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NEWS & LETTERS, November 2004Black Colombians fight displacementLocal Colombia solidarity activists sponsored a discussion of the struggle of Afro-Colombians at a Chicago public library on Oct. 17. We print comments of two of the speakers.--Editor Carlos Rosero, founder of Black Communities
Process in Colombia The situation in Colombia touches on human rights. It
has a lot to do with economic and cultural rights also. In the Americas, there
are 150 to 180 million people of African descent. Colombia is number three in
the total number of people of African descent, after Brazil and the U.S. We have 117 per 1,000 infant mortalities. We have little
health care. The average life span is 55 compared to 75 in the rest of the
country. Many of these problems are due to the history of slavery going back to
the 19th century. To better define the situation, we have five major
cities with large Afro-Colombian populations: Cali, Bogota, Medellin,
Barranquilla and Cartagena. This is an indication of the movement of people from
their land, adding onto their historic problems. Three million people have been
displaced by violence in Colombia. Some say that 33% of the three million are
Afro-Colombians. The government says 8.5% of the population is
Afro-Colombian. Another survey says 18% of the population. The issue of displacement is one of the biggest issues
to face Afro-Colombians since slavery. I know someone who calls what is going on
Desplaza Dos. The first displacement was the displacement from Africa. Now it is
from their lands in Colombia. The issue of displacement is part of the strategy of the
war, to make sure that these areas are to be used for something else. To grow
African palms, Afro-Colombians are situated on lands that are both strategically
and economically important. I believe that the situation of the Afro-Colombians
constitutes the worst situation of the African diaspora. Land, participation and identity. These rights are an
important element of the situation in Colombia. The main issue is this issue of
land and natural resources. Zulia Mena, the first Afro-Colombian activist
elected to Colombia’s congress This is a struggle of those who struggle for justice all
over the world. In the period between the first displacement and now, those in
power have not been able to end the Black community. We have a strong sense of
consciousness. We are between 150 and 180 million in the Americas. Being Black in Colombia is a political thing. The
official statistics underepresent us. We know we are 11 million strong.
Statistics are political. We need to come up with strategies to count our
numbers. The port of Cartagena is beautiful, but it was built
with the sweat and blood of African people. The abolition of slavery took place
150 years ago, in 1852. Thirty four years later the constitution was written. It
was written as if Colombia was a homogenous country, but we are a mixed country.
Only a small number of families consider themselves white. They have all the
power at their command. The areas of the Blacks and the indigenous are the areas
of the highest biodiversity. These are the regions richest in resources, but
poorest in terms of basic needs. Large interests, both national and
international, want the land with no one on it. The policies of the U.S. toward Colombia and Latin
America are wrong. They come out of the Cold War. Plan Colombia originally
existed to eradicate coca crops in Putumayo. Now it has been redirected towards
security. The drug trafficking is managed by a very small number of people. President Uribe is taking apart democratic elements of our constitution. Bogota, Medellin and Cali are in the hands of people of conscience. |
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