Cristina was the first-born of an indigenous family from the Nasa community, north of Cauca. She finished Social Work at the University of Valle selling cholaos, taking care of elderly and weaving. She was the authority of the Nasa indigenous council of Tacueyó. She fought to defeat violence against women and defended her Nasa territory. She is known for her phrase: “If we talk, they kill us. If we do not talk they also kill us. So: we talk!”. Her dream was to travel the world. She was assassinated on October 29, 2019.
Cristina Bautista was one of the most powerful voices of "Hilando pensamiento", a movement created in 2017 by Nasa indigenous women who, moved by the academic research "Estudio sobre salud y experiencias de vida de las mujeres en el Municipio de Toribío, Cauca" of the Universidad del Valle, decide to create an organization in which they allow themselves to dream for 2050 "a thread that weaves in harmony with mother earth a community in equal opportunities for men and women". The academic research showed, among other results, that "70% of Nasa women have experienced, at some point in their lives, some type of violence either by their partner or other people", a worrying figure, the research mentions, if one takes into account that the prevalence rate of these cases worldwide at that time was around 30%.
Cristina was the first-born of an indigenous Nasa Christian family. The Nasa, like a large part of the indigenous communities in Colombia, live in reservations created at the time of the Spanish¿colony-invasion. These reservations seek, among other things, to geographically delimit the life of native communities. Her work was not only focused on women's defense but also on resisting the machismo that exists in her territory: many times she was judged for being a Christian, and other times for opposing and denouncing the illicit crops planted in her territory as an engine of violence. "Women are fundamental, and the worldview (of Nasa people) proposes it, it just needs to be accomplished", was another of his memorable phrases. The Nasa are one of the main victims of the war in Colombia. An example of this was the El Nilo massacre, for which the State recognized its responsibility in 1995.
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There are sources of information and organizations that work with victims of the conflict in Colombia.
For example check out: "Somos Defensores"
If you want to make a portrait and know about the life and social struggles of one of the Colombian Social Leaders, contact us.
