Voices for Peace
Voices for Peace is an attempt by the AFSC to magnify the voices of Colombians working for peace at a time when war, drugs and violence are generally the foci of the larger media networks. This section of the website records the life testimonies of Colombian communities living in peaceful resistance to the conflict in the hopes that others may come to know that a peaceful Colombia is possible and its seeds are already being planted.
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Afro-Colombian Children in the community of Los Palmitos,
Photo by Gretchen Alther |
The Voice of a Peacemaker: Maria Teresa Pinto: Maria Teresa Pinto is a community leader in the municipality of Los Palmitos, on the Pacific Coast of Colombia. She is a mother of two young boys, and believes that the keys to peace are strengthening community and providing inspiration and opportunity to children. This is Maria Teresa's testimony.
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| Indigenous woman with her child, photo by Rachel Chandler Worth |
The Testimony of Doris Mutumbajoy, an Indigenous Woman from the Inga tribe in Colombia: Doris is currently working for OZIP (Organization of Indigenous communities in Putumayo) in Mocoa, Putumayo. She is very active in the struggle to make visible the human rights violations and injustices committed against Indigenous leaders in the southern department of Putumayo, Colombia. Putumayo is the strategic front for fighting the US "war on drugs" in Colombia.
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| This is one child's depiction of the aerial spraying against illicit drug crops. The drawing shows the fumigation planes; a child with sores on his body; banana, corn, and coffee plants with yellowed leaves; dead fish, birds, chickens, and horses; and the coffin of his younger sibling. (Courtesy of Adolfo Maldonado) |
Fumigations in Colombia:
Just What are We Eradicating?
In an effort to stop the illicit drug trade, the Colombian government has been spraying coca and opium poppy since 1986. With the beginning of the US-supported Plan Colombia in 2000, aerial fumigation was intensified: spraying is now done more often, over more land, and with a more potent chemical mix. This mix contains an herbicide called glyphosate, and two substances-POEA and Cosmoflux 411F-that make the mix stick to whatever surface it touches. The US company Monsanto manufactures these chemicals and calls the mixture "Roundup Ultra," but neither this particular combination, nor the concentration at which it is being used in Colombia, have ever been tested.
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| Indigenous Guard Members Raise their "bastones", photo by Gretchen Alther. |
Protector of Life:
Jose Bernal of the Indigenous Guard
Jose Bernal is a local coordinator for the Guardia Indígena (Indigenous Guard), in southern Colombia. This mountainous area of Colombia, scored by deep, narrow canyons, is the traditional land of the Nasa (Paéz) People. To defend their territory and resist the violence that threatens the welfare and harmony of their communities, the Nasa People formalized the Indigenous Guard in 2001. Jose has been a member from the beginning. This is his testimony.
What is a "Peace Community?"
Understanding Grassroots Resistance in Colombia
Tucked up in the Andean mountains of southwestern Colombia, there is a small community called Andalucía. Andalucía is special because the Afro-descendent families that live there have chosen to organize and resist the sinister forces of Colombia's war. For the families of Andalucía, resisting means not only declaring their right not to take part in the conflict, it also means creating mechanisms of self-protection.
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