Plinio Opua: Leading in Exile

Wounaan Social Leader and Advocate for Displaced Communities

In 2015, Plinio Opua, a respected Wounaan social leader and governor of the Taparal Taparalito community on Panama’s Pacific coast, was forced to flee his ancestral land. The territory—home to 12 Wounaan reservations—had become a corridor for illicit drug trafficking, caught between two armed groups operating outside the law. When Plinio’s name appeared on a list targeted for assassination by the ELN guerrilla group, he had no choice but to leave within days, leaving his family behind to save his life.

Soon after, his wife and children also fled, arriving in Bogotá, Colombia, where they joined a growing number of Wounaan families displaced by violence. For months, they lived in makeshift shelters of plastic and cardboard, without running water or sanitation. Plinio worked as a laborer, learned Spanish, and struggled to provide for his family—while quietly organizing.

Despite personal hardship, Plinio never stopped advocating for his people. In 2018, he sought official recognition and support to help rebuild what had been lost. Though a peace agreement was signed, meaningful protections for displaced Indigenous communities have remained out of reach.

Today, Plinio continues to lead—now from Ciudad Bolívar, Bogotá, where many Wounaan families have resettled. Thanks to his efforts, the community was granted a nursery school space by the city. The next challenge is securing resources: materials, teachers fluent in both Spanish and Wounmeu, and long-term support for the school and the culture it helps preserve.

Through it all, Plinio has held his community together—not only by demanding dignity, but by protecting identity. His work is a reminder that leadership doesn’t end when borders shift—it endures wherever people choose to keep their culture alive.