rich piece focuses mainly on the conversion of one hacienda in Colombia's southern Cauca province, and the difficulties encountered by the Paez both before and after the takeover.
The story is as relevant today as it was when it was first reported, as indigenous people throughout Latin America continue to struggle for access to ancestral lands in the face of enormous political and economic pressure from moneyed interests.
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Piece Description
Produced in the early 1990s as part of Homelands Productions' Vanishing Homelands series, "Homelands Regained" tells the story of a campaign by the Paez Indians of Colombia to reclaim their ancestral territory from the great landed families of Spanish descent. The sound-rich piece focuses mainly on the conversion of one hacienda in Colombia's southern Cauca province, and the difficulties encountered by the Paez both before and after the takeover. The story is as relevant today as it was when it was first reported, as indigenous people throughout Latin America continue to struggle for access to ancestral lands in the face of enormous political and economic pressure from moneyed interests.
Broadcast History
First broadcast on NPR in 1992
Timing and Cues
SUGGESTED HOST INTRO: For more than 500 years, indigenous people across Latin America have been battling powerful economic interests for what seems to them a fundamental right -- to live on their ancestral land without being treated as trespassers. And for more than 500 years, the powerful economic interests have won. This next piece provides an inside look at a rare exception to that. "Homelands Regained" tells the complex story of a campaign by the Paez Indians of Colombia to reclaim their ancestral territory from the great landed families of Spanish descent. The story was produced in the early 1990s by Cecilia Vaisman and Alan Weisman of Homelands Productions as part of the groundbreaking Vanishing Homelands series chronicling the fate of native peoples across the Americas five centuries after Columbus' so-called "discovery" of the New World.
OUTRO: That piece was produced by Cecilia Vaisman and Alan Weisman of Homelands Productions. For more information, visit www.homelands.org.
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John Biewen
Posted on May 04, 2007 at 10:55 AM | Permalink
Review of Homelands Regained
An excellent production from the catalog of Homelands Productions. In Columbia's Cauca region in the early 1990s, Paez Indian guerrillas were forcibly taking "back" land that had been controlled for hundreds of years by families of Spanish descent. The story is relatively obscure and is now some fifteen years old, but as told by Cecilia Vaisman and Alan Weisman, it's timeless and universal. Conquerers (or Conquistadors) may claim indigenous lands, but the story does not end there. Twenty generations later, the descendents of those driven off may seize an opportunity and rise up. When that happens, it may or may not be fair.
The story is told in broad, literary terms, almost like a fable, but is also solidly reported with vivid details and sound-rich scenes. Narrator Cecilia Vaisman's delivery is understated but fresh and engaging. An Indian flute provides lovely accents and counterpoints.
Characteristically, this Homelands piece embraces complexity. The Spanish-descended families that have been driven off "their" land are not presented as villains. They express puzzlement and genuine loss. The Paez Indians feel justified in taking the farms away: "Now it's our turn," says one of the Paez. But the story won't end here, either. As the piece ends, the Spanish former landholders are the ones waiting, biding their time until the land becomes available again and they can take "back" what they believe to be rightfully theirs. "Even if we have to wait fifty years."