COLOMBIA: Join CPT delegation to Nariño 14-27 May 2008
March 29th, 2008
in:
CPTnet
29 March 2008
COLOMBIA: Join CPT delegation to Nariño 14-27 May 2008
CPT's Colombia team hosts four international delegations each year. These delegations allow English-speaking visitors to learn about the country's armed conflict, meet with courageous Colombians working to advance peace and justice, become familiar with the work of CPT and participate in a public witness action. A 14-27 May delegation will offer a unique opportunity to travel to Nariño, in far southeastern Colombia, where CPT has accompanied war-affected indigenous communities at the invitation of the Council of Awa Elders of Ricaurte (CAMAWARI) since December 2006. In addition to meeting with these communities, the delegation will visit Afro-Colombian communities and human rights workers in and around Tumaco on Colombia's Pacific coast.
Nariño province is an area of great natural and cultural beauty. Lush Andean rainforests, rushing rivers and tropical coastal beaches are the homes or close neighbors of five major indigenous nations and Afro-Colombian communities dwelling on collectively held lands. Whether despite or because of this richness, these areas are among those that have suffered most from the U.S.-funded "Plan Colombia," a package of primarily military aid and coca fumigation. Aerial spraying of coca crops in nearby Putumayo and Cauca departments has displaced a lot of Colombia's coca production to Nariño, which in turn has brought paramilitary groups and increased conflict. The FARC and ELN guerrilla groups already had a strong presence in Nariño, and with U.S. aid, the Colombian government has launched new military offensives to combat these groups. Actions of all armed parties, whether through threats, direct violence, or the laying of landmines, have killed and forced mass displacements of civilians, especially Awa and Afro-Colombian communities.
These communities are also affected by Colombia's economic policies that favor participation in the global economy over support for sustainable local economies. Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities have needed to organize to resist the appropriation of their traditional lands by government or big business for mega-projects such as hydroelectric dams and African palm plantations (used to make bio-diesel). Visits to Ricaurte and Tumaco will highlight not just the challenges facing indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities in Nariño, but also the organizing efforts they have undertaken to assert their sovereignty, maintain their traditional culture, increase their security, and maintain their territory.
Despite its natural beauty, Nariño receives few tourists and little international attention. This makes the accompaniment of CPT delegations and the team's ongoing presence all the more important for these communities.
Please join us 14-27 May 2008. Visit http://www.cpt.org/participate/delegationfor more information and an application form.
Fund-raising expectation: US $1,800 or Canadian $2,200. This cost includes round-trip airfare from North America and all expenses.
29 March 2008
COLOMBIA: Join CPT delegation to Nariño 14-27 May 2008
CPT's Colombia team hosts four international delegations each year. These delegations allow English-speaking visitors to learn about the country's armed conflict, meet with courageous Colombians working to advance peace and justice, become familiar with the work of CPT and participate in a public witness action. A 14-27 May delegation will offer a unique opportunity to travel to Nariño, in far southeastern Colombia, where CPT has accompanied war-affected indigenous communities at the invitation of the Council of Awa Elders of Ricaurte (CAMAWARI) since December 2006. In addition to meeting with these communities, the delegation will visit Afro-Colombian communities and human rights workers in and around Tumaco on Colombia's Pacific coast.
Nariño province is an area of great natural and cultural beauty. Lush Andean rainforests, rushing rivers and tropical coastal beaches are the homes or close neighbors of five major indigenous nations and Afro-Colombian communities dwelling on collectively held lands. Whether despite or because of this richness, these areas are among those that have suffered most from the U.S.-funded "Plan Colombia," a package of primarily military aid and coca fumigation. Aerial spraying of coca crops in nearby Putumayo and Cauca departments has displaced a lot of Colombia's coca production to Nariño, which in turn has brought paramilitary groups and increased conflict. The FARC and ELN guerrilla groups already had a strong presence in Nariño, and with U.S. aid, the Colombian government has launched new military offensives to combat these groups. Actions of all armed parties, whether through threats, direct violence, or the laying of landmines, have killed and forced mass displacements of civilians, especially Awa and Afro-Colombian communities.
These communities are also affected by Colombia's economic policies that favor participation in the global economy over support for sustainable local economies. Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities have needed to organize to resist the appropriation of their traditional lands by government or big business for mega-projects such as hydroelectric dams and African palm plantations (used to make bio-diesel). Visits to Ricaurte and Tumaco will highlight not just the challenges facing indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities in Nariño, but also the organizing efforts they have undertaken to assert their sovereignty, maintain their traditional culture, increase their security, and maintain their territory.
Despite its natural beauty, Nariño receives few tourists and little international attention. This makes the accompaniment of CPT delegations and the team's ongoing presence all the more important for these communities.
Please join us 14-27 May 2008. Visit http://www.cpt.org/participate/delegationfor more information and an application form.
Fund-raising expectation: US $1,800 or Canadian $2,200. This cost includes round-trip airfare from North America and all expenses.