COLOMBIA: Days of Prayer and Action 2009
abril 27th, 2009
in:
CPTnet
27 April 2009
COLOMBIA: Days of Prayer and Action 2009
by Sarah Shirk
To commemorate the fourth annual Days of Prayer and Action, Christian Peacemaker Teams Colombia organized a public action on Monday, 20 April 2009 at 4:30 pm in a downtown Barrancabermeja park. This year's theme highlighted the situation of the more than four million displaced people within Colombia. Organizations and churches in Colombia, the United States, and Canada united in a call for justice, peace, and restoration in Colombia. On Sunday 19 April 2009, hundreds of churches in Colombia, the U.S., and Canada prayed for peace in Colombia and for a change in these governments' unjust policies. Monday, 20 April was set aside for public action and visits to U.S. government representatives to call for change in militaristic policies that continue to displace hundreds of Colombians every day. As part of the day of action, groups constructed 4000 paper dolls—each doll representing 1000 displaced people in Colombia—to deliver to their government representatives.
CPT Colombia, along with local youth, organized a public action using drama, music, and prayer to address the tragedy of displacement in Colombia. Father Eliecer Soto of the Barrancabermeja diocese opened with a welcome and blessing. With the participation of all those present, the group formed a circle to represent the strength of community. Inside the circle, four young people representing Democratic Security, Free Trade, Mega-projects, and Impunity danced around sowing discord, demonstrating the control these four entities exert over the Colombian people. But the circle began closing in little by little, restricting the movements and space for the forces of oppression to work. When the circle closed up entirely, everyone joined in a prayer for transformation. The youth flipped over their “name” tags, now representing the forces of life: Democracy instead of Democratic Security; Fair Trade instead of Free Trade; Sustainable Development instead of Mega-projects; and Justice instead of Impunity. Then the circle re-opened to represent the holistic, healthy community. (See Public Action photo album.)
The United Nations has designated Colombia as the “worst humanitarian catastrophe in the hemisphere.” In Colombia, some of the worst economic and social injustices take place in the midst of armed conflict. Currently, Colombia has the second largest number of internally displaced people, after Sudan. Two-thirds of Colombians live in poverty and approximately 97% of crimes are committed with impunity. These situations have served to exacerbate the internal war in that has plagued the country for more than fifty years. Churches in Colombia know that without a response to the inequalities and injustices committed by armed actors and the State, the war will persist and continue claiming victims in the civilian population.
After the action, participants marched to the headquarters of the Workers' Labor Union headquarters to sign paper dolls with messages for government representatives in the U.S. CPT Colombia will deliver the dolls (adding them to the 4000 already delivered) to the U.S. government to make audible the voices of the Colombian people and to demand a change in the policies of the U.S. toward Colombia.
27 April 2009
COLOMBIA: Days of Prayer and Action 2009
by Sarah Shirk
To commemorate the fourth annual Days of Prayer and Action, Christian Peacemaker Teams Colombia organized a public action on Monday, 20 April 2009 at 4:30 pm in a downtown Barrancabermeja park. This year's theme highlighted the situation of the more than four million displaced people within Colombia. Organizations and churches in Colombia, the United States, and Canada united in a call for justice, peace, and restoration in Colombia. On Sunday 19 April 2009, hundreds of churches in Colombia, the U.S., and Canada prayed for peace in Colombia and for a change in these governments' unjust policies. Monday, 20 April was set aside for public action and visits to U.S. government representatives to call for change in militaristic policies that continue to displace hundreds of Colombians every day. As part of the day of action, groups constructed 4000 paper dolls—each doll representing 1000 displaced people in Colombia—to deliver to their government representatives.
CPT Colombia, along with local youth, organized a public action using drama, music, and prayer to address the tragedy of displacement in Colombia. Father Eliecer Soto of the Barrancabermeja diocese opened with a welcome and blessing. With the participation of all those present, the group formed a circle to represent the strength of community. Inside the circle, four young people representing Democratic Security, Free Trade, Mega-projects, and Impunity danced around sowing discord, demonstrating the control these four entities exert over the Colombian people. But the circle began closing in little by little, restricting the movements and space for the forces of oppression to work. When the circle closed up entirely, everyone joined in a prayer for transformation. The youth flipped over their “name” tags, now representing the forces of life: Democracy instead of Democratic Security; Fair Trade instead of Free Trade; Sustainable Development instead of Mega-projects; and Justice instead of Impunity. Then the circle re-opened to represent the holistic, healthy community. (See Public Action photo album.)
The United Nations has designated Colombia as the “worst humanitarian catastrophe in the hemisphere.” In Colombia, some of the worst economic and social injustices take place in the midst of armed conflict. Currently, Colombia has the second largest number of internally displaced people, after Sudan. Two-thirds of Colombians live in poverty and approximately 97% of crimes are committed with impunity. These situations have served to exacerbate the internal war in that has plagued the country for more than fifty years. Churches in Colombia know that without a response to the inequalities and injustices committed by armed actors and the State, the war will persist and continue claiming victims in the civilian population.
After the action, participants marched to the headquarters of the Workers' Labor Union headquarters to sign paper dolls with messages for government representatives in the U.S. CPT Colombia will deliver the dolls (adding them to the 4000 already delivered) to the U.S. government to make audible the voices of the Colombian people and to demand a change in the policies of the U.S. toward Colombia.
