Life is woven in the river
Under the shadow and light of the Atrato River, Guardians of the Rivers is born — a project guided by the wisdom, memory, and strength of Black/Afro-descendant women who protect their territory with dignity and political clarity. Their leadership is inspired by the historic Ruling T-622 of 2016, which recognized the Atrato as a subject of rights and opened a path to defend the territory through environmental justice and community autonomy.
These women, the Guardians, are the voice and the heart of a process that preserves the river, the culture, and life itself.
Why Does the Atrato Matter?
The Atrato River is more than a body of water:
it is root, nourishment, and memory. For the Afro and Indigenous communities of Chocó, the river is a living being with whom they speak, navigate, and dream. Its waters hold stories of ancestral resistance, collective care, and a deep spiritual relationship with the land.
What Is Guardians of the Rivers?
It is an initiative carried out together with Skylight SolidariLabs, CEAF, Pacífico Task Force, and the Inspiratorio’s “Narrating Utopia” program. It is a space to amplify the voices of women who care for their territory, defend their rights, and sustain an ecological and cultural legacy that has endured for generations.
Our work is woven around three core pillars:
- Recognizing Afro-descendant women as protectors of nature.
- Positioning their stories as key references of environmental justice and territorial defense.
- Celebrating the cultural practices born from caring for the river: music, memory, community
organizing, and spirituality.
Documentary Episodes
The Atrato, the artery of Chocó, flows between forests and communities that live in dialogue with the water. In this universe, Black women reveal themselves as ancestral guardians: weavers of the future, defenders of the river, and carriers of a strength that spans generations.
Our documentary episodes portray that universe in first person.
Podcast River Guardians
The rivers speak.
And so do these women.
The River Guardians podcast gathers the voices of the defenders of the Atrato, who share their memories, their community organizing, their learnings, and their spiritual connection to the territory.
Each episode invites listeners to hear the river, understand its message, and join this network of protection.
Available on all major audio platforms.
Listen and let the river speak to you:
Guardians on Señal Colombia
The story of the Guardians inspired an episode of the Colombian children’s series Frailejón Ernesto Pérez y el Acecho de las Sombras Siniestras (Season 2, Episode 6), featuring Uramba, an Afro-descendant woman who protects the river alongside the water spirit and the real Guardians of the Atrato.
This episode expands the project’s universe and now circulates on public television — Señal Colombia, Mi Señal, and RTVC — bringing children closer to territorial care and to the strength of the Black/Afro-descendant women who protect it.
Outreach
Our campaign celebrates the memory, leadership, and creativity of the Guardians. Through:
- Community screenings organized together with allies from the Pacific region.
- Educational materials for classrooms and training processes.
- Broadcast on public television, especially with Telepacífico, expanding the reach to youth and
children’s audiences.
All of this so that more people can learn about, connect with, and join the defense of the Atrato.
Join!
Every action counts.
Sharing these stories, spreading their content, and supporting their visibility is a way to defend the river and honor life.
Navigate this territory with us and help keep the voice of the Atrato alive.
Credits
This project is made possible thanks to the communities and women leaders of the Atrato River; the Skylight team; the women of the SolidariLabs Afrocolombia network; and the collaborative work with CEAF, Pacífico Task Force, and the Inspiratorio’s impact production grant.
Audiovisual direction: Heny Cuesta,
Field production: Sandra Palacios and Lucely Rivas,
General production: Vanessa Cuervo, Estefania Villa, Heny Cuesta, Valentina Romero,
Direct sound for podcasts: Lucely Rivas,
Post-production and video editing: Gustavo Hincapié,
Podcast editing and sound proposal: Estefania Villa,
Praphic proposal and logos: Valentina Vargas.
Contact :
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