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Source: https://remezcla.com/features/cultur...fects-culture/
The Unique Struggle Indigenous Communities in Colombia Face With COVID-19
By Christina Noriega | 18 hours ago
On April 30, 75-year-old Antonio Bol?var died after a week-long battle with COVID-19. People remember Bol?var as a beloved figure in the Amazon, known for his performances in the Oscar-nominated Embrace of the Serpent and Netflix’s Green Frontier. Abuela Aurelia of the Jit?magaro clan and Abuelo Pedro died shortly after. According to locals, three more elders have died since—all of whom served as cultural and spiritual pillars of their small Amazonian tribes.
The first cases took people by surprise. Far from the COVID-19 epicenters in Europe and the U.S., Indigenous communities expected to stay safe from the pandemic, tucked away as they are in remote jungle towns of Colombia’s Amazon. But when the virus arrived, it struck rapidly and at the very core of the communities: the elders.
The coronavirus is deadlier for adults older than 70 years old. While this finding seemed to ease fears in Western society where senior citizens have been treated as expendable, it has alarmed Amazonian tribes who turn toward their elders for leadership, spiritual guidance and the preservation of their cultural heritage...
The Unique Struggle Indigenous Communities in Colombia Face With COVID-19
By Christina Noriega | 18 hours ago
On April 30, 75-year-old Antonio Bol?var died after a week-long battle with COVID-19. People remember Bol?var as a beloved figure in the Amazon, known for his performances in the Oscar-nominated Embrace of the Serpent and Netflix’s Green Frontier. Abuela Aurelia of the Jit?magaro clan and Abuelo Pedro died shortly after. According to locals, three more elders have died since—all of whom served as cultural and spiritual pillars of their small Amazonian tribes.
The first cases took people by surprise. Far from the COVID-19 epicenters in Europe and the U.S., Indigenous communities expected to stay safe from the pandemic, tucked away as they are in remote jungle towns of Colombia’s Amazon. But when the virus arrived, it struck rapidly and at the very core of the communities: the elders.
The coronavirus is deadlier for adults older than 70 years old. While this finding seemed to ease fears in Western society where senior citizens have been treated as expendable, it has alarmed Amazonian tribes who turn toward their elders for leadership, spiritual guidance and the preservation of their cultural heritage...