Jaidë

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project © Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project © Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project View all images ↓
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The *Jaidë* project explores the suicide crisis in Colombia's indigenous Emberá communities, worsened by conflict, displacement, and resource loss. From 2015-2023, Bojayá saw 56 suicides and 1,500+ attempts. Through stories of pain and resilience.

The Jaidë project is a visual investigation into the suicide crisis in indigenous communities in Colombia, focusing on the Emberá people in Bojayá. This crisis is worsened by armed conflict, forced displacement, and the loss of access to essential resources like agriculture and fishing. The situation reflects an alarming level of hopelessness in these historically marginalized communities.

In Bojayá, Chocó, data reveals a severe crisis. From 2015 to 2020, there were 15 reported suicides, which worsened significantly from 2021 to 2023, with 41 suicides and over 1,500 attempts. Stories like that of Yadira Birry, a 16-year-old who took her life, and Liria Cheito, who survived a suicide attempt on the same day as Yadira, illustrate the intense pain and despair in these communities.

The Emberá community has migrated to cities like Bogotá in search of safety. In Bogotá, around 2,251 Emberá live in extreme overcrowding in neighborhoods such as Parque Nacional, La Rioja, and Parque La Florida. The La Rioja building, meant for 120 people, houses over 1,200, resulting in critical overpopulation.

I have documented the lives of Yadira Birry's family and Liria Cheito in Bojayá, and followed displaced Emberá women Jessi and Ahitana in Bogotá. These experiences highlight the severe conditions and scale of the problem. Having struggled with depression myself, I reflect on how these communities, devastated by armed conflict and state abandonment, cope with overwhelming pain.

Jaidë aims to document this crisis and provide a space for reflection and dialogue. The project seeks to offer a comprehensive view of the crisis, showing both suffering and resilience, and to promote understanding and solutions for these urgent issues.

My goal with the funding is to continue visiting the communities and exploring this ongoing situation, as in 2025, there have already been 2 suicides and over 10 suicide attempts. Reaching these communities is complex and requires air, land, and river transportation, resulting in significant costs. Each trip costs approximately 2,000 dollars, and my plan is to conduct at least 4 more trips this year. This is an urgent issue that needs visibility, as there are no organizations working specifically for these historically abandoned communities.

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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The Embera Dobida community of Puerto Antioquia, in Chocó, can be reached by boat via the Bojayá River. This community has 141 inhabitants: 31 men, 27 women, and 83 children. It was founded approximately 30 years ago. On April 7, 2023, the first recorded suicide occurred. Yadira Birry, 16, took her own life. That same night, there were three more attempts, and to date, there have been more than 15

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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Nelli Birry, 10, is the eldest daughter of Liria Cheito, who attempted to commit suicide using her paruma (a traditional garment of her community) on April 7, 2023, tired of being mistreated by her husband. Nelli holds a fish she just caught in the Embera Dobida community of Puerto Antioquia, Chocó.

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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Rope to tie a dog at the house of Liria Cheito, who attempted suicide by hanging herself with her paruma (a traditional garment of her community) on April 7, 2023, tired of being mistreated by her husband

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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Liria Cheito attempted to commit suicide with her paruma (a traditional garment of her community) on April 7, 2023, tired of being mistreated by her husband. She is the mother of three children in the Embera Dobida community of Puerto Antioquia, Chocó.

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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Some members of the Embera Chami community, due to violence, have had to migrate from their territories to cities. In Bogotá, they live in three places: the National Park, La Rioja, and UPI La Florida. In all these places, they live in overcrowded conditions, facing hardships and limited opportunities. A traditional Embera Chamí dress hangs in one of the shared rooms of La Rioja.

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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María Camila Birry, 15, is the younger sister of Yadira Birry, who committed suicide in 2023 in the Embera Dobida indigenous community of Puerto Antioquia, Chocó.

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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On April 7, 2023, in the Embera Dobida community of Puerto Antioquia, Chocó, Yadira Birry, 16, took her own life with her paruma, a cloth used as a skirt. Her three sisters, María Camila Birry, Luisa Birry, and Noraisi Birry, stand by her grave, wearing the parumas Yadira left behind after her death.

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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The Embera Dobida community of Puerto Antioquia, in Chocó, has 141 inhabitants: 31 men, 27 women, and 83 children, and it was founded approximately 30 years ago. It is one of the 45 Embera communities along the Bojayá River, where, according to the diocese, there have been 60 cases of suicide between 2015 and 2024, and more than 400 suicide attempts.

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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Luisa Birry, 21, is the eldest sister of Yadira Birry, who committed suicide in 2023 in the Embera Dobida indigenous community of Puerto Antioquia, Chocó. Luisa attempted to take her own life before her sister did.

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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Some of the indigenous people from the Embera Chamí community, displaced to Bogotá by the Colombian armed conflict, survive by making and selling handicrafts on the streets.

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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Yesi, 18, is a woman from the Embera Chamí community, displaced to Bogotá from her territory in Chocó due to the armed conflict. She lives in La Rioja, one of the three places the community occupies in the city. She has faced a hostile city, mistreatment, and few opportunities. In 2023, she attempted to take her own life in Chocó during a time when she tried to return to her territory.

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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Puerto Antioquia is one of the 45 Embera communities along the Bojayá River, where, according to the diocese, there have been 60 cases of suicide between 2015 and 2024, and more than 400 suicide attempts.

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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Ahitana, 23, is a woman from the Embera Chamí community, displaced to Bogotá from her territory in Chocó due to the armed conflict. She lives in La Rioja, one of the three places the community occupies in the city. She has faced a hostile city, mistreatment, and few opportunities. She has attempted suicide several times, the most recent on April 1, 2024.

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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Marneli Birry, 10, is braiding her mother Liria Cheito's hair. Liria attempted to commit suicide with her paruma (a traditional garment of this community) on April 7, 2023, tired of being mistreated by her husband, in the Embera Dobida community of Puerto Antioquia, Chocó.

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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Oniri Birry, 7, is the youngest daughter of Liria Cheito, who attempted suicide with her paruma on April 7, 2023, tired of being mistreated by her husband, in the Embera Dobida community of Puerto Antioquia, Chocó.

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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Miguel Birry is the father of Yadira Birry, who committed suicide in 2023 in the Embera Dobida indigenous community of Puerto Antioquia, Chocó.

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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Miralba Birry is the mother of Yadira Birry, who committed suicide in 2023 in the Embera Dobida indigenous community of Puerto Antioquia, Chocó.

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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The Embera Dobida community of Puerto Antioquia, in Chocó, has 141 inhabitants: 31 men, 27 women, and 83 children, and it was founded approximately 30 years ago. It is one of the 45 Embera communities along the Bojayá River, where, according to the diocese, there have been 60 cases of suicide between 2015 and 2024, and more than 400 suicide attempts.

© Santiago Santiago Mesa - Image from the Jaidë photography project
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Edilber Dumasa, 16, was the boyfriend of Yadira Birry, who committed suicide in 2023 in the Embera Dobida indigenous community of Puerto Antioquia, Chocó.