Film Screening and Q&A: Constructing Autonomy: Stories of Indigenous Governance in Peru

Forest Peoples Programme, El Gobierno Territorial Autónomo de la Nación Wampis, LifeMosaic, the Corporate Justice Coalition, the Royal Anthropological Institute, Cine Brazil and the Cinema Museum invites you to a free short film screening and Q&A during London Climate Week to hear how the Wampís’ deep ancestral wisdom helps them to manage and protect their territory, culture and forests – to the benefit of their communities and, indeed, all of us.

Many indigenous peoples in the Americas are implementing their own governance systems. Among them are the Wampís, who control and manage a large territory in northern Peru. In 2015 they declared the creation of the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampís Nation, as part of a long-term strategy to reclaim control, governance and management over their ancestral lands.

Their highly intact forests are not only some of the biodiverse areas on the planet, but also some of the most threatened by mining, the oil industry, illegal logging, and the effects of climate change. Through their autonomous government, the Wampís – and neighbouring Awajún who also appear in the film – are confronting these threats, protecting their territories, representing their populations before the Peruvian state, and implementing projects for the benefit of their people.

We will be joined by two representatives of Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampís Nation: Pamuk Teófilo Kukush Paati, the Pamuk or elected president and Tsanim Evaristo Wajai Asamat, the Director of Justice.

Joining them will be Mikey Watts, filmmaker and Latin America coordinator for the NGO LifeMosaic, and Luise Schroter, the Senior Policy and Campaigns Officer at the Corporate Justice Coalition. The Q&A will be moderated by Tom Younger, Peru Programme Coordinator and Policy Advisor, Forest Peoples Programme.