New project ‘Iakumama 2050’ at the Center for Development Research at Uni Bonn combines digital technology with Indigenous knowledge
Investigating and combining new and existing technologies with Indigenous knowledge systems – that is the aim of ‘Iakumama 2050.’ The new research project by the Center for Development Research at the University of Bonn (ZEF) pursues the goal of developing scenarios for how humans and nature can live together in regions affected by armed conflicts and raw material extraction. The Volkswagen Foundation is funding the project, which begins in July 2026 and will then be funded for one and a half years.
Iakumama (also spelled yacumama in English) literally means ‘mother of water’ in the Inga language. The Indigenous people live in southeast Colombia and are affected by drug trafficking and armed conflicts. The Iakumama ritual is practiced by women of the Inga people and is intended to enable a dialog between humans and nature.
The ‘Iakumama 2050’ project named after this brings researchers from Digital Humanities and Cultural Sciences together with Indigenous knowledge producers in Caquetá, a deforested region in the Amazon rainforest in southern Colombia. The project is a collaborative, transdisciplinary research initiative that investigates long-term approaches to environmental peace and peaceful coexistence in the Colombian Amazon region.
The research is based on three interconnected methods: The development of an AI-based chatbot, which interacts with Indigenous knowledge systems. A podcast series, which weaves together stories, songs, and reflections on the relationship of the Inga Nation with the non-human natural world. The revival of a female Inga ritual in which communication with non-human actors plays a central role. All phases of the project are developed jointly by researchers from Bonn and Indigenous researchers in Colombia.
“Inspired by the work of Bruno Latour, the project is designed as an ‘ecopolitical fantasy or thought experiment’,” says Professor Eva Youkhana, head of the ZEF working group Cultural and Political Change. “Within our research process, we will not only analyze from a scientific perspective, but also actively incorporate alternative concepts of peace, nature, and the non-human world.” Professor Youkhana heads the project together with ZEF Senior Researcher Clément Roux.
The funding was granted as part of the call for tenders ‘Open Up – New Research Spaces for the Humanities and Cultural Studies’ by the Volkswagen Foundation. The program is aimed at teams of two or three researchers who want to develop new and original research areas and knowledge coproductions. Of the 161 proposals submitted, 18 projects were ultimately selected for funding.
The project begins in July 2026 and runs for 18 months. The team will work closely with Yachaikury, an Indigenous school and an Inga research center in Yurayako, Caquetá, Colombia. The fieldwork is supported by Waira Jacanamijoy and Flora Macas, two prominent representatives of the Inga communities.