CPTnet
20 August 2007
COLOMBIA REFLECTION: Projects of Life
by Megan James
[Note: James was a member of the 18-31 July 2007 delegation to Colombia.]
You cannot help feeling your breath taken away in this country; like someone
has stolen the life out of you as you hear how many lives violence has
stolen. It is one experience to read the statistics, but another to meet
them. One story is like so many others. Yet each story is different--a
different person. And that is the saddest aspect in Colombia: too many
people share a similar story. However, these stories are a common thread
that binds people in solidarity.
Paolo Acúna in the city of Barrancabermeja formed as a community of
displaced people. After violence forced them off their land, people
traveled to Barrancabermeja and tried to rebuild using what materials they
could find on the outskirts of town. Unfortunately, the paramilitaries
began to take over the homes in Paolo Acúna and forced people to displace
again. When the community protested, the paramilitary sought to kill the
community organizers and their supporters like Hector Alverez.* Hector's
son was not an activist in the process; he was just the closest person to
Hector. And when the paramilitary could not catch Hector, they killed his
son instead.
Out of the tragic bond of violence grows an inconsolable resistance.
Communities like Ciudadela Educativa and organizations like Organización
Femenina Popular (OFP) use those memories of violence to do their work. As
another community of displaced people, Ciudadela Educativa has not only
resisted occupation by various guerrilla and paramilitary groups, but has
also initiated successful educational, economic, and community-building
projects.
While the adults in the community are not formally educated, they have
built a cutting-edge high school and plan to acquire technology for the
classrooms. One leader of Ciudadela Educativa explained that because almost
everyone in the community has been touched by violence, they place a high
priority on their children. She said, "Most of our work is for our kids, so
they don't have to go through the same things we have."
The OFP's motto "We do not bear or raise children for war," stems from the
memories of violence and has been reinforced by their initiatives. The OFP
provides youth and adult programming, affordable meals and medical and legal
services. They teach people how to fight violence with creative ideas and
love. Although 184 acts of violence have been directed at the organization
since 2001 (including three assassinations), the OFP has won the support of
the communities it serves, churches, and national and international
organizations. In this space of solidarity, a member of the OFP declares,
"We cannot give up and give in to the project of death. Instead, we will
build a project of life." Amen.
*Name changed.
Other members of the 18-31 July delegation to Colombia were Joseph Betz
(Lakewood,
Ohio), Erin Flory (Tucson, Arizona), Erika Friesen (Toronto, Ontario), Megan
James (Cambridge, Massachusetts), Heather Peters (Hamilton, Ontario), John
Volkening (Chicago, Illinois) and Mary Waltner (Chicago, Illinois.)]
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