“RAGE” COLUMBIAN LECTURE

On April 13^th, Rage Against the Arts Gallery presented a lecture and film on Columbia in South America and the cultural and economic climate of the country. Since the 1990s, the military has waged war against the peoples who live there. The military took control of the roads leading in & out of the town so the people couldn’t get food and they massacred people.

The people are peaceful and do not want military action. They do not want to live in a military conflict zone so seventy families moved to the country. The film showed them playing corridos. They wanted a better life so in 1997 signed a declaration of peace and moved to build a new peace community.

San José de Apartadó is an economically rich area in which the guerrillas, military, USA , and Europe are interested in. There is conflict there with drugs because of its close proximity to the Caribbean. But violence continued. People disappeared, were forcibly displaced, economically deprived, raped, tortured, and imprisoned. The military police burned their homes and they had to live under tarps. IN 14 years, 19 human rights violations occurred, 198 were dead of the 1000 who signed the declaration of peace. The people do not believe in arms and they will not submit to the military so they are being assassinated. In March 2010, people were murdered and the bodies were left to be eaten by animals. The police blame the people for the massacre.

The people have been driven off their ranches to live in the forests. Life in the community is one of solidarity: to reconstruct their culture, homes, and farms. They are trying to stay together and resist war. They are 8 hours from civilizations. These 50 families have built health centers and schools. The massacres continue. The slaughter children and cut them up. No action has ever been taken against the military even though they have admitted now to the killings.

The question now is: Can a peaceful way of living be created? Can it be done? San José de Apartadó is now a famous place where people come to show solidarity; they are trying to keep alive and keep alive their memories. They are building a monument out of stones for all who have died. They have symbolic ceremonies for those who have died. They have built an educational community with teachers who have their own curriculum. They have an agricultural economy where they grow food, without the aid of pesticides, for themselves and for export. Their goal is to achieve autonomy.