MOVEMENTS AND MOMENTS

This graphic nonfiction collection of stories by authors and artists of the Global South depicts Indigenous women activists in their fights for social, educational, and ecological rights.

Selected as part of an open call by the Goethe-Institut Indonesien intended to help rectify the bias in which voices receive the most exposure, the eight stories compiled here highlight local and lesser-known historical and contemporary Indigenous feminist leaders challenging colonial and post-colonial norms and oppressive labor practices and taking climate action. In “Let the River Flow Free: Women Defenders of the Cordillera,” by Gantala Press, illustrated by Nina Martinez, people unite in 2020 to deter the Philippine government from building a dam that would devastate their ancestral lands. “Mama Dulu,” written and illustrated by Citalli Andrango and Cecilia Larrea, and translated by Renata Duque, showcases Kichwa leader Dolores Cacuango’s fight to dissolve indentured servitude in late-19th-century Ecuador, a legacy that inspires to this day. Overlapping themes in each of the stories represent broader, more common struggles and include detailed, often horrific systemic treatment and cultural suppression and erasure, highlighting how these Indigenous activists led the way to rebellion and change through organization and often in community with other women. A variety of illustration styles are brought together by complementary color palettes while maintaining a distinct tone, creating a unique reading experience for each story.

An engaging, authentic, and raw collection of spirited advocacy.