This past Thursday, September 19th, 2024 Dr. Pilar File-Muriel, with the help of students from ANT-329, SOC-480 and ANT-491 classes hosted ‘la fiesta del plátano’ or the party of the plantain. At this event, I was lucky enough to experience the people behind the scenes setting up a truly unique experience, with musical performances by ‘Roots of the Mangrove without borders’ and delicious catering from ‘La Bamba Cuisine’. I got to hear the life changing story of Daria Elsa Quiñones Preciado, a woman who has truly changed lives and should be an inspiration to us all.
I feel that before discussing the event itself it is important to understand the story of the great Daria Elsa Quiñones Preciado, the woman who made this event possible, and who has positively influenced our world in ways I will not get to fully describe in this article. For starters she and her community, developed and are running AMDAE, a grassroots organization that was created as a result of war and displacement in Colombia.
Daria’s journey is one of heartbreak and perseverance starting in the late 1990s, when due to paramilitary threats, she was forcibly removed from her hometown of Tomaco after her mother was tragically murdered and it was becoming increasingly dangerous to reside there. She then moved to Bogotá, Colombia and continued her work through creating gardens, meeting with local afro-colombian women, and many more things to help build a community there.
The main goal of AMDAE is to develop the quality of life for afro-colombian indigenous families who have been displaced from their homes. AMDAE uses the importance of the plátano as a basis seeking to strengthen ancestral knowledge, preserve life and nature, and create synergy between both rural and urban communities globally. They also work to raise awareness through first hand story telling and experiences that highlight the urgency of these issues and bring power to their specific social group of seemingly ‘ordinary’ people working together towards the improvement in their quality of life.
Throughout the night I got to talk to many of the individuals who were hands on in preparation for the event including Grace Galarza, Asha Younas, Lucila Napolitano, Haley Tanner, Janelle Lopez, Jonathan Baez and so many more amazing individuals/students that if I listed them all, it would take up more space that we could fit on a page! The dedication from these individuals allowed me and every other student there as an audience member to truly experience culture and learn the amazing story of Daria Elsa Quiñones Preciado and AMDAE.
In an interview with Asha Younas she expressed her gratitude and passion for being invited to help with this event saying ‘Honestly, I’m so grateful to even be a part of this event at all because of the amazing things that AMDAE and Daria have been doing and hearing their stories and them asking me questions such as ‘how can I help them in the future?’ have really made me think about my career and what I want to do in terms of giving back and helping these people the way they have so many others.” – Asha Younas
I feel so grateful to have been able to experience this night, it was truly a beautiful display of culture, knowledge, food and music. I also learned so much about the many uses of the plátano, and about the passionate dedication of Daria Elsa Quiñones Preciado and AMDAE to improve the quality of life for their community as well as other afro-colombians who have been displaced due to war and the exploitation of their homelands back in Colombia. This experience was so positively unique and will always be something I treasure, so if you are reading this and unfortunately missed the event just know you missed out on a once in a lifetime experience that can’t be described as anything less than beautiful.
If you wish to know more about AMDAE’s mission and what you can do to help this beautiful community please go to: AMDAE. GANADORA PREMIO CIVICO 2013 to learn more!