Colombians increasingly see our 1991 Constitution as a mirage.  The illusion is evident when seen from areas as hard-hit by armed conflict as southern Bolívar province's San Lucas mountains—a mining area at the epicenter of a complex war that at times leaves it unclear who pulled the trigger.  The only thing always clear is that the peasant miner, farmer, or ordinary resident of the region generally is the one who ends up worse off.  But in spite of these odds, the locals continue to claim a willingness to pay the ultimate price to remain on these lands that and their Guamoco and Zenu ancestors have long inhabited. 

Small-scale gold mining provides a livelihood to hundreds of families in southern Bolivar.  But the region is now in the sights of AngloGold Ashanti, one of the world's most aggressive international mining companies. Communities therefore face threats from the state ranging from industrial regulation to paramilitary activity designed to force them off the land.

So often we cannot fathom the dire consequences of wars in faraway places: Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Colombia. The tentacles of militarism reach into people's everyday lives in these countries, making simple tasks dangerous.  Meanwhile, people in affluent countries can spend days, weeks, months, years without experiencing what war feels like but still benefit from the resources in places torn by conflict. Like Doubting Thomas, we say, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in their hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in their sides, I will not believe" (John 20: 25). We can live our whole lives like this—intentionally covering our eyes not to see the ugliness of war. But Jesus calls us out of our blindness.  

This July, CPT Colombia is hosting a delegation focusing on the experiences of women in this war. Delegates will participate in the forty-year anniversary celebration of our partners in the Popular Women's Organization (OFP). The OFP is a grassroots women-led initiative that focuses on female leadership, programs of social uplift, supporting victims of domestic violence as well as resistance to war. Delegates will also visit women leaders in the region and explore what it means to live as a woman in the midst of armed conflict. 

Public Action by the OFP

To learn more about delegations, click here.