An extraordinary, gripping survival story that reveals the struggles and resilience of the Colombian Amazon’s Indigenous peoples. In June 2023, four Indigenous children were found alive in the Colombian Amazon, forty days after the light aircraft they had been travelling in crashed into deep jungle, killing the three adults on board. For weeks the Colombian public had been transfixed by clues of the children’s survival, of Indigenous tales of malign forest spirits, and of the unconventional tactics of the huge search team. But most now despaired of ever finding the children. Thirteen-year-old Lesly Jacobombaire Mucutuy never gave up hope. Forty Days in the Jungle tells the story of how the eldest child kept her siblings safe and fed during their time in the wilderness. It follows the battle-hardened soldiers and the brave Indigenous volunteers who undertook the search operation. And it delves into the Indigenous mythology — the spirits, shamans, and psychedelic potions — that was central to the drama and made it a rescue mission unlike any other. By investigating the children’s motives for travel, the tragedy of their backstory, and the months that followed their rescue, it also shines a light on the painful history of Colombia’s Amazonian peoples. Lesly and her siblings were survivors before they ever set foot on the plane.
