OJIDU: THE WARAO WOMEN'S AGENCY IN THE INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION EXPERIENCE TO BRAZIL
Key-words: Warao; international migrations; community participation; political organization; feminine protagonism
The exodus generated by the political and economic crisis in Venezuela has led to intense migration of indigenous and non-indigenous Venezuelans to Brazil, across the country's northern border. This phenomenon has increased since 2016-2017 and has significantly altered the dynamics of displacement between the countries of the region, including the international migratory movement of the Warao people, originally from the Orinoco Delta region. This process of indigenous mobility has impacted not only Brazilian national society, but has also produced changes inside Warao communities and how they organize politically. This project aims to explore and delineate the extent of these changes from a gender perspective, since after a few years of this migratory process, Warao women have taken the lead not only in the search for adaptive strategies to generate resources for their communities, but also in the process of political organization, by encouraging the creation of associations and councils, as well as exchanges and joint participation in other national and international indigenous movements. Therefore, the two questions this research will aim to answer are: what are the strategies adopted by Warao women for the survival of their people in a new territory, and what are the contributions and criteria that have allowed Warao women to occupy leadership positions in their communities and in political organizations that are being set up, in order to promote decent living conditions and the defense of their rights as a migrant indigenous population. Next, a bibliographical review will be presented, in order to provide support for the proposed research. This requires a sociological analysis of mobility processes in the region, starting from a common ground to Latin American countries: colonial exploitation and its effects, based on the concept of internal colonialism, indigenous policies derived from this process of building Latin American national societies, and the actions of indigenous women in building responses and strategies of resistance. In addition to a review of the relevant literature, methodological resources and techniques will be presented as tools for the research process. Latin American engaged social research methods will be used, as they bring a deep sense of participation and commitment to the populations involved, in order to enhance the production of scientific knowledge, highlighting the expertise of Warao women, which will be shared through interviews. To conclude, the general and specific objectives of this project will be outlined, as well as the timetable for implementation and the bibliographical references used.