Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña/Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH)

The Afro-Indigenous Garífuna communities of Honduras face a wide variety of threats to their territory, culture, livelihoods, and lives. Through OFRANEH, they are asserting their rights and building power.

A grassroots organization of Garífuna (Afro-descendant Indigenous) communities in Honduras, Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña/Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH) works to protect Garífuna communities’ economic, social, and cultural rights, particularly with regard to farming, fishing, and the defense of Mother Earth.

Garífuna territories and rights are increasingly coming under attack from large developers attempting to take over their farmlands, fisheries, and forests for profit, and from the impacts of climate change along the Caribbean coast. Other major threats include the planned building of “charter cities,” the expansion of agrofuels plantations, the development of mega-tourism projects, the expansion of organized crime, and the exploration and extraction of oil.

An increasing and alarming number of Garífuna activists have been either killed or disappeared in recent months and years, reflecting the interests by state and corporate actors to incorporate Garífuna territory into projects that exploit nature for profit.

Through a network of community radio stations, ancestral healing houses, and other projects, OFRANEH promotes health and environmental education, supports the use of the Garífuna language, promotes youth and women’s leadership development, and coordinates community actions to defend ancestral territories. OFRANEH is also engaged in national, regional, and international movement-building against militarization and for climate justice.

#Articles & Analysis#Defense of territory