Colombian Library Finds Unique Ways To Preserve Traditions

What began as one box of donated books has become a hub of learning, innovation and creativity for the indigenous Kankuamo people of Colombia.

A New Kind of Library

In just a few years, volunteers at the Kankuaka Public Library have built an award-winning library that takes a unique approach to story-telling and historical preservation.

Built in the small, mountain-side town of Atánquez on the reserve of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the library empowers children to be the keepers of history and gives them the tools to create new stories of their people to pass on to the next generation. Once a group struggling to maintain their culture, they are embracing the ways that they are special and honoring their traditions.

A Complicated History

The Kankuamo people have fought for decades to keep their heritage from disappearing. In an interview with the Guardian, Patrick Morales, coordinator of ethnic affairs at the National Centre for Historical Memory in Colombia, shares that this is not unlike the experience of other indigenous cultures in Latin America. In a wave of assimilation attempts in the 1950s and 60s, many indigenous people turned away from their cultures from growing pressures from modern society, before eventually finding their way back.

As access to higher education became more widely available in the 1980s, many young people living in Atánquez left for university and never returned. The public library there serves as an attempt to rebuild a learning culture for the Kankuamo people in the hopes that more natives will return home after getting their education and revitalize the community.

The Chance For More

In 2013, the town of Atánquez received one box of books donated by the National Network of Public Libraries to serve the community of 10,000. After the box went some time unopened, a government official was sent to retrieve them and the townspeople acted quickly. In an abandoned community center, they arranged the books and deemed it a “public library.”

Soules Maestre, the librarian and one of the library founders, remembers the sentiments in the early days of the building, “If we are capable of putting this together in one night, you cannot imagine what we are capable of in a year.” The government official granted them one year to get the project off the ground, along with donated tables and chairs.

By 2015, the library was nominated for Colombia’s National Library Award and went on to win in 2017.

Heirs of Memory

The children of Atánquez have taken on a special role in the survival of the town’s history. Morales calls them Atánquez’s “heirs of..memory.” The library regularly organizes trips and projects for the Kankuamo children, all centered around historical preservation and celebrations of their heritage.

Sahian Maestre, 13, says her favorite trips are visiting the community elders. They tell stories and share music and recipes passed down for generations. An early project had children use camcorders to record the interactions and make short films for the library’s archives.

During the pandemic, the library remained open and got creative with its interactions in the community. They passed out camcorders to the children and had them record their everyday lives during COVID, focusing on the home and their families. The library organized groceries for families in need, provided seeds for home gardens and even administered vaccines.

Fight For Heritage

The fight to carry on the Kankuamo culture hasn’t been an easy one. Like many other indigenous groups in Colombia, the town faces threats from outside forces every day. In the 1980s and 90s, violent paramilitary groups killed and displaced hundreds of Kankuamos. In the aftermath, there were many years when the Kankuamo people were ashamed of their heritage and hid their culture.

Today, they face an environmental threat. Coal and oil mining are shrinking their access to space and poisoning their lands and waters. To the people of Atánquez, the library serves as a way for the community to defend itself. Children have been using their project time to think up new ways to protect the ecosystem and build out future plans for the community.

The Legacy Lives On

Global recognition of the library’s efforts resulting in donations and prize money has kept the public library open for several years, but it’s often not enough to do many improvements or expansions. Today, the library is fundraising for computers and dreaming up new projects for the community to participate in. “In this way, curiosity, creativity and knowledge go far beyond the walls of our library,” said Maestro.