Lisa henrito
In a context of predominantly male leadership, this female leader stands out for her uniqueness as an indigenous woman in a region threatened by mining and smuggling, as well as for her tenacity in defending her land and her people’s self-determination.
The Venezuelan crisis has affected every single community in the country, but there is one that is always left out of the conversation: The Indigenous People.
While Venezuela is going trough one of the most horrific humanitarian crisis, Indigenous people are having an incredible fight to defend their land. Lisa Henrito is an example of this job.
Lisa Henrito, a leader of the Pemon community, has been accused of secessionism and treason by the Venezuelan military high command after the Pemon Indigenous people were defending their right to protect their land against the Venezuelan regime's gold mining business.
In a public speech made in 2019, she mentioned “If I have to die fighting this battle, I don’t want to die in vain. I want to be sure that you will continue fighting. And if I’m imprisoned, don’t try to free me. You need to understand that what they want (the military) is the land, not me. Don’t waste your efforts trying to get me out, the fight is that way”.
References:
Rights, H. (2018). Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. Retrieved December 09, 2020, from https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/lisa-henrito/
Residentes, T. (2019). Tierra de resistentes: Consejo de Redacción. Retrieved December 09, 2020, from https://tierraderesistentes.com/en/index.php/2020/03/13/lisa-lynn-henrito-percy-guardiana-del-pueblo-pemon/
Giovanny Martínez Rodríguez