The Council's internal government will work for the comprehensive well-being of the men and women of Calima in the ancestral territory of the lower Calima river basin, respecting the gender approach, promoting peaceful coexistence, strengthening governance, seeking the conservation and defence of natural heritage, supporting the development of sustainable production systems, improving social welfare and the recovery of culture, through participatory action, the exercise of social equity, the creation of learning spaces, the strengthening of identity, articulation with regional processes and participation in institutionalised decision-making spaces.
The Council
Who we are
Ethnic-territorial authority of the Black communities of Bajo Calima.
Our essence
Our own authority
We are a territory recognised as an integral space, where the natural wealth of the Pacific, the ethnic and cultural diversity of our Afro-descendant communities and the social dynamics that guide our collective life converge in an interdependent way. In Bajo Calima, territory is not limited to geography: it is a living system grounded in ancestral knowledge, traditional practices and a harmonious relationship with nature.
From this understanding, the actions and processes carried out in the community are aimed at strengthening cultural identity, protecting ecosystems and responding in a participatory way to the needs and aspirations of its people, thus promoting sustainable development with an ethnic-territorial approach.
Our full name is Community Council of the Black community of the lower Calima river basin. We were founded on 15 September 1998 and in December 2002 we received collective title to 66,724 hectares, recognised by Law 70 of 1993 as Lands of the Black Communities.
The General Assembly is the highest decision-making body. It meets in ordinary session once a year and in extraordinary session when the territory requires it. From it emerges the Governing Board, which executes and represents.
Where we are heading
Mission
The compass that guides the Community Council's self-government.
Where we are heading
Vision 2074
In 2074, the Community Council of the Black community of the lower Calima river basin has territorial recognition at the local, regional, national and international levels as the main organisation exercising self-government in the lower Calima river basin, legitimately representing an organised and empowered community in the administrative, social, political, cultural and environmental fields, able to remain in its territory and self-manage its ethno-development; with a strong own economy that guarantees that all families have all the elements of collective well-being, without affecting the conservation of natural resources, in line with their ethnic and cultural identity.
Our principles
- 01Autonomy
- 02Identity · right to be
- 03Cultural authority
- 04Own law
- 05Political participation
- 06Own vision of the future
- 07Legitimacy
- 08Harmony
Self-government
Governing Board
Elected by the General Assembly of the Bajo Calima communities.
AR
Legal RepresentativeAníbal Rentería Mosquera
Represents the Council before public and private bodies.
EA
Board PresidentEulalia Angulo Riascos
Chairs the Governing Board and coordinates organisational processes.
JC
Vice PresidentJhon Freddy Caicedo
Supports coordination and stands in for the presidency when required.
YM
TreasurerYubelly Moreno Valencia
Safeguards and monitors the Council's resources.
DP
General SecretaryDolores Panameño Cuero
Keeps the minutes, correspondence and community archive.
WG
ComptrollerWilmer Grueso Sinisterra
Oversees compliance with the internal charter and the handling of resources.
SB
Territory CoordinatorSixto Bonilla Hurtado
Coordinates territorial control, boundaries and land use.
RK
Women's CoordinatorRosmira Klinger Ibarguen
Promotes women's participation and traditional midwifery.
Memory and roots
Our history
Three decades of organisation, resistance and return to the ancestral territory.
Date of creation15 September 1998
Origin of the CouncilLaw 70 of 1993 and Decree 1745 of 1995
Collective titleResolution 002244 · 4 December 2002
Highest authorityGeneral Assembly
After the abolition of slavery in 1851, many Afro-descendants sought to build free and dignified lives, far from the control of the landowners. They thus settled in remote, hard-to-reach areas; one of them, the lower basin of the Calima river.
In this territory they found a place to live in harmony with nature, developing a subsistence economy based on fishing, farming, artisanal mining and the gathering of forest products.
The population of this region has been diverse. Although most people are Afro-descendant, Indigenous groups and mestizo settlers from the interior of the country, attracted by the area's natural resources, have also settled here. Migration has flowed from several directions: the north —especially Chocó—, the south —Cauca and Nariño— and the interior of Valle del Cauca. This flow of people was favoured by the strategic position of Bajo Calima, which connects the San Juan river with Buenaventura, historically facilitating trade and transport.
According to the accounts of the elders, there were migrations in search of work from the time the Pacific railway was built, through the forest concession of Cartón de Colombia, to the construction of the road to the sea, or «Cabal Pombo» road. Each of these works moved people across the territory that today forms the collective property of the Community Council.
During the twentieth century, and particularly in its last decades, Afro communities began a formal process of organisation to defend their territory. External threats such as the expansion of industrial mining, indiscriminate logging and the implementation of mega-projects put their permanence on their ancestral lands at risk. In response to these pressures, and under Law 70, the Community Council of the lower Calima river basin was born, a legally constituted organisation that represents the Afro-descendant population of the region.
The wealth of this community lies not only in its connection to the land, but also in its deep cultural dimension. Orality, traditional music such as the currulao, ancestral farming practices, respect for the territory and the transmission of knowledge have been pillars of an identity that remains alive despite adversity. The people of Bajo Calima have faced armed conflict, forced displacement and threats from armed actors and extractive companies. Their persistence in defending their territory, their culture and their dignity has been unshakeable.
Organisational processes
01ONCAPROTECA
02Village committees
03Justice Team
04Community Council Board
Timeline
Law 70
Colombia recognises the right of Black communities to collective ownership of their ancestral territories.
The Council is founded
On 15 September the Community Council of the Black community of the lower Calima river basin is constituted, under Law 70 and Decree 1745.
Collective title
In December, 66,724 hectares are awarded as Lands of the Black Communities.
Displacement
An armed incursion causes the mass displacement of the Bajo Calima communities.
Return and care
The caravan of return to the territory reaffirms our identity and our bond with the ancestral land.
We work with
Partners and allies
| Organisation | Support |
|---|---|
Proceso de Comunidades Negras (PCN) | Organisational support since the Council was founded |
ONCAPROTECA | Black Peasant Organisation for the Defence of the Calima River |
National Land Agency | Titling and updating of boundaries |
 | Regional Autonomous Corporation of Valle del Cauca |
 | Institutional services in the district |
Unit for Victims | Collective reparation and care for families |
 | |
 | National Network of Regional Development and Peace Programmes |
 | |
 | Projekthilfe für Kolumbien |
 | National Learning Service |
 | Productive energy |
 |