Amazonas | Steering the Boat Leftward

Can a movement for indigenous land and resources push Peru’s rightwing politicians out of power?

01 July 2010
Joel Shimpukat addresses a group of Awajun Indians as he campaigns for the post of district mayor in Peru’s Amazonas Region.
ARNO KOPECKY FOR THE CARAVAN
Joel Shimpukat addresses a group of Awajun Indians as he campaigns for the post of district mayor in Peru’s Amazonas Region.
ARNO KOPECKY FOR THE CARAVAN

ON MY FIRST DAY OF CAMPAIGNING with Carlos Navas, candidate for the presidency of Peru’s Amazonas Region, four of us boarded a wooden motorboat and headed down the Rio Marañon. The chocolate-coloured river was swollen with April rains and full of debris from the jungle, but no one in the entourage seemed worried.

“We’ve got a sasa up ahead,” Carlos shouted over the motor’s whine. “You know what a sasa is?”

“No idea,” I replied.

Arno Kopecky  is a freelance journalist and travel writer currently exploring indigenous cultures across North and South America. Between journeys, he lives in Vancouver.

Keywords: Colombia Arno Kopecky Carlos Navas Rio Marañon Joel Shimpukat Awajun Indians FARC Peruvian Amazon
COMMENT