The Embassy of Colombia to the United Kingdom and Futuro Coca, in association with the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and the International Coalition for Drug Policy Reform and Environmental Justice, are pleased to invite you to an academic dialogue titled "Coca Talks" on the alternative uses of coca leaves.
More than 8,000 years ago—long before the coca leaf was unjustly equated to cocaine—it was already medicine, food, and a source of spiritual inspiration for the Indigenous peoples of Colombia and South America, a way to connect with the more-than-human beings with whom they shared their territories.
Today, it is time to see it through renewed eyes—through ancestral knowledge, science, policy, and art—to recognize its true value beyond stigma and to rethink the regulations that govern its traditional and modern use.
This event is part of the celebration of the 200 years of diplomatic relations between Colombia and the United Kingdom, in which we will explore the Coca plant's critical intersections with indigenous knowledge, drug policy frameworks, and environmental justice.The panel will be composed by the following experts:
- Ati Viviam Villafaña, Indigenous Arhuaco activist and environmental land defender
- Diego Lugo Vivas, Indigenous- Campesino Professor of Environmental Studies & Critical Geography and Colombian Lead for the Coalition
- Anthony Henman, Anthropologist and author of Mama Coca
- Jenna Rose Atwood, Indigenous Māori Environmental Researcher
- Clemmie James, Senior Policy and Campaigns Officer for Health Poverty Action & Co-ordinator for The International Coalition for Drug Policy Reform & Environmental Justice
- Steve Rolles, Drug Policy Analyst at Transform: Drug Policy Foundation
- Diego Aretz, Colombian journalist and filmmaker with a deep focus in peace, reconciliation and ancestral indigenous visions.
- Jenny Pearce, SOAS and LSE inequalities and public policy professor
Date: Friday, 17 October 2025- Time: 17:45 - 20:30 hrs.Place: SOAS University - Khalili Lecture Theatre (KLT)
