August 20, 2007

Dear Friends,

Colombia is a beautiful country with much diversity—in people, land, weather, and culture. We had an opportunity to see and experience all this at the end of July. We flew to Bogota, the capital of Colombia, where the terrain is very mountainous and the weather is totally different from the Caribbean coast, where Barranquilla is located. It was beautiful weather—clear and quite chilly in the early morning and evening. Normally it rains in Bogota but we didn’t have any the three days we were there. The altitude is 8,661 feet above sea level. That is considerably high than Denver, which is 5,280 feet.

The entry of the Indigenous people who marched from Cauca with flutes brought participants at the assembly to their feet.

The reason we were there was to be observers at a meeting of non-governmental organizations, including churches, that are involved with improving the conditions of the victims of the violence here in Colombia. This year was the first time such a meeting included the victims. In fact, of the 2,500 people in attendance, more than half were victims. Many people traveled all day to be at this meeting. There was a busload from Barranquilla that traveled for 22 hours. There were about 30 indigenous people who traveled by truck from Cauca, a department (state) bordering Ecuador. They filed into the auditorium on Saturday while the rest of us stood to applaud them. We could feel the power in the group and the solidarity that gives them hope to continue their fight.

Indigenous people take a rest during the assembly of NGOs and churches that try to improve the conditions of the victims of violence in Colombia.

The indigenous people shared their problems. There are 96 different groups, and they have their own languages, but also speak Spanish. They feel dehumanized as they continue to rely on their traditions. Their land is sought after by companies who want the minerals beneath it. Those who lived in the jungle find that they don’t know how to live elsewhere. They want to keep their land, where they and their ancestors have lived and worked for generations that go beyond memory and history. For the sake of their children, they want to construct memorials, to tell the stories of the killings, displacements, and disappearances, and to denounce the cultural, physical, and moral damage done to them. They feel that the government has failed them and they are considering going to the international community for help.

Unionists are another group of victims who spoke about their problems. There have been more union leaders killed in Colombia than anywhere else in the world. Another way to put it is that 67 percent of union leaders killed in the world are Colombians. One man told about the problems with the petroleum industry in the city of Barrancabermeja. There were six kidnappings, 33 people detained, and one assassinated. To date, there has been no investigation of these acts. He said that the military was complicit with the paramilitaries. They use disappearances to scare the union leaders. The state needs to guarantee the life and safety of these union leaders, he said. The victims demand justice and reparations! Another person spoke and said, “Violence against union people is systematic, a way to regulate the unions by the government, a way to eliminate them.” They asked their president to take a stand for them.

It was very empowering for the victims to share their stories. Many said it was the first time they have told about their plight. Others cried while they told their stories. The more people spoke, the longer the line became for others to also tell their story. The reception by many in attendance was very intense, with much clapping and cheering in support of what was being said.
 
What a privilege for us and the July accompaniers to be part of this. We thank God for all of you who support us with your interest in our mission, and we thank the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for seeing the need in Colombia and for providing us the opportunity to be mission co-workers here.

We share this information with you so that you can get more of a feeling of what the powerless victims of Colombia experience. Please communicate this with others and with your representatives in government to help them become more informed.

May the peace of Christ be with us all,

John and Paula Ewers

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 46