In August 2024, I had the privilege of conducting archival research at CONAIE’s film
and audiovisual archive in Quito, Ecuador. This research coincided with the 100 th year
anniversary of Ecuadorian cinema, celebrated by the Ecuadorian Cinemateca Nacional
through a series of events in Quito and Guayaquil. I also witnessed first-hand the impact of
political instability and the ongoing energy crisis, which underscored the timeliness of this
visit. This fieldwork was supported by the SLAS Post-Doctoral Research Support Grant and
focused on the recent digitisation efforts of CONAIE’s Indigenous archive.
The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, or CONAIE, is a unique
organisation in many respects. Founded in 1986, it unites around thirty distinct peoples and
nationalities from across Ecuador. According to its website, it operates through a primarily
horizontal and democratic structure, inspired by the Indigenous concept of minga—a
voluntary and communal approach to work. Over the years, CONAIE has produced,
recorded, and collected numerous audiovisual materials related to the Indigenous movement
in Ecuador, primarily preserved on physical formats such as magnetic tapes. Some of these
materials were digitised and catalogued in 2023 following an unprecedented agreement
between CONAIE and the Cinemateca Nacional.
My aim was to analyse this digitised archive from an eco-critical perspective, seeking
to draw connections between historical violations against nature (as documented in the archive) and those currently debated and resisted in the public sphere. In preparation for my visit, I reached out to Karolina Romero and Natasha San Martín at the Cinemateca Nacional to enquire about specific films, particularly those featured in recent public screenings.
Access to the archive is governed by a strict protocol requiring approval from
CONAIE’s leadership committee, with materials accessible only in person at their newly established Centro de la Memoria. My requests were facilitated by CONAIE’s communications coordinator, Estefanía Lalvay, who was diligent in ensuring timely access.
The Centro de la Memoria itself provided a robust framework for studying these materials. It features a dedicated consultation unit as well as a larger museum space that houses an expanded timeline of the Indigenous movement in Ecuador. This arrangement was further enriched by the generous input of CONAIE’s archivists, Marco Jogacho and Esteban Sacoto.
To date, only 300 out of 2,400 materials have been fully digitised and catalogued, yet
CONAIE’s archive already stands as an invaluable repository of counter-histories and
Indigenous activism. I look forward to seeing how this archive continues to be reinterpreted
and reactivated in the coming years.
Dr Maria Fernanda Miño
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