Center of Internet and Society of Universidad del Rosario: working with women educators of the Wayuu indigenous community in Colombia to battle misinformation

"pütchipü" is a Wayuunaiki word with which this indigenous community embodies the local knowledge holder or wise person. During the workshops on misinformation and fact-checking organised by the Center of Internet and Society (ISUR) of the Universidad del Rosario in Colombia, the Wayuu women educators decided to use the analogy of the "pütchipü" – who plays a role of verifying information in their community – to exemplify the importance of fact-checking and the curiosity of local investigators in their quest for knowledge to make informed decisions.

ISUR and Wikimedia Colombia organised hands-on workshops, empowering these educators with essential concepts and verification tools to navigate the complex information landscape. Leveraging the Exposing the Invisible Kit, they created educational activities specifically geared towards verifying locally relevant news.

One of the most striking achievements was the co-design of educational experiences. These educators are now equipped to disseminate fact-checking concepts in classrooms, supporting their students to navigate the world of information. Their learning prototypes span various formats, from a community radio strategy where students can collect interviews and present them in news format to a puppet theater merging fact-checking with the wisdom of each territory's knowledge holders, breathing life into community anecdotes.

"All communities should have access to information verification, especially indigenous communities like the Wayuu people, to protect their culture, prevent cultural appropriation, combat misinformation, and make informed decisions. This knowledge empowers indigenous communities, allowing them greater control over circulating information and a more accurate and respectful representation of their reality." “The tools, guides, and workshops proposed by Exposing the Invisible provide us with what is necessary to include in our work on digital rights.”