Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Curandera, Partera, Bush Doctor, Luna Olavarría Gallegos

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua is a region that has historically been subject to colonization through severe environmental degradation, ethnic cleansing, exploitation of work, and an imposing language. Within this oppression, indigenous and afrodescendent communities of the Atlantic Coast, formally known as RAACS (South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region), have lost centuries worth of language, tradition, and homes in just a few decades. My documentary looks at how communities resist an imposing government and globalization through the revitalization of their traditions, specifically traditional medicine. It delves into the issues of modern colonialism in these communities, and how organizations, government programs, and …