VUB and RITCS Present an Exhibition on Weaving Cultural Identity and Indigenous Rights in Bolivia
From February 5 to 16, 2024, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), in collaboration with RITCS, will host the multimedia exhibition “The Resistance of The Textiles.” This exhibition invites visitors to explore the weaving rituals and ceremonial clothing of Bolivia’s indigenous peoples, who regard their attire as a means of expressing and preserving their cultural identity. In conjunction with the exhibition, a lecture will be held on February 15.
The Resistance of The Textiles is the result of a collaboration between the VUB departments of Sociology, Law, and Educational Sciences and the RITCS School of Arts in Brussels. It is based on the research and findings of Maria Isabel Rojas, a Bolivian Ph.D. candidate in Law at VUB. An expert in international human rights law, she conducts Transdisciplinary Community-Based Research (TCBR) through fieldwork in Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, and Bolivia. Her work focuses on defending the cultural rights of indigenous and tribal peoples within the Inter-American human rights system.
For this exhibition, Rojas examined the cultural rights of Bolivia’s indigenous peoples. Her research highlights how the weaving and wearing of ceremonial textiles in the Bolivian Jalq’a communities have been passed down through generations, contributing to the preservation and continuation of their cultural identity. Even today, these textiles play a central role in ceremonies and festivities, reaffirming cultural identity.
“The exhibition demonstrates that weaving and wearing ceremonial textiles are collective ritual practices that go beyond technical skills and performances to express, transmit, and strengthen the cosmological worldview and communal values of the Jalq’a indigenous culture in Sucre and Potosí,” explains Rojas. “We invite visitors to reflect on wearing clothing as a means of expressing and preserving cultural identity, which is a fundamental human right.”
Lecture at VUB
In addition to the exhibition, VUB and RITCS will organize a lecture on Thursday, February 15, on the VUB campus. Entitled “The Resistance of the Textiles: Community and Art-Based Research to Promote Cultural Indigenous Rights in Bolivia,” the lecture will feature presentations by Ph.D. candidate Maria Isabel Rojas, Professor Gerrit Loots, and Laura Vandewynckel.
Professor Emeritus Loots, affiliated with VUB’s Department of Sociology, is the coordinator of the Qualitative Research in Action (QRIA) research unit. He is actively involved in Transdisciplinary Community-Based Research (TCBR) in Bolivia and Colombia. Laura Vandewynckel, an interdisciplinary artist specializing in film, visual arts, and community-based art, will also contribute her expertise to the discussion.
For more information, visit the VUB campus from February 5 to 16, 2024, to experience the exhibition and attend the lecture.
Practical information
Exposition
Van 5 tot 16 februari 2024
Maandag tot zaterdag van 10utot 18u
VUB Main Campus, gebouw I
Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussel
Conférence
Donderdag 15 februari 2024
van 20u tot 22u
VUB Main Campus, gebouw I
Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussel
Contact
Gerrit Loots
Departement Sociologie
Brussels Institute for Social and Population Studies (BRISPO)
Research Unit Qualitative Research in Action (QRIA)
gloots1006@gmail.com
