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Indigenous women and youth from the Santa Rosa community in Paraguay share their firsthand accounts of what is happening in their territories through the news outlet Qataquí. “This is very important for us because we’ve never had our own website. It’s a tool to denounce the injusticesthat occur in the Qom territory, where we also share our stories,” Nidia Pessoa, who serves as administrator of the community agency in Benjamin Aceval, Presidente Hayes, told Presentes. 

Qataquí is a musical instrument of the indigenous peoples of Paraguay, a "small palm drum" made with a cowhide or gazelle hide. "We always use it in ceremonies to share joy and forget the problems that each person has, whether at home, at work, or when someone is sad about something. With singing and dancing, everything is forgotten from that moment on," she shares, explaining why the instrument has that name. 

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A post shared by Qom media outlet (@qataquimedio)

Qataquí has ​​a Facebook page, Qataquí Noticias , and an Instagram account: @qataquimedio . The media outlet's main objective is to give visibility to the problems affecting Qom communities, in the face of the invisibility and misinformation surrounding them. “There are many injustices suffered by our Indigenous brothers and sisters that Latin American media outlets don't report. Furthermore, television presents inaccurate information about what is currently happening in the community,” Liz Paola Ramírez, a 28-year-old artisan and member of the media team, told Presentes. The Community's House of Artisans —a fair trade space offering baskets, necklaces, earrings, and items made with totora reeds, seeds, and other natural materials—is also an important element on the agenda of Qataquí and the Indigenous women's community.

A year of Qataqui

Qataquí has ​​been online since August 29, 2022. The process of incubation and assembly of the media outlet was accompanied by Agencia Presentes within the framework of a communication project for indigenous community media in Argentina ( Telúrica Indigenous News Agency ) and Paraguay, with support from the Liderando desde el Sur program .

The women and young people of the Santa Rosa community participated, through collaboration with Alicia Amarilla Conamuri (Organization of Peasant and Indigenous Women) and Bernarda Pessoa, a community leader, in a series of training and exchange sessions with Agencia Presentes. This process helped shape the Qataquí team and its agenda, employing approaches that challenge and construct meaningful information from diverse perspectives. The process continues with communication and journalism workshops coordinated with Ana Fornaro, María Eugenia Ludueña, and Concepción Oviedo of Agencia Presentes.  

From Qataquí, they disseminate reports, "solidarity campaigns from the public so that they can receive the help they need," and initiatives by the sisters. They also provide coverage of marches, workshops, and gatherings in women's spaces, and highlight certain important dates, such as Paraguayan Women's Day (February 24) or the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples (August 9), its members explain.

Among the difficulties they encounter when reporting the news is the reach of their content. “The news we share doesn't reach the necessary number of people or those to whom the news should reach. Furthermore, there is a lack of understanding of the subject matter of the news we share,” says Ramírez.

However, its members, through sheer enthusiasm and hard work, are seeking to expand throughout the country. “We want this Qataquí agency to be recognized worldwide,” Pessoa affirms.

The demands of the indigenous communities of Paraguay

• Paraguay has 7 million inhabitants, of which 122,461 are indigenous, representing 1.8% of the total, according to data from the 2017 Permanent Household Survey (EPH). This population belongs to 19 peoples distributed in more than 600 communities. 
• The Qom people of this region have three clans: the Cerrito, the Rosario, and the Chaco. In total, they form seven communities, and there are 2,000 Qom inhabitants in the territory, Pessoa explains. The Qataquí media outlet originated in the Santa Rosa community, which belongs to the Rosario clan, and is located in the town of Benjamín Aceval – Cerrito Chaco, in the Department of Presidente Hayes, 42 kilometers north of the country's capital, Asunción.
• Today, the main demands of indigenous communities in Paraguay are access to land, public policies in the educational field, the creation of a market and fair price for the production of healthy food, and access to job opportunities. 
• According to the latest EPH (Permanent Household Survey), 66.2% of Paraguay's indigenous population lives in poverty, and 34.4% live in extreme poverty. Furthermore, only 21% have adequate housing, and 40% of households lack electricity. Additionally, 33% are illiterate. 
• The Paraguayan Indigenous Institute (INDI), the agency responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring public policies for the indigenous population, has been neglected by the Paraguayan government. “INDI’s budget has always been, and continues to be, insignificant for implementing development programs and ensuring that indigenous people have a minimum standard of well-being and dignity,” states the non-profit organization Tierraviva, which supports the Indigenous Peoples of the Chaco.