tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47526150831580530542009-06-30T13:17:51.549-07:00Anecdotes, reflections, and tales from an international human rights accompanier in Colombia working with communities engaged in non-violent resistance to the decades old armed conflict.Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-18809763091802281792009-06-30T11:32:00.000-07:002009-06-30T13:17:51.740-07:002009-06-30T13:17:51.740-07:00

In mid February the weekly news magazine Semana revealed that the Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad (DAS), Colombia’s domestic intelligence agency that answers directly to the president’s office, had for many year conducted (and perhaps still conducts) illegal surveillance of Supreme Court judges, opposition politicians, prosecutors, human rights defenders, and journalists. When the

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-12934315276533212642009-06-18T17:49:00.000-07:002009-06-18T18:18:58.340-07:002009-06-18T18:18:58.340-07:00

Finally, after delaying my departure date several times having survived long set of bus trips, I find myself in Bogotá, Colombia's capital city. I am now officially part of FOR Colombia's Bogotá team, and will be working and living here for the next six months. My job will include responding to emergencies in the Peace Community and making sure our team there stays safe, meeting with foreign

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-12134140344722030092009-06-01T10:37:00.000-07:002009-06-01T11:43:46.055-07:002009-06-01T11:43:46.055-07:00

The arrival the other day of a stranger to the caserío of La Unión reminded me of how much this conflict distorts human relations and making people suspicious and fearful of each other.As usual, those of us in the FOR house (read: the gringos) hadn’t even noticed that a stranger had been hanging around since 10am until two of the community’s internal council members came to the house in the

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-1964820476917685562009-05-23T10:57:00.001-07:002009-05-23T11:23:55.255-07:002009-05-23T11:23:55.255-07:00

I’ve been doing some more reflecting on my last post about exploiting my privilege in my work as a human rights accompanier, and I realized that I oversimplified things quite a bit and perhaps left readers with an incorrect picture of how human rights accompaniment works. In that post I equated the treatment I receive from low-level Colombian functionaries based upon how I look with my

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-32676098695996635792009-05-19T13:35:00.000-07:002009-05-19T13:54:40.873-07:002009-05-19T13:54:40.873-07:00

Before I left for Colombia I wrote a question-and-answer post about what I would be doing in Colombia and why. At the time, I wrote:I fully acknowledge that accompaniment presents a bit of a paradox: my privilege, based on a system of racial and cultural hierarchy that I disavow, helps keep me safe, even while I am taking on a role of solidarity. I do wrestle with this contradiction, and will

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-61855693431857637862009-05-10T12:58:00.000-07:002009-05-10T13:13:10.431-07:002009-05-10T13:13:10.431-07:00

Visit the Peace Community and other organizations working to peacefully end the armed conflict in Colombia, and hang out with me! I'll be helping lead this delegation, so can promise that it will be fantastic. :) August 15-29, 2009Delegation to San José Peace Community, Medellín and Eastern Antioquia Witness the incredible commitment and experience of the Peace Community of San José and other

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-38886142841008900552009-04-14T12:43:00.000-07:002009-04-14T10:04:30.449-07:002009-04-14T10:04:30.449-07:00

“What parts of the simplicity of life here will you take with you when you go back to the States?” my teammate Peter asked me the other day. Peter is new to the work, the team, the community, and life in the campo (countryside), and therefore is still adjusting to many of the big lifestyle changes one must make in order to (happily) live here. During our time in the Peace Community, us gringos (

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-3371097283224164112009-03-30T12:22:00.000-07:002009-03-30T12:37:09.555-07:002009-03-30T12:37:09.555-07:00

On March 23rd the Peace Community celebrated twelve years of existence and resistance with a small ceremony and a brief march to the cemetery in village center of San Jose where many of the Community’s dead are buried. Those present honored, with two minutes of silence, the memory of the 184 Peace Community members killed in the last twelve years, and reaffirmed their resistance against a litany

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-26919833350957945992009-03-19T08:59:00.000-07:002009-03-20T08:18:15.920-07:002009-03-20T08:18:15.920-07:00

I frequently get asked by friends and family outside of Colombia about the hows and the whys of the armed conflict here. Most folks outsiders have heard that there’s some sort of war here, and know that drugs is somehow related, but that tends to be the extent of their knowledge.What I’ve come to understand more deeply since being here is that – like most armed conflicts in the world – the

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-3613939491764072702009-03-15T09:46:00.000-07:002009-03-17T12:44:39.620-07:002009-03-17T12:44:39.620-07:00

Last week I returned from a much-needed vacation to Ecuador. I say much-needed because given the nature of this work, I am always working: always on call, always a little tense, always anticipating the next crisis. For this vacation I really wanted to leave the country, because even when I'm in some other part of Colombia my phone is still on, Colombian news still reaches my eyes and ears, and

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-32573288203133909652009-03-11T19:12:00.000-07:002009-03-11T19:41:19.810-07:002009-03-11T19:41:19.810-07:00

I recently returned from vacation, hence the lack of blog posts. I therefore post below a note from FOR's most recent Colombia newsletter about the latest intelligence scandal in Colombia. My addition is the too-unbelievable-for-fiction fact that Uribe government officials, rather than calling for a full investigation, have insinuated that because Semana, a widely-regarding news magazine,

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-46271335579554490982009-02-18T16:24:00.000-08:002009-02-18T17:05:21.032-08:002009-02-18T17:05:21.032-08:00

On February 4th, 17 members of the Awá indigenous group, including women and children, were massacred on their reservation (resguardo) in the southwestern Colombian state of Nariño. A week later, on February 11th, 10 more Awá were killed. Families throughout the resguardos have been displacing since the massacres occurred, out of fear of further attacks. As the news arrived here to the Peace

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-67482361897682298942009-02-14T07:57:00.000-08:002009-02-14T10:43:05.548-08:002009-02-14T10:43:05.548-08:00

Since I arrived in the Peace Community, I've wanted to post about my commute - to demonstrate with photos just what it means for me to get home from the nearest town. So, the other day my new teammate Peter and I took photos as we hiked home, lugging backpacks filled with the week's groceries. Take note that by "nearest town" I'm not talking any kind of metropolis - if i want internet access

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-47322521358631026412009-02-05T09:08:00.000-08:002009-02-05T09:36:31.598-08:002009-02-05T09:36:31.598-08:00

For the Peace Community, threats and dangers don’t always come in the form of massacres and extrajudicial executions. The international attention and outcry that recent massacres and killings have generated isn’t all that convenient, so the army and the state have had to look elsewhere for ways to attack the Community’s stance of neutrality and non-cooperation with armed actors. In looking

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-52691924052183844032009-01-18T11:24:00.000-08:002009-01-18T13:02:41.909-08:002009-01-18T13:02:41.909-08:00

In October I posted an action alert from FOR that referred to a scandal unearthed that month about extrajudicial executions – euphemized here in Colombia as “false positives” (falsos positivos) committed by Colombia´s army. It was revealed that month that 11 young men of meager means from Soacha, small city outside of Bogota, were disappeared (kidnapped, in other words) from Bogota, taken to

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-53700193190254328872008-12-31T12:38:00.000-08:002008-12-31T14:25:41.041-08:002008-12-31T14:25:41.041-08:00

I became a godmother the other day (to the left is me with my new goddaughter, Karin Juliet, during the baptism mass, and below with my teammate Chris - the godfather - and the Karin's parents). During the joint baptism-Christmas mass, celebrated in the open-air community kiosko (gathering space), the priest described the particular advantage the 7 babies being baptised have over most other

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-39487964507090095312008-12-17T15:33:00.000-08:002008-12-24T12:41:42.055-08:002008-12-24T12:41:42.055-08:00

Happy Holidays from Colombia!My Christmas this year will be quite a change from the christmas-cookie-eating, presents-under-a-decorated-fir-tree Christmases to which I'm accustomed in the States. Instead, I'll be spending the holiday season eating natilla (a sweet corn pudding made with milk, cinnamon, cheese, and often coconut) and buñuelos (cheesy balls of fried dough), and dancing the nights

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-1542150584831543132008-12-17T15:30:00.000-08:002008-12-17T15:46:10.253-08:002008-12-17T15:46:10.253-08:00

Below is the text of an action alert issued today by FOR. As described, we have learned that our email accounts have been under surveillance. This is another example of the way the Uribe administration has created a climate of suspicion around the human rights community in Colombia, putting us and our work in danger. Please take action!"Speak Truth to Power" takes on a new dimension when you

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-74969222646992891342008-12-09T13:51:00.000-08:002008-12-09T14:45:11.883-08:002008-12-09T14:45:11.883-08:00

Wondering how you can visit Colombia and learn about the armed conflict and movements for peace? Come on a delegation! (And I may even by leading your trip!) Or want to become a human rights accompanier like me? Here's how:Upcoming Delegations to Colombia March 27-April 6, 2009: Youth Arts and Action Delegation. Builds on the dynamic experience of the first youth arts and action delegation in

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-49906513373361181832008-12-04T12:55:00.000-08:002008-12-09T14:49:19.371-08:002008-12-09T14:49:19.371-08:00

I recently returned from a week vacation, spent with my mom in Medellin. To be honest, we didn't do much besides eat, drink and relax, but for me it was perfect: what I really needed was a break from my rice-and-beans diet and from constantly thinking about men with guns. My mom had many questions for me about my life and work in Colombia, of course, so the subject was never far from my mind.

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-39289621215065929872008-12-03T17:46:00.000-08:002008-12-03T17:51:28.269-08:002008-12-03T17:51:28.269-08:00

Attending this event is a great way you can support me and my work in Colombia!Manos de Resistencia: Women Peacemakers in ColombiaSunday, December 7, 7 pm.Women’s Building3543 18th St. San Francisco A Benefit Featuring:Amanda Romero is a leading Colombian human rights activist, co-author of the collection of Colombian women’s testimonies, “We Will Never Be Silenced.” She will speak about

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-72788244068230068632008-11-16T10:26:00.000-08:002008-11-16T10:59:29.088-08:002008-11-16T10:59:29.088-08:00

Below is an alert FOR issued in response to increasing paramilitary threats (that I mentioned in a recent post) and the resultant displacement of civilians from their homes in the past week. Please take action!Paramilitary forces are making increasingly violent threats against members of the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó and other peasant families in the area, with no apparent action

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-82726794559818484232008-11-12T10:06:00.000-08:002008-11-12T15:02:39.501-08:002008-11-12T15:02:39.501-08:00

Yesterday, KPFA radio in Berkeley aired a phone interview with me about my work in Colombia and the pilgrimage I accompanied in early October. My piece starts at minute 70:30. Enjoy!

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-48713168313902959202008-11-05T07:36:00.000-08:002008-11-05T07:47:21.595-08:002008-11-05T07:47:21.595-08:00

On October 15th, all the FOR Colombia staff had settled into our seats for a long-awaited full-program retreat to discuss all the ins-and-outs of our work in Colombia. We had gotten maybe an hour into our packed agenda when the phone rang to inform us that paramilitaries had launched a paro armado, effectively shut down several cities in Urabá, the region where we work. That included Apartadó,

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4752615083158053054.post-33518576021166433732008-10-27T08:56:00.000-07:002008-11-12T10:06:07.488-08:002008-11-12T10:06:07.488-08:00

September is the month of amor y amistad (love and friendship) In Colombia, punctuated on September 20th with el día de amor y amistad. That day is kind of like our Valentine’s Day in the States (which is not celebrated here), except that, as far as I understand, there’s an equal (or perhaps near-equal) focus on amistad as well as amor. Or maybe I just think that because I didn’t have an amor

Moirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15999706637871759529noreply@blogger.com1