Bojayá Community
Project Description:
In April 2025, we partnered with Planet Challenge Art, an organisation that brings together recycling, artistic creation, and action against environmental pollution. The collaboration came to life through an event called Sosteniéndonos in Los Angeles, where a group of Latin American visual artists created works whose proceeds were intended to serve a social purpose. It was there that Fundación Malula was introduced to ASOVIVU (the Association of Conflict Victims and Vulnerable Populations) through a shared partner organisation.
ASOVIVU is based in Bojayá, Chocó, and brings together Indigenous Emberá and Afro-Colombian communities to grow and commercialise organic turmeric under the brand Curcumetto. Rooted in peace and sustainability, the initiative drives interethnic economic development in a region deeply marked by violence. Today, 207 families depend on Curcumetto for their economic autonomy.
We have worked with a community in Bojayá to support them to create a legal manufacturing base producing Turmeric, this business is called Curcumetto and can be purchased via the Instagram link at the bottom of this page.
Project name:
Bojayá: Cúrcuma Project
Partnership duration:
March 2025 - Ongoing
Project partner:
· Community of Bojayá (Chocó region)
· Planet Challenge Art
Project goal:
To promote economic autonomy and sustainable livelihoods through community-led agricultural production, particularly focusing on Curcumetto production (turmeric).
Purchase Link:
Curcumetto (turmeric):
A natural root used for medicinal, culinary, and commercial purposes. In this context, it serves as both an economic resource and a tool for community development.
Yet they face significant challenges: Chocó is one of the rainiest places on Earth, electricity is only available between 2 PM and midnight, and the farming communities are located up to nine hours away by boat from Bellavista, Bojayá. We visited the community on 2 May 2025, during the commemoration of the Bojayá massacre. This was a tragedy that devastated the region in 2001 and that, in time, became a force that brought diverse communities together around a shared goal: building a common future through something they already knew how to do, cultivating the land.
Following the visit, we designed a training plan in response to the community's own identified needs, delivering 16 virtual sessions covering conflict resolution, assertive communication, positive parenting, women's empowerment, intercultural integration, and introductory digital skills including AI for entrepreneurship, social media, and digital marketing.
Alongside the training programme, we independently raised the funds needed to cover materials and labour for structural improvements to Curcumetto's production facility, upgrades that will enable the community to obtain INVIMA certification, opening the door to new clients, partners, and sales, and strengthening the economic independence of the 207 families involved.
The project closes in May 2026 with a return visit on 2 May, marking the commemoration once again. The visit will include a tour of the upgraded production facility, the donation of school supplies, clothing, and toys for 300 children from the 207 families, and a dreams workshop. We will also explore the possibility of building a memory space for the Emberá community of the territory.
