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NEWS & LETTERS, May 2002
Afro-Colombian struggle for land and justice
Colombia has 40 million
people—26% of them of African descent, mostly in the Pacific region. Since the
period of slavery, we have shared that area with indigenous Native Americans. Fifty years ago, a law was
passed that people willing to invest in that area could settle there. People
began buying small land holdings from Blacks, peasants and indigenous people and
turning them into big ranches for cattle and tourists. Private enterprises began
exploiting natural resources. Many who lived there were forced into poverty in
city slums. In 1991, Colombia adopted a new
Constitution. Blacks were not represented in that Constituent Assembly, but we
asked the indigenous representatives to take up the defense of our culture and
land rights. They won some recognition of our rights that were small, but
important. In 1993, a law was passed that
said that the Black population should delineate the areas where it had lived and
apply for titles. The law also said that the government must recognize the Black
population's rights and devote money to social spending in consultation with the
communities. The community organizations met
resistance from those who had been exploiting natural resources in our region
such as gold and wood. Communities demanded title to the land. Since then we've
experienced assassinations and expulsion by military groups paid by political
and business interests. My organization won the first
collective titles in that region. Seven days later, at 5:00 AM on Dec. 13, 1996,
paramilitary groups arrived in my town, Riosucio, intent on murdering the
leaders and their families. Many were taken from their beds and paraded naked
through the streets. Anyone who resisted was killed. The shouts woke me up. I
ran to take refuge in the swamp along with many others. At 8:00 AM, army helicopters
started patrolling. The paramilitaries radioed the pilots to attack the swamp,
claiming the people were guerrillas. The army attacked us with bombs and rifles,
killing many people. Those who survived stayed in the water for three days until
hunger and desperation forced us out. Some of us sneaked through the town and
reached a rural community across the river. I recuperated there, then fled to
Bogota, where I live today. Two months later, in February
1997, the paramilitaries and army attacked the rural communities in the region
and massacred an unknown number of people. More than 20,000 people left the
area. Not a single person remained. Today, some are living in Panama, Ecuador,
Venezuela, and many are in the big cities. People who survived the attacks
from the Pacific region of Colombia organized the Association of Displaced
Afro-Colombians (AFRODES) to fight for our territory. AFRODES helps orient
families arriving in the cities. We also work for our return to our home. I head
the organization in Bogota, which began in 1999, and have had two attempts on my
life. We have requested assistance from the national government, but they say
they don't have the economic resources. Last year, the U.S. government
gave Colombia $1.3 billion for "Plan Colombia"—80% goes for arms.
Those arms are being used to attack peasants. They are spraying the croplands
with pesticides prohibited in the U.S. and destroying what they grow for
subsistence. Chemicals get into the rivers, which causes health problems for
people and livestock. We need the solidarity of
organizations internationally who, like us, fight for justice, because our
voices are not heard in our country. —Marino Cordoba |
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