Prince Claus award for Abel Rodríguez is a recognition of the value of traditional knowledge

Detailed knowledge of the thousands of tree and plant species in the Amazon region is of great importance to the cultural and physical survival of indigenous communities: their rich spiritual life is closely linked to the flora and fauna. Rodríguez knows exactly when, where and what food crops need to be planted in order to spread the risks of crop failure due to flooding or pests.

HRH Prince Constantijn indicated that “Prince Claus Awards rarely go to environmental activists. But indigenous culture and knowledge systems are disappearing all around the world and the preservation of biodiversity is of great importance.” He expressed the hope that “this award will have a positive impact in a world where indigenous culture is undervalued and indigenous people are struggling for resources, sovereignty, land rights, respect for their traditional ways and ecologically sustainable development.”

The documentation of traditional knowledge also contributes to the self-esteem of indigenous communities. For decades, they have been marginalized and their knowledge undervalued. The added value of traditional knowledge to the Western botanical knowledge is becoming increasingly apparent. Where Western plant experts find it difficult identifying many plant species in the forest, a traditional botanist as Rodríguez knows and indicates them easily, as well as the common plant-animal relationships that occur in the forest. The recognition of this knowledge strengthens the position of indigenous communities in the conservation of forests: it shows that they have an indispensable insight into the composition and performance of complex forest ecosystems.

According to René Boot, Director of Tropenbos International: “The work by Rodríguez has a great aesthetic value, but the meaning of it stretches further than the beauty of its drawings. His work demonstrates the great insight that he and other indigenous inhabitants of the Colombian Amazon have developed over the natural environment in which they live and from which they depend on for their existence. His art shows how the tropical forest is structured and how it functions and that leads to an appreciation for his work and for the object of his art, the tropical rainforest of the Colombian Amazon."

On Wednesday 10th December, Abel Rodríguez received the principal Prince Claus award 2014 from HRH Prince Constantijn at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. With the annual Prince Claus awards, the fund honours artists, thinkers and organisations that make a positive contribution to the social development of their country with their cultural and artistic work. 

On December 11th the seminar “Perspectives on the tree of life: Celebrating Abel Rodríguez and his paintings” was organized by Tropenbos International in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and the Prince Claus Fund. During this event the work of Abel Rodríguez was honoured looking at it from three different perspectives: the artistic, the scientific and the socio-cultural.

See photos of the seminar on our facebook pagina

Read more about Abel Rodríguez and his work:

• Kunstenaar Abel Rodriguez zet zich in voor Amazonebehoud (The Optimist – December 2 2014)
• Abel Rodríguez, winnaar Prins Claus Prijs: ‘Zonder oerwoud is er niets’ (ViceVersa – 10 December 2014)

Watch the film "Abel, 2014 Principal Prince Claus Laureate" directed by Fernando Arias