A New Zealand governmental delegation attending the 126th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Kampala, Uganda, met with members of Parliament from Venezuela to share experiences and discuss tangible ways to increase the political participation of indigenous peoples.
This past Wednesday, the Venezuelan government returned over 15,800 hectares of ancestral lands to the indigenous Yukpa people, as the country celebrated “Indigenous Resistance Day” with public events and marches across the country.
By James Suggett - Venezuelanalysis.com, Oct 12th 2011
In celebration of the Day of Indigenous Resistance on October 12th, the Venezuelan government announced numerous initiatives aimed at assisting and empowering indigenous communities. While such initiatives as well as rights guaranteed in the constitution have successfully come to fruition in many indigenous communities, they have faced obstacles in others.
By Frank Jack Daniels - TheStarOnline, Jun 21st 2011
Every morning, groups of tribespeople cross a jungle creek from their adobe student homes and wander barefoot through the thick undergrowth inhabited by boa constrictors to reach class at Venezuela’s first indigenous university in Cano Tauca.
On Tuesday a Venezuelan court in the state of Trujillo ordered the conditional release of indigenous Yukpa leaders Olegario and Sabino Romero, as well as Wayú leader Alexander Fernández.
Commemorations in Venezuela continued today in the context of October 12th, Indigenous Resistance Day. On Monday and Tuesday of this week, over 400 representatives of indigenous peoples gathered for the 4th Abya-Yala Great Nation Congress of Anti-Imperialist Indigenous Peoples. On Wednesday, demonstrations were held in solidarity with the Yukpa people and imprisoned Yukpa Chief Sabino Romero.
By Rick Kearns - Indian Country Today, Aug 4th 2010
For the first time in Venezuelan history, an indigenous newspaper won a National Journalism Award in 2010. On July 4, the Venezuelan Ministry of Communications awarded Wayuunaiki with a National Journalism Award for layout of its 10th anniversary issue dedicated to “alternative communication with an indigenous essence.”
The curtains were drawn on the tenth Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (Alba) in Ecuador last Friday with a declaration that proposed a new progressive economic trade agreement and a recognition of the importance of the indigenous and afro-descendant communities to the future development of the alliance.
Defence lawyer Ricardo Colmenares filed a constitutional appeal before the Venezuelan Supreme Court on behalf of three indigenous leaders who were arrested in Zulia state, arguing that the indigenous people have a right to be tried by the legitimate authorities of their own people.
