Biography

Berito Cobara (aka Roberto Kubaruwa) is a traditional Uwa indigenous leader from the cloud forests of northeastern Colombia near the border with Venezuela. As the former president and legal representative of the Uwa community, Berito was the first U'wa to leave Colombia on behalf of his community and has now traveled numerous times to the US and Europe gaining support for the Uwa struggle to protect their land, culture and way of life. The Uwa people hold that the Oil is the blood of Mother Earth and that the Uwa are the guardians of the Heart of the World. Cobara was designated as a spokesperson by the Uwa in their international campaign to stop oil drilling in the U'wa homeland, first by Oxy and now by the Colombian company Ecopetrol. During his two terms as president of the Uwa tribal council, Cobara has garnered the support of environmental and human rights groups and in 1995 successfully appealed to the Colombian courts to change the decision allowing Oxy to explore for oil. In 2002, in response to the international solidarity campaign in support of the Uwa people, Occidental Petroleum withdrew from the Uwa land. In 1998, Cobara was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in recognition of his tireless work on behalf of his community despite numerous threats to his life. An elder and keeper of Uwa traditional knowledge, Berito is also widely respected for his spiritual and cultural leadership. He continues to bring the Uwa message from the Heart of the World to life through songs, prayers, and stories.