Jacinto Zarabata

Jacinto Zarabata, a young Kogi from Colombia, showcased his short film “Home Among the Clouds” at the biodiversity COP16 in Cali, Colombia (Oct/Nov 2024), with the help of the Tairona Heritage Trust. Like many Indigenous people, Jacinto has deep-seated concerns about the environmental changes impacting his community and felt driven to share a message in the hope of reshaping perceptions of the physical world. As guardians of ancient Indigenous wisdom, the Kogi maintain that they have divine responsibility to care for the earth, given to them by the Great Mother, Aluna. The Kogi message is simple, We must take care of our planet because it is the Home of All. Jacinto’s film offers a raw, authentic Indigenous perspective on the climate crisis, and presents a youthful plea and message of hope, reminding us of what sustains our existence.