In conversation this week, our coordinator pointed to a key concept for wellbeing: satisfaction. This is a crucial yet somewhat elusive element, because what brings satisfaction for one will not necessarily bring satisfaction for another. The basic elements are simple, but satisfaction can be hard to find when there are obstacles in our path, as there certainly are for the people in displaced communities. To seek justice and healing from wrongs suffered, and to endeavor to build a new life in a strange environment—these are major challenges for the displaced, who are thrust onto a path with an unknown destination. In moments like these, they rely on the inner strength that comes from God to follow the path and trust that new community will emerge to help them overcome their obstacles. Joining together is key to finding satisfaction and fulfillment along the road. Here are a few observations from our encounters with the displaced this past week:
For the woman whose family left a good life, with abundant physical comforts and ample food, where is satisfaction? She says that she is glad to be here, even without some of the basic comforts of home, because here she is not afraid. Home was comfortable but insecure after first one and then another armed group had come through and taken over the town. Here she has been part of building a new community and finding opportunities to work together. For her, there is the satisfaction of renewed peace of mind.
This is not the case for the couple with two small children. They live in a community whose population is a combination of the traditional poor and the displaced, a community which has been newly threatened by a neo-paramilitary group. Just a week ago they received a letter identifying a dozen young men from the community who have been targeted for “cleansing.” This same letter imposed a curfew on the community, and parents were warned with a sinister rhyme: Si su hijo es sano, acuéstelo temprano, si es ladrón, cómprele el cajón (If your son is healthy, put him to bed early, if he’s a thief, buy him a coffin). For this couple, active in community initiatives for peaceful development, continued fear and insecurity are an obstacle to a sense of wellbeing and satisfaction.
What about the group of displaced farmers who have been working for the past year on a farm near Piojó? They have made great progress with the land, but the weather has made it difficult to grow a substantial crop. Last year, huge downpours of rain swept away much of their seed and left little growing. This year they are still waiting for rain, and food is scarce. They live a painful uncertainty of not having enough food to eat and not having official title to their land, and yet find satisfaction in being situated where they are, able to make an attempt at growing their own food and sustaining their families.
As we reflect on the diverse experiences of these people, it is clear that satisfaction is not out of reach for the displaced. The basic elements of life are part of God’s plan for us, and everyone has a right to them. “It is God’s good gift that all should eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil” (Ecclesiastes 3:13). Satisfaction is the fruit of constructive work and creativity, but it cannot thrive for most people in the face of fear and intimidation.
Every day we encounter people with obstacles in their way, and we have the opportunity to face them together. By helping with their obstacles we are also clearing the path for ourselves and for others who are traveling behind us. Sometimes we can provide material assistance, sometimes we can lend our voices to the clamor for justice, and other times we can simply offer the listening ears and supportive presence of a community of care. May God give us ears to hear and eyes to see the ways we can be community to one another in the search for abundant life with satisfaction for all.
written with Tomás Sandoval
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Working Toward Forgiveness
At a meeting this morning I heard a moving conversation about forgiveness. The Red Ecuménica de Colombia (Ecumenical Network) has been working toward forgiveness as a way to strengthen the fabric of society, and this morning they recounted a story that a Catholic priest shared during Holy Week.
While at the cemetery, the priest had seen a woman arrive with her young daughter, who was holding two bouquets of flowers. They went to one of the graves and wept and prayed and left one bunch of flowers there. Then they went to another grave and did the same. As they were leaving, the priest asked the woman whose graves they had visited. She told him that the first was the grave of her husband who had been massacred. The second belonged to his killer. The priest was amazed and asked the woman why she would do this, and she replied, “I want the chains of vengeance and hatred to break. I want my daughter to know how to forgive.”
This example was hard to swallow for some of those gathered. Forgiveness isn’t easy, and it must not be forced, leaving hurt and bitterness festering inside. “Forgive and forget” is not the model to follow! The old man sitting beside me, a valued friend weathered by displacement and hard work under the sun, was willing to concede that one might forgive the person who killed a loved one with a bullet. But what about those who kill with chain saws, slicing precious bodies into pieces with brutal disregard?
Far too many Colombians are faced with this difficult task of learning how to forgive unimaginable atrocities. But forgiveness is an important part of personal healing, and will also be essential in turning Colombia’s vicious cycle into a virtuous cycle of reconciliation, as Ricardo Esquivia says. Justice does not turn a blind eye toward what is wrong, nor is it blinded by the need for revenge. The kind of justice we are taught in the Bible is something more mysterious and powerful than that, and some churches here are seeking ways to promote forgiveness, justice, and peace, ways to provide life-giving and prophetic spaces in the midst of violence.
No one I know of has a formula for how to forgive when the offense against human worth is inexpressibly great. And yet there are those examples of people who make a choice, like the woman who goes with her daughter to take flowers to the grave of her husband’s killer. People who say with their actions and attitudes, “I want the chains of vengeance and hatred to break. I want my daughter to know how to forgive.”
While at the cemetery, the priest had seen a woman arrive with her young daughter, who was holding two bouquets of flowers. They went to one of the graves and wept and prayed and left one bunch of flowers there. Then they went to another grave and did the same. As they were leaving, the priest asked the woman whose graves they had visited. She told him that the first was the grave of her husband who had been massacred. The second belonged to his killer. The priest was amazed and asked the woman why she would do this, and she replied, “I want the chains of vengeance and hatred to break. I want my daughter to know how to forgive.”
This example was hard to swallow for some of those gathered. Forgiveness isn’t easy, and it must not be forced, leaving hurt and bitterness festering inside. “Forgive and forget” is not the model to follow! The old man sitting beside me, a valued friend weathered by displacement and hard work under the sun, was willing to concede that one might forgive the person who killed a loved one with a bullet. But what about those who kill with chain saws, slicing precious bodies into pieces with brutal disregard?
Far too many Colombians are faced with this difficult task of learning how to forgive unimaginable atrocities. But forgiveness is an important part of personal healing, and will also be essential in turning Colombia’s vicious cycle into a virtuous cycle of reconciliation, as Ricardo Esquivia says. Justice does not turn a blind eye toward what is wrong, nor is it blinded by the need for revenge. The kind of justice we are taught in the Bible is something more mysterious and powerful than that, and some churches here are seeking ways to promote forgiveness, justice, and peace, ways to provide life-giving and prophetic spaces in the midst of violence.
No one I know of has a formula for how to forgive when the offense against human worth is inexpressibly great. And yet there are those examples of people who make a choice, like the woman who goes with her daughter to take flowers to the grave of her husband’s killer. People who say with their actions and attitudes, “I want the chains of vengeance and hatred to break. I want my daughter to know how to forgive.”
Friday, April 17, 2009
In Search of the "Good Life"
I’m back in Barranquilla again, and it has been a joy so far. After nearly two years away from this city, I am grateful for the opportunity to reconnect and see how things have changed.
Today we left early with a couple of bags of food to share lunch with a group of displaced families at their farm near the town of Piojó. Things didn’t work out for us to sit in on a visit with the mayor as planned, but we did make the somewhat strenuous trip up and down the hills to the communal farm.
These families have been there for about a year now, and they have done a lot of work to establish themselves. They have rudimentary houses and cooking spaces, but they are in a tight spot waiting for the land to be officially theirs. The current owner is very supportive and patient, but the process of arranging for the purchase (through the government assistance program for the displaced) is convoluted, with plenty of hoops to jump through and the constant fear (because of known cases) that something might come up to dash their hopes and force them to start over—again.
The other difficulty the families are experiencing is related to the climate. They had a poor crop last year because of too much rain, but now they’ve been waiting since late November to see more than short-lived drizzle. While they wait to be able to plant and grow a new crop, they have limited access to food to sustain themselves day by day.
It has been an emotional day for me:
the excitement of going on an excursion;
the joy of seeing familiar faces;
the uncertainty of riding a horse for the second time in my life,
and sympathy for the poor mare who had to carry my out of shape self;
the thrill of the first glimpse of a place I’ve heard so much about
—a place that holds so much hope for these families and for the church that accompanies them;
the delight of playing and laughing and singing with small children;
the awkwardness of being the guest with such marked difference in wealth and position;
the miracle of making connections in spite of that disconcerting reality;
the sorrow of hearing about hunger and desperate hope for rain;
the warmth of generous hospitality;
the hope of things working together for good for these hard-working families.
At the end of the day I am weary from the heat and physical exertion, but I feel a deep sense of gratitude and renewed purpose.
Friday, April 3, 2009
New Waves of Terror
These are frightening times for many people in Colombia.
In cities across the country, pamphlets thought to come from a neo-paramilitary group litter the streets, threatening imminent social cleansing of undesirable “delinquents” such as drug users, sex workers, and homosexuals.
Church partners in Urabá have informed us of a supermarket bombing by a presumed guerrilla group that took place on Saturday, seriously injuring many people.
Please lift up the people of Colombia in your prayers, and find a way to take action to support them. Here are a couple of suggestions:
Plan to celebrate the Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia, April 19-20 or whenever you can.
Send a message to our embassy officials in Colombia urging them to do something about the widespread threats.
In cities across the country, pamphlets thought to come from a neo-paramilitary group litter the streets, threatening imminent social cleansing of undesirable “delinquents” such as drug users, sex workers, and homosexuals.
Church partners in Urabá have informed us of a supermarket bombing by a presumed guerrilla group that took place on Saturday, seriously injuring many people.
Please lift up the people of Colombia in your prayers, and find a way to take action to support them. Here are a couple of suggestions:
Plan to celebrate the Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia, April 19-20 or whenever you can.
Send a message to our embassy officials in Colombia urging them to do something about the widespread threats.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
A New Day Dawns
Around the world, people are waiting with great expectation for the inauguration of a new U.S. President on Tuesday. Like me, many are hopeful that this will be the dawn of a new day for foreign policy and domestic harmony, even in the midst of great economic upheaval and looming questions.
For those committed to the cause of the Colombian people, we hope that our president-elect will stand for positive, civilian efforts toward building peace and ending impunity. We hope that he will honor the countless Colombians who stand up every day and raise their voices for justice, instead of giving the Medal of Freedom to a presidential counterpart who has proven unwilling to renounce and halt the use of state violence against his own people.
The changes underfoot have forced us to take a serious look at the foundations of our society. Will we stand for human rights above the claims of corporations? Will we seek peace based on dialogue instead of weapons and threats? Will we build a new economy that sustains the well-being of all creation, not just for people but for the whole planet, not just in our country but in Colombia and around the world?
As we look toward the dawning of this new day in history, one thing is certain. If this is to be a day of profound and lasting change, it will be based on a growing commitment of the people to be engaged in politics and the democratic process. We the people must stay informed and raise our voices each and every day if the promise of this new day is to be fulfilled.
For those committed to the cause of the Colombian people, we hope that our president-elect will stand for positive, civilian efforts toward building peace and ending impunity. We hope that he will honor the countless Colombians who stand up every day and raise their voices for justice, instead of giving the Medal of Freedom to a presidential counterpart who has proven unwilling to renounce and halt the use of state violence against his own people.
The changes underfoot have forced us to take a serious look at the foundations of our society. Will we stand for human rights above the claims of corporations? Will we seek peace based on dialogue instead of weapons and threats? Will we build a new economy that sustains the well-being of all creation, not just for people but for the whole planet, not just in our country but in Colombia and around the world?
As we look toward the dawning of this new day in history, one thing is certain. If this is to be a day of profound and lasting change, it will be based on a growing commitment of the people to be engaged in politics and the democratic process. We the people must stay informed and raise our voices each and every day if the promise of this new day is to be fulfilled.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Carepa
I’ve been somewhat startled to discover that some people here take me for an evangelist. It makes sense, really: here in Carepa they’re having a revival campaign from Thursday to Sunday. There’s a lot of talk about evangelism and winning souls for Christ. Tonight and Wednesday I’m supposed to give brief reflections at the prayer meetings, and tomorrow a Bible study. I think I’ll use the book of Ruth, since I have a fairly solid base of knowledge there.
The water situation is very different here from anything I had personally experienced before. Since you never know when the running water will be shut off, houses tend to have a basin full of water to use for washing and some stores of water for bathing and for consumption. In many homes, you will bathe from water in a bucket. Public education posters are displayed in many places, informing that basins should be emptied and cleaned every week to prevent the spread of mosquitos. Mosquitos are more of a problem in some houses/neighborhoods than others.
This morning I went with the pastor and his wife to visit some parishioners. At the very edge of town are a number of little campo-style ranchitos and many displaced people live there. Some months ago one woman set fire to her house through a kitchen mishap, and several other houses went down with it. Now the families are being told not to rebuild there, but to wait for the mayor to assign them a new place—because the city plans to build a street right where the houses were. One woman, a single mother with three special needs children, lost her only means of income in the fire: her bicycle and machine for making empanadas and arepas to sell.
The water situation is very different here from anything I had personally experienced before. Since you never know when the running water will be shut off, houses tend to have a basin full of water to use for washing and some stores of water for bathing and for consumption. In many homes, you will bathe from water in a bucket. Public education posters are displayed in many places, informing that basins should be emptied and cleaned every week to prevent the spread of mosquitos. Mosquitos are more of a problem in some houses/neighborhoods than others.
This morning I went with the pastor and his wife to visit some parishioners. At the very edge of town are a number of little campo-style ranchitos and many displaced people live there. Some months ago one woman set fire to her house through a kitchen mishap, and several other houses went down with it. Now the families are being told not to rebuild there, but to wait for the mayor to assign them a new place—because the city plans to build a street right where the houses were. One woman, a single mother with three special needs children, lost her only means of income in the fire: her bicycle and machine for making empanadas and arepas to sell.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Arriving in Urabá
From the moment our plane took off in Medellín for Apartadó and I heard the cheeping of the little chicks in the cargo hold, I knew that we were on our way to a different reality. Urabá is far more rural and less developed than the other presbyteries. The heat and humidity are unrelenting, and air conditioning is uncommon.
The tropical climate brings frequent downpours in the “winter” season, and the roads that remain unpaved (which are many) are often muddy. The swift changes from hot sun to breezy rain result in frequent illness. The prevalence of toxins from the vast plantations of banana and plantain also contribute to illness in the local population.
I arrived in Apartadó on Tuesday afternoon. After a brief meeting with members of the presbytery council where we outlined the schedule for my visit, I was taken to the home of my host for these days in Apartadó. Her home is still in the development stage, unfinished, but very open and hospitable. This pastoral visit has already been filled with opportunities to preach and share in prayer services, more than I was expecting!
On Thursday I spent the morning with the children in the Colegio Americano. We started with a long time for conversation with the oldest ones, and they asked me questions about life in the U.S.—everything from global warming to gun violence to education and fast food. It was fascinating to see what they have learned about the U.S. and what concerns are on their minds. Their dismay about the ease of gun purchases in the U.S. became especially significant to me a few weeks later, when I attended the Stony Point peacemaking colloquium on gun violence and gospel values and had the connection between guns and drugs brought home in very clear terms. How tragic that most folks in our churches have little concern about the prevalence of guns in our society, while these fourth- and fifth-grade students in rural Colombia, whose lives have been closely touched by gun violence, are worried about gun sales in the United States.
The tropical climate brings frequent downpours in the “winter” season, and the roads that remain unpaved (which are many) are often muddy. The swift changes from hot sun to breezy rain result in frequent illness. The prevalence of toxins from the vast plantations of banana and plantain also contribute to illness in the local population.
I arrived in Apartadó on Tuesday afternoon. After a brief meeting with members of the presbytery council where we outlined the schedule for my visit, I was taken to the home of my host for these days in Apartadó. Her home is still in the development stage, unfinished, but very open and hospitable. This pastoral visit has already been filled with opportunities to preach and share in prayer services, more than I was expecting!
On Thursday I spent the morning with the children in the Colegio Americano. We started with a long time for conversation with the oldest ones, and they asked me questions about life in the U.S.—everything from global warming to gun violence to education and fast food. It was fascinating to see what they have learned about the U.S. and what concerns are on their minds. Their dismay about the ease of gun purchases in the U.S. became especially significant to me a few weeks later, when I attended the Stony Point peacemaking colloquium on gun violence and gospel values and had the connection between guns and drugs brought home in very clear terms. How tragic that most folks in our churches have little concern about the prevalence of guns in our society, while these fourth- and fifth-grade students in rural Colombia, whose lives have been closely touched by gun violence, are worried about gun sales in the United States.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Money matters
The U.S. House of Representatives made a bold move last week to change the rules and refuse to be pressured into considering the Free Trade Agreement between the United States and Colombia. President Bush had "fast tracked" the agreement on April 7, requiring an up or down vote, with no changes or amendments, within 90 legislative days (which translates to late September). On April 10, the House approved a resolution which effectively removes those requirements and puts consideration of the agreement on hold indefinitely.
The Bush administration frames this in terms of supporting a strategic ally in Latin America. Many U.S. business interests have been in favor of this agreement because it would eliminate certain Colombian import tariffs on U.S. goods. Elites in Colombia have likewise been pushing for adoption of this trade agreement. However, money is not all that is at stake here, which is why many of us are opposed to this agreement. The House decision to delay a vote is in some sense helpful, but what we really need is for more members of Congress to make a public stance in opposition to the agreement so that it can be clearly defeated.
In summary, these are my primary concerns about this particular trade agreement and the idea of entering into such a relationship with the Colombian government at this time:
Colombia continues to be the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists.
Land appropriated from rural campesinos, Afro-Colombians, and indigenous peoples (by means sometimes questionable and sometimes clearly illegal) continues to be handed over to corporate interests for commercial exploitation.
Environmental protections are not guaranteed.
In recent months numerous members of the Colombian Congress and President Uribe's cabinet have been arrested and connected to collaboration with paramilitary groups and narcotraffickers. Similar collusion has been found in the Colombian armed forces.
For more information I recommend the following documents:
Lisa Haugard of the Latin America Working Group's update on human rights in Colombia:
http://www.lawg.org/docs/So%20Far%20To%20Go.pdf
The American Friends Service Committee has developed a dedicated space to denounce the connections between trade and war in Colombia:
http://www.tradeandwar.org/
Here you can download their excellent document:
http://www.tradeandwar.org/documents/violent-intersections.pdf
The Bush administration frames this in terms of supporting a strategic ally in Latin America. Many U.S. business interests have been in favor of this agreement because it would eliminate certain Colombian import tariffs on U.S. goods. Elites in Colombia have likewise been pushing for adoption of this trade agreement. However, money is not all that is at stake here, which is why many of us are opposed to this agreement. The House decision to delay a vote is in some sense helpful, but what we really need is for more members of Congress to make a public stance in opposition to the agreement so that it can be clearly defeated.
In summary, these are my primary concerns about this particular trade agreement and the idea of entering into such a relationship with the Colombian government at this time:
Colombia continues to be the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists.
Land appropriated from rural campesinos, Afro-Colombians, and indigenous peoples (by means sometimes questionable and sometimes clearly illegal) continues to be handed over to corporate interests for commercial exploitation.
Environmental protections are not guaranteed.
In recent months numerous members of the Colombian Congress and President Uribe's cabinet have been arrested and connected to collaboration with paramilitary groups and narcotraffickers. Similar collusion has been found in the Colombian armed forces.
For more information I recommend the following documents:
Lisa Haugard of the Latin America Working Group's update on human rights in Colombia:
http://www.lawg.org/docs/So%20Far%20To%20Go.pdf
The American Friends Service Committee has developed a dedicated space to denounce the connections between trade and war in Colombia:
http://www.tradeandwar.org/
Here you can download their excellent document:
http://www.tradeandwar.org/documents/violent-intersections.pdf
Friday, April 11, 2008
Who Causes the Violence in Colombia?
On March 6, 2008 I was privileged to participate in a demonstration in Washington DC that remembered the victims of the violence in Colombia—the many thousands who have lost their lives, those who have been disappeared, as well as the millions who have been forcibly displaced from their lands and those who continue to face harassment, persecution, and assassination for their insistence in standing up for human rights. It was a beautiful moment, joining together in Washington while others were marching simultaneously in Colombia and around the world for an end to the violence. Sadly, I have learned that in the week following the march four unionists who were prominent organizers of the march have been killed in different parts of the country. In the Barranquilla area, two regional leaders of the National Association of Displaced Colombians were threatened by phone. Numerous grass roots and human rights organizations in Bogotá received threats via email on March 12, and the web sites of two human rights advocates were hacked into and emptied of all content. Iván Cepeda, lead organizer of the march, says that these attacks were encouraged because one of President Uribe's advisors publicly stated that the march was organized by the FARC.
No one group bears the blame for Colombia's violence. The guerrilla groups such as the FARC have certainly done their share of violence. But the Colombian military, and the paramilitary forces that have worked in concert with them, must also be denounced and held accountable for their crimes. The Colombian office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights has reported a rise in the reports of extrajudicial killings at the hands of the Colombian army, with nearly 1,000 reported from July 2002-June 2007. In many of these cases, the civilians killed are dressed up and passed off as insurgents, classified as military casualties. The vast majority of these crimes remain in impunity.
We, too, in the United States, have a hand in this and are in need of repentance. The School of the Americas (now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation) is infamous among those concerned with human rights abuse because of the troubling legacy lived out by its graduates and even some of its recent instructors. Just this year, ranking Colombian military officials who attended the school have been implicated in false attacks that were attributed to FARC guerrillas and caused the death of a civilian and injury to 19 soldiers in 2006. To date, at least five Latin American countries have made official decisions not to send any more soldiers to the school. It is time for us to take an honest look at what the SOA/WHINSEC has been responsible for, repent of our complicity in human rights abuses, and move forward toward healing by openly denouncing the abuses and illegal activites of certain SOA and WHINSEC students and closing down the school and its counterparts for good.
For our part in the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, we continue to take the steps that we can in answer to our calling. We participate in the vigil at the SOA/WHINSEC each fall, and call for an end to funding for this tragically counterproductive school. We raise our voices for peace and diplomacy instead of heightened militarization. We go to Colombia to walk beside our brothers and sisters there who will not let the rights of the displaced and the other victims of the violence be trampled in silence and impunity. Now is also a key time to contact members of Congress and urge them to continue to reduce military aid to Colombia and not to ratify the Free Trade Agreement that our president is so eager to push through Congress. Please do what you can to stand for truth and human rights, for justice, for peace.
No one group bears the blame for Colombia's violence. The guerrilla groups such as the FARC have certainly done their share of violence. But the Colombian military, and the paramilitary forces that have worked in concert with them, must also be denounced and held accountable for their crimes. The Colombian office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights has reported a rise in the reports of extrajudicial killings at the hands of the Colombian army, with nearly 1,000 reported from July 2002-June 2007. In many of these cases, the civilians killed are dressed up and passed off as insurgents, classified as military casualties. The vast majority of these crimes remain in impunity.
We, too, in the United States, have a hand in this and are in need of repentance. The School of the Americas (now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation) is infamous among those concerned with human rights abuse because of the troubling legacy lived out by its graduates and even some of its recent instructors. Just this year, ranking Colombian military officials who attended the school have been implicated in false attacks that were attributed to FARC guerrillas and caused the death of a civilian and injury to 19 soldiers in 2006. To date, at least five Latin American countries have made official decisions not to send any more soldiers to the school. It is time for us to take an honest look at what the SOA/WHINSEC has been responsible for, repent of our complicity in human rights abuses, and move forward toward healing by openly denouncing the abuses and illegal activites of certain SOA and WHINSEC students and closing down the school and its counterparts for good.
For our part in the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, we continue to take the steps that we can in answer to our calling. We participate in the vigil at the SOA/WHINSEC each fall, and call for an end to funding for this tragically counterproductive school. We raise our voices for peace and diplomacy instead of heightened militarization. We go to Colombia to walk beside our brothers and sisters there who will not let the rights of the displaced and the other victims of the violence be trampled in silence and impunity. Now is also a key time to contact members of Congress and urge them to continue to reduce military aid to Colombia and not to ratify the Free Trade Agreement that our president is so eager to push through Congress. Please do what you can to stand for truth and human rights, for justice, for peace.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Appealing smoke screen?
In cities around the world today, demonstrations were held against the FARC guerrilla forces. This mass mobilization gathered millions of supporters, mostly in Colombia but also in cities throughout Europe, Latin America, and the United States. While this collective moment to stand for peace and speak out against the violence that has plagued Colombia for generations is in a sense a positive sign, it has been denounced by numerous human rights groups for its unfortunately one-sided focus.
Those who stand for peace must denounce all forms of violence. This includes not only the tactics of the FARC, but also the paramilitaries, the rapacious multinational corporations, the narcotraffickers, and the members of government who collude with these various purveyors of violence. To organize a demonstration only against one armed faction turns a blind eye to the complex web of violence and contributes to the impunity of the other actors by focusing the call for correction on just one.
In order for peace to become a reality, the call must be without exception: no more violence. Period.
Those who stand for peace must denounce all forms of violence. This includes not only the tactics of the FARC, but also the paramilitaries, the rapacious multinational corporations, the narcotraffickers, and the members of government who collude with these various purveyors of violence. To organize a demonstration only against one armed faction turns a blind eye to the complex web of violence and contributes to the impunity of the other actors by focusing the call for correction on just one.
In order for peace to become a reality, the call must be without exception: no more violence. Period.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Palenquero
Many thanks to Alice Winters for sending along this link to a New York Times article and slide show on the language and culture of San Basilio de Palenque, an Afro-descendant community in northern Colombia. This town was established in the seventeenth century by slaves who seized and defended their own freedom. The Presbyterian Church of Colombia (along with ecumenical partners) is involved in ministery with two related displaced communities near Palenque.
Slideshow: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/10/18/world/20071018_COLOMBIA_index.html
Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/18/world/americas/18colombia.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Slideshow: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/10/18/world/20071018_COLOMBIA_index.html
Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/18/world/americas/18colombia.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Thursday, September 6, 2007
The essence of accompaniment
As you all know, I am deeply involved with accompaniment in Colombia. What you may not realize is that accompaniment is something that has been dear to my heart for many years now, and it has deeper and broader meaning than the specific example we are all familiar with from our work in Colombia.
When I lived in Uruguay, one of the things that stood out to me most about the culture is the way people regularly offer to accompany one another in all the tasks of everyday life. If I had an errand to run or a visit to pay, my host sister would say, “Te acompaño.” I’ll go with you. It was just an everyday way of doing things, a natural and genuine impulse.
This simple feature of life and relationships in rural Uruguay quickly became second nature to me, but it has been somewhat difficult for me to keep it as a part of my life here in the states. Here we value our independence and we like to imagine we have things under control. We value efficiency: why send two when one can do the job? The idea that someone would want to come along with us just for the sake of being with us is sometimes unsettling, but I think we need to keep at it.
The best way for me to learn about you and your experience is to walk beside you and share in that experience. If I walk by your side, we will have chances to talk and share stories with one another. Or sometimes we may simply walk in silence, but I will have seen and heard and smelt things along the road.
Accompaniment is an important model for the life of the Church. It can be practiced within our congregations, in our families, and across the globe, this way of coming together and learning about each other’s lives and experiences. When we walk together, we are not divided into leaders and followers, helpers and people in need. We do not seek to change the one with whom we walk, we simply walk alongside her and share in her experience of the world.
We walk together because it is not good for us to be alone. When we walk with each other, we get a taste of one another’s lives, and we begin to appreciate and understand one another. I wonder if we can’t learn even more by walking a mile at someone’s side than by walking a mile in her shoes.
As far as I can tell, the deepest benefit that comes from our accompaniment program in Colombia is the very real solidarity that is made present in our relationship as brothers and sisters in Christ. This is not to discount the protective aspect of our presence, which is certainly important. But the transformation of lives comes, I think, from the way in which we embody our unity by journeying together. The distances between us are not enough to separate us, for we are one in the love of Christ. We, though many, and very diverse, are one body. When one member suffers, all suffer together with it, and when one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
This is why I think accompaniment should be something we do in every part of church life, in our families and local communities as well as around the world. Accompaniment is about taking the time to walk together, to share the journey. Accompaniment isn’t just about going to the church in Colombia or elsewhere in time of crisis, it’s about living out the reality that we are one body. It is good for us to walk together and get to know one another in a tangible way.
When I lived in Uruguay, one of the things that stood out to me most about the culture is the way people regularly offer to accompany one another in all the tasks of everyday life. If I had an errand to run or a visit to pay, my host sister would say, “Te acompaño.” I’ll go with you. It was just an everyday way of doing things, a natural and genuine impulse.
This simple feature of life and relationships in rural Uruguay quickly became second nature to me, but it has been somewhat difficult for me to keep it as a part of my life here in the states. Here we value our independence and we like to imagine we have things under control. We value efficiency: why send two when one can do the job? The idea that someone would want to come along with us just for the sake of being with us is sometimes unsettling, but I think we need to keep at it.
The best way for me to learn about you and your experience is to walk beside you and share in that experience. If I walk by your side, we will have chances to talk and share stories with one another. Or sometimes we may simply walk in silence, but I will have seen and heard and smelt things along the road.
Accompaniment is an important model for the life of the Church. It can be practiced within our congregations, in our families, and across the globe, this way of coming together and learning about each other’s lives and experiences. When we walk together, we are not divided into leaders and followers, helpers and people in need. We do not seek to change the one with whom we walk, we simply walk alongside her and share in her experience of the world.
We walk together because it is not good for us to be alone. When we walk with each other, we get a taste of one another’s lives, and we begin to appreciate and understand one another. I wonder if we can’t learn even more by walking a mile at someone’s side than by walking a mile in her shoes.
As far as I can tell, the deepest benefit that comes from our accompaniment program in Colombia is the very real solidarity that is made present in our relationship as brothers and sisters in Christ. This is not to discount the protective aspect of our presence, which is certainly important. But the transformation of lives comes, I think, from the way in which we embody our unity by journeying together. The distances between us are not enough to separate us, for we are one in the love of Christ. We, though many, and very diverse, are one body. When one member suffers, all suffer together with it, and when one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
This is why I think accompaniment should be something we do in every part of church life, in our families and local communities as well as around the world. Accompaniment is about taking the time to walk together, to share the journey. Accompaniment isn’t just about going to the church in Colombia or elsewhere in time of crisis, it’s about living out the reality that we are one body. It is good for us to walk together and get to know one another in a tangible way.
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