Yoan Jallade, the student who stood out in the Selection

Zully Magzul
Volunteer, Resident Coordination Office
zully.magzulpataldeleguario[email protected]

The 2030 Agenda seeks to empower vulnerable people, including indigenous peoples, through economic development, equal access to education, and social, economic, and political inclusion (Sustainable Development Goals 2, 4, and 10).

The United Nations (UN) has also declared August 9 as the International Day of Indigenous Peoples and the decade 2022-2032 as the Decade of Indigenous Languages; the latter, with the main objective of protecting indigenous languages ​​that are in danger of disappearing.

The International Day of Indigenous Peoples is a timely occasion to reflect on the situation of indigenous people and, specifically, of women, who still face barriers to access education: we are three times more exposed to living in conditions of extreme poverty and we are often discriminated against and excluded.

As a Mayan Kaqchikel woman, I feel a great privilege to be part of this culture characterized by clothing, language, customs and ancestral spirituality, as well as a set of values ​​based on the balanced relationship that must exist between human beings and nature, which is expressed in the principle that “everything has the same breath of life, for which it deserves the deepest respect”.

It is of the greatest importance that this year the UN has chosen as the theme of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples the “role of indigenous women in the preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge”, given the importance that women have in the preservation and transmission of ancestral practices.

“The role of indigenous Guatemalan women in the preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge.”

In Guatemala (a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country, with one of the highest proportions of indigenous population in the world) it is indigenous women who make the greatest effort to preserve and transmit our culture; for example, through our clothing and our language.

They are indigenous women weavers who transmit their knowledge, feelings and love through the hard work of hands involved in the creation of each unique garment, which, moreover, always reflects a specific and special moment in the life of the person who makes it.

Despite having been the object of discrimination in the academic, labor and social sectors, I have decided to proudly wear my Mayan clothing wherever I am, as a symbol of respect for my roots, in addition to being an opportunity to publicize my culture and express how lucky I am to belong to it, an ancient culture that accompanies me in each of my steps.

Women who are teachers also have a central role in the preservation and transmission of our culture. In this sense, I value the opportunities I have had, as a teacher of the Kaqchikel language, to transmit the traditional knowledge of my people to children and youth in Guatemala and other countries.

I have seen firsthand the benefit of making the teaching of a Mayan language mandatory in national education. By having the opportunity to teach about the meaning of the Mayan culture, their language, worldview, clothing, among other elements, I observed a change in children and young people, based on respect for our indigenous peoples.

In this sense, within the framework of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples and starting from this small approach to the Mayan culture, through what has been my experience, I invite each and every citizen of this country to reflect on the actions that we can take to achieve a peaceful, just and inclusive society that recognizes the role of indigenous peoples (and especially indigenous women), and promotes their efforts to maintain and protect our worldview and ancestral culture.

This will help us make the 2030 Agenda principle of “leaving no one behind” a reality.

Yoan Jallade, the student who stood out in the Selection