DOCSLIB.ORG

Lessons of the Colombian Constitutional Reform of 1991 Toward the Securing of Peace and Reconciliation?

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Lessons of the Colombian Constitutional Reform of 1991 Toward the Securing of Peace and Reconciliation? 17 Lessons of the Colombian Constitutional Reform of 1991 Toward the Securing of Peace and Reconciliation? Donald T. Fox, Gustavo Gallón-Giraldo, and Anne Stetson he idea that a political constitution The situation of America is so singular and so embodies a society’s deepest level of horrible that it is not possible for anyone to consent is ancient in Western civili- hope to conserve order for a long period, not even in a city. Never have I considered a danger zation. In The Laws, Plato defined a consti- so universal as now menaces the Americans; I Ttution as a framework that had to be built express this badly; posterity never saw a scene before a society’s laws could be authorita- as frightening as America offers, more for the tively drafted and promulgated. future than for the present because where has The polestar of constitutionalism as a anyone imagined an entire people to fall into a 1 © Copyrightmeans of securing democratic by government the Endowmentfrenzy and devour its own race as cannibals? of has guided Latin America since 1811, shortly The history of Colombia tragically dem- after the wars of independence began. Simón the United States Instituteonstrates Bolívar’s fears,of as Peacethe entire nine- Bolívar, creator of the short-lived Gran Co- teenth century was marked by civil wars lombia, convened a constitutional assembly interrupted by sporadic periods of relative in 1819 and later drafted a constitution of 151 articles for Bolivia. Some of his early peace. That said, a gradual solidification of ideas, such as a national chamber of civic democracy also characterizes Colombia, virtue to direct morals and punish vice, were which possesses one of the oldest democra- unfeasible, but his constitutional thoughts cies in Latin America. On a political level, were presciently directed at curbing anar- the competing ideologies of liberal and con- chy and violence among deeply antagonis- servative were embodied in parties fighting tic peoples and at developing a consensual for control of the central government and framework for government. While dying in regional economies. The military defeat of exile, he recognized the quixotic nature of his liberal forces in 1885 garnered conservative life’s ambition; about the region that he had control and ushered in the nearly fifty-year sought to unify, he prophesied that period of so-called Conservative hegemony. 467 468 Donald T. Fox, Gustavo Gallón-Giraldo, and Anne Stetson Among its first acts, the conservative govern- Popular protest against the Conservative ment abolished the federal constitution of hegemony increased in the late 1920s, es- 1863, promulgated under the auspices of the pecially after armed forces in Bogotá killed Liberal Party, and adopted the authoritarian two students and the Army massacred work- constitution of 1886. This iteration of the ers from the United Fruit Company in Colombian constitution placed the govern- 1928. The Liberal Party won the 1930 elec- ment under the firm control of the president, tions and inaugurated a sixteen-year period allowing him to suspend constitutional rules known as the Liberal Republic. A second and rights by frequently declaring a state of reform of the constitution of 1886, adopted emergency (estado de sitio), as would occur in 1936, attempted to introduce some ele- throughout the late nineteenth and twenti- ments of a welfare state, such as government eth centuries. Declaring a state of emergency intervention in the economy, and diminished was an exceptionally grave situation for the the constitutionally granted influence of the political and juridical order of the nation, as, Catholic Church over public institutions and apart from suspending constitutional rights, society. it permitted delegation of extraordinary In 1945, a third reform of the consti- faculties to the military. The constitution of tution of 1886 sought to modernize the 1991 would add the power to invoke el estado state’s administrative organization, though de comoción interior, a domestic uprising or the Conservative Party recovered power with situation of violent tumult. the 1946 presidential election of Mariano The explosive growth of coffee cultivation Ospina Pérez. Liberals had obtained more led to the development of regional econo- votes, but were divided between two candi- mies; growth of the oil industry and foreign dates. One of them was Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, investment led to prosperity, but the wealth leader of a liberal faction called the Union of was not shared with the majority of the pop- the Revolutionary Left. As he obtained the ulation, nor were those who held it enlight- larger percentage of the vote between the two ened enough to invest in extending efficient liberal candidates, he became the leader of government outside the major cities. As a re- the party and headed the opposition against sult of discontent among the poor and of the the new Conservative government. Gaitán ©weak Copyright state, the violence continued. by Between the was murderedEndowment on April 9, 1948, and his deathof 1899 and 1902, the Thousand Days’ War be- opened a new ten-year period of violence be- came the longest and cruelest civil war the tween Liberals and Conservatives known as countrythe hadUnited yet experienced. StatesThe conflict la Instituteviolencia, a bit of a misnomer, of Peaceas the in- ended when the government defeated rebel crease in political violence had begun some forces and imposed an armistice. years before. Gaitán himself had addressed In 1910, the first significant reform of the growing violence in his most well-known the constitution of 1886 was adopted in re- speeches. sponse to the forced departure of President The year 1950 witnessed the inauguration Rafael Reyes, who had assumed dictatorial of a new Conservative government, with Lau- powers. The constitutional assembly of 1910 reano Gómez as president. The Liberal Party introduced some moderating changes to did not participate in the elections in protest the constitution of 1886, such as abolishing against the murder of its candidate, Camilo the death penalty and inserting the judicial Echandía, during a parade. The country had power of the Supreme Court to review the in fact been under a state of emergency since constitutionality of laws. November 9, 1949, when President Ospina Framing the State in Times of Transition 469 Pérez had closed down the Congress. New cleus were added groups of campesinos trying President Gómez organized a constitutional to organize protests against landowners. assembly to provide some legitimacy to his In 1970, The Movement of April 19 government and promote a new constitution (M-19), an urban guerilla group, was orga- based on a more authoritarian model, in- nized in reaction to alleged fraud in the May spired by the regimes of Franco and Hitler. 19, 1970, elections. The presidential contest In the face of growing violence, military that year was won by the conservative rep- chief Gustavo Rojas Pinilla declared that resentative of the National Front, Misael “the principles of Christ and Bolívar” re- Pastrana, who ran against the former dictator, quired him to take charge, which he did in General Rojas Pinilla. General Pinilla had June 1953. The dictatorship lasted until the the support of a growing number of people political parties, reacting to their exclusion who felt politically excluded by the National from power, created a coalition that forced Front’s institutions. Later, in 1984, the M-19 Rojas Pinilla from office in May 1957. The started a peace process with the conservative Liberal and Conservative parties forged a government of President Belisario Betancur; deal to reduce the political violence between other guerrilla groups, such as the FARC and them by rotating control of the presidency, EPL, did so, as well. The government broke thus establishing the parties’ dual hegemony. off the process in early 1985. That same year, This deal, the Covenant of the National the M-19 seized the Palace of Justice, which Front, was approved for a twelve-year pe- housed the Supreme Court, in an effort to riod as a constitutional reform by plebiscite force the government to reinitiate the peace on December 1, 1957. The system of shared process. Rather than negotiate, the Betancur hegemony proved so satisfactory to the prin- government consented to a full-scale military cipal parties that the system of alternating attack that resulted in the destruction of the control and proportionate participation of building and the deaths of about 100 people, each party was followed until President Vir- including twelve judges.2 Hostilities increased gilio Barco abandoned it in 1982. with the termination of the peace process. However, new sources of violence arose None of the armed groups would join in a that the political truce could not contain, common front, although some of them cre- © Copyrightas the disparities in economic by and politicalthe Endowmentated the Coordinadora Guerrillera Simónof Bolí - power provided rich fodder for the explo- var in the 1980s, a body that, in practice, did sive growth of the guerrilla movement. In not act in a very coordinated way. the1963, United student activists and States Catholic radicals, Institute In addition to theof violence Peace spawned by including Camilo Torres, a priest, founded the guerrilla groups, the United Self-Defense the National Liberation Army (ELN), hop- Force of Colombia (AUC), a loosely affiliated ing to emulate Castro’s revolution in Cuba. group of paramilitaries formed to oppose The Popular Liberation Army (EPL) broke the guerrilla groups, directed their attacks away from the traditional Communist Party largely against rural laborers. The AUC was and declared itself to be the armed faction protected by the Colombian army as an ally of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Colombia. in the antiguerilla struggle. But the organi- In 1964, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of zation’s brutality against peasants suspected Colombia (FARC) formed around a group of sympathizing with the guerillas and its of guerrillas formerly established by the Lib- practice of kidnapping civilians for ransom, eral Party that refused to abandon armed even in neighboring Venezuela, led most struggle in return for amnesty.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Colombian Nationalism: Four Musical Perspectives for Violin and Piano
    COLOMBIAN NATIONALISM: FOUR MUSICAL PERSPECTIVES FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO by Ana Maria Trujillo A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts Major: Music The University of Memphis December 2011 ABSTRACT Trujillo, Ana Maria. DMA. The University of Memphis. December/2011. Colombian Nationalism: Four Musical Perspectives for Violin and Piano. Dr. Kenneth Kreitner, Ph.D. This paper explores the Colombian nationalistic musical movement, which was born as a search for identity that various composers undertook in order to discover the roots of Colombian musical folklore. These roots, while distinct, have all played a significant part in the formation of the culture that gave birth to a unified national identity. It is this identity that acts as a recurring motif throughout the works of the four composers mentioned in this study, each representing a different stage of the nationalistic movement according to their respective generations, backgrounds, and ideological postures. The idea of universalism and the integration of a national identity into the sphere of the Western musical tradition is a dilemma that has caused internal struggle and strife among generations of musicians and artists in general. This paper strives to open a new path in the research of nationalistic music for violin and piano through the analyses of four works written for this type of chamber ensemble: the third movement of the Sonata Op. 7 No.1 for Violin and Piano by Guillermo Uribe Holguín; Lopeziana, piece for Violin and Piano by Adolfo Mejía; Sonata for Violin and Piano No.3 by Luís Antonio Escobar; and Dúo rapsódico con aires de currulao for Violin and Piano by Andrés Posada.
    [Show full text]
  • Politics, Land, and Religion in Tierradentro (Colombia), 1905-1950
    NEGOTIATING INDIGENOUS AUTONOMY: POLITICS, LAND, AND RELIGION IN TIERRADENTRO (COLOMBIA), 1905-1950 by Alejandra Boza Villarreal Bachelor in History, Universidad de Costa Rica, 2000 M. Sc. in History, Universidad de Costa Rica, 2004 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2013 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH THE DIETRICH SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES This dissertation was presented by Alejandra Boza Villarreal It was defended on February 20, 2013 and approved by George Reid Andrews, Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of History Alejandro de la Fuente, UCIS Research Professor, Department of History Paula M. Kane, Associate Professor and John and Lucine O’Brien Marous Chair of Contemporary Catholic Studies, Department of Religious Studies Dissertation Advisor: Lara Putnam, Associate Professor, Department of History ii Copyright © by Alejandra Boza Villarreal 2013 iii NEGOTIATING INDIGENOUS AUTONOMY: POLITICS, LAND, AND RELIGION IN TIERRADENTRO (COLOMBIA), 1905-1950 Alejandra Boza Villarreal, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2013 For decades after Independence more than half of continental Latin America’s territory remained beyond the nascent republics’ control. Indigenous populations inhabited most of these regions, and by the late-nineteenth century the Latin American states started to target them in an effort to secure national borders and consolidate territorial control. With only a few exceptions, states turned to international Christian missionary orders to help them in the “civilization” of these indigenous areas, and by the first decade of the twentieth century the missionaries were active in many of them, from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.
    [Show full text]
  • Contemporary Muisca Indigenous Sounds in the Colombian Andes
    Nymsuque: Contemporary Muisca Indigenous Sounds in the Colombian Andes Beatriz Goubert Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2019 © 2019 Beatriz Goubert All rights reserved ABSTRACT Nymsuque: Contemporary Muisca Indigenous Sounds in the Colombian Andes Beatriz Goubert Muiscas figure prominently in Colombian national historical accounts as a worthy and valuable indigenous culture, comparable to the Incas and Aztecs, but without their architectural grandeur. The magnificent goldsmith’s art locates them on a transnational level as part of the legend of El Dorado. Today, though the population is small, Muiscas are committed to cultural revitalization. The 19th century project of constructing the Colombian nation split the official Muisca history in two. A radical division was established between the illustrious indigenous past exemplified through Muisca culture as an advanced, but extinct civilization, and the assimilation politics established for the indigenous survivors, who were considered degraded subjects to be incorporated into the national project as regular citizens (mestizos). More than a century later, and supported in the 1991’s multicultural Colombian Constitution, the nation-state recognized the existence of five Muisca cabildos (indigenous governments) in the Bogotá Plateau, two in the capital city and three in nearby towns. As part of their legal battle for achieving recognition and maintaining it, these Muisca communities started a process of cultural revitalization focused on language, musical traditions, and healing practices. Today’s Muiscas incorporate references from the colonial archive, archeological collections, and scholars’ interpretations of these sources into their contemporary cultural practices.
    [Show full text]
  • Political Conflict and Power Sharing in the Origins of Modern Colombia
    Political Conflict and Power Sharing in the Origins of Modern Colombia Sebastián Mazzuca and James A. Robinson Colombia has not always been a violent country. In fact, for the first half of the twentieth century, Colombia was one of the most peaceful countries in Latin America, standing out in the region as a highly stable and competitive bipartisan democracy. When faced with the critical test for political stability in that epoch, the Great Depression of 1930, Colombia was the only big country in South America in which military interventions were not even considered. While an armed coup interrupted Argentina’s until then steady path to democracy, and Getulio Vargas installed the first modern dictatorship in Brazil, Colombia cele brated elections as scheduled. Moreover, the ruling party lost the contest, did not make any move to cling to power, and calmly transferred power to the opposition. However, Colombia was not born peaceful. That half-century of peaceful political existence was a major novelty in Colombian history. Colombia’s nine- teenth century was politically chaotic even by Hispanic American standards: the record includes nine national civil wars, dozens of local revolts and mutinies, material destruction equivalent to the loss of several years of economic output, and at least 250,000 deaths due to political violence. How did Colombia make the transition from political chaos to political order? What were the causes of conflict before the turn of the century, and what were the bases of internal peace after it? The emergence of order in Colombia was temporally correlated with a major transformation of political institutions: the introduction of special mechanisms for power sharing between Liberals and Conservatives, Colombia’s two dominant political forces.
    [Show full text]
  • One Hundred Years of Servitude : the Colombian Labor Movement 1848-1948 Curtis Curry Florida International University
    Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 12-2-1992 One hundred years of servitude : the Colombian labor movement 1848-1948 Curtis Curry Florida International University DOI: 10.25148/etd.FI14061575 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Part of the Latin American Studies Commons Recommended Citation Curry, Curtis, "One hundred years of servitude : the Colombian labor movement 1848-1948" (1992). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2699. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/2699 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS One Hundred Years of Servitude: The Colombian Labor Movement 1848-1948 by Curtis D. Curiy Florida International University, 1992 Miami, Florida Professor Guillermo Grenier, Major Professor The current study seeks not only to place into focus the general patterns of social and economic organization prevalent in Colombia in the late nineteenth centuiy and the early twentieth (such political and economic organization has been ably illustrated by several authors), but also strives to elucidate the systems of thought or 'ideologies' to which such socio-economic and political structures gave rise. It is concerned with the thought-systems that influenced the development of the Colombian labor movement, those of actors external to organized labor and indigenous systems of thought of labor activists themselves. The hypothesis is that class and party-based interests channelled the early development of organized labor toward a path that would further, or failing that, not conflict with dominant élite interests.
    [Show full text]
  • Scanned by Scan2net
    CHIBCHA LEGENDS IN COLOMBIAN LITERATURE A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN SPANISH IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF AR TS AND SCIENCES BY EDWINA TOOLEY MARTIN, B.A . DENTON, TEXAS MAY, 1962 Texas Woman's University University Hill Denton, Texas _________________________ May • _________________ 19 q_g__ __ W e hereby recommend that the thesis prepared under om supervision by -----'E'---'d"-'w"-'1=-· n=-=a ----"'T'--"o'--'o'-'l=-e=-y.,__c...cM-=a-=r-=t-=i'-'-n'-------- entitled Chibcha Legends in Colombian Literature be accepted as fulfilling this part of the requirements for the D egree of Master of Arts. Committee Chairman Accepted: ~f~ ... 1-80411 PREFACE La legende traduit les sentiments reels des peuples. Gustav Le Bon For centuries the golden treasure of the pre-conquest inhabitants of Colombia, South America, has captured man's imagination. The various legends of El DQrado led to the exploration of half of the South Am erican continent and the discovery of the Amazon River. It also lured Sir Walter Raleigh on the ill-fated expedition that finally cost him his head in the tower of London. These legends have inspired Colombia's men of letters and interested such foreign writers as Milton, Voltaire, and Andres/ Bello. Although it is true that the imaginative and psychological aspects of the legends are of particular interest to the student of a foreign culture, a legend may contain elements of historical truth also. Since these legends pro- vide insight into the early history of Colombia, an effort to find and preserve them has been made.
    [Show full text]
  • The 1991 Constitutional Reform: Prospects for Democracy and the Rule of Law in Colombia, 24 Case W
    Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law Volume 24 | Issue 2 1992 The 1991 onsC titutional Reform: Prospects for Democracy and the Rule of Law in Colombia Donald T. Fox Anne Stetson Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/jil Part of the International Law Commons Recommended Citation Donald T. Fox and Anne Stetson, The 1991 Constitutional Reform: Prospects for Democracy and the Rule of Law in Colombia, 24 Case W. Res. J. Int'l L. 139 (1992) Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/jil/vol24/iss2/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Journals at Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law by an authorized administrator of Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons. The 1991 Constitutional Reform: Prospects for Democracy and the Rule of Law in Colombia Donald T Fox* and Anne Stetson** INTRODUCTION O n July 4, 1991, after five months of deliberation, the delegates' to the Colombian Constitutional Assembly (the "Constituyente" or the "As- sembly") fulfilled their mandate to reform the country's Constitution of 1886. The new Charter was inaugurated with the full endorsement of the President of the Republic, C6sar Gaviria Trujillo.2 The aims of this con- stitutional reform were to endow the country with modem democratic institutions designed to foster greater participation in the democratic process, to strengthen the rule of law in a country where the proliferation of political violence had corroded Colombian political and legal institu- tions, and to secure a firm ground for human rights with mechanisms to protect these rights.
    [Show full text]
  • Colombia Virtual Cultural
    1 | P a g e COLOMBIA Virtual Cultural Box 2 | P a g e Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................... 4 COLOMBIAN HISTORY AND GENERALITIES ........................................................................................................ 5 STOP # 1: THE HISTORY OF COLOMBIA ............................................................................................................................. 6 STOP # 2: CULTURE, TRADITIONS AND COSTUMBRES ........................................................................................................... 7 THE REGIONS OF COLOMBIA ............................................................................................................................ 8 STOP #3 COLOMBIAN REGIONS ........................................................................................................................................ 8 INSULAR (ISLANDS) REGION .................................................................................................................... 9 Natural Places. ...................................................................................................................................................... 9 Music ................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Gastronomy .......................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Colombia Curriculum Guide 090916.Pmd
    National Geographic describes Colombia as South America’s sleeping giant, awakening to its vast potential. “The Door of the Americas” offers guests a cornucopia of natural wonders alongside sleepy, authentic villages and vibrant, progressive cities. The diverse, tropical country of Colombia is a place where tourism is now booming, and the turmoil and unrest of guerrilla conflict are yesterday’s news. Today tourists find themselves in what seems to be the best of all destinations... panoramic beaches, jungle hiking trails, breathtaking volcanoes and waterfalls, deserts, adventure sports, unmatched flora and fauna, centuries old indigenous cultures, and an almost daily celebration of food, fashion and festivals. The warm temperatures of the lowlands contrast with the cool of the highlands and the freezing nights of the upper Andes. Colombia is as rich in both nature and natural resources as any place in the world. It passionately protects its unmatched wildlife, while warmly sharing its coffee, its emeralds, and its happiness with the world. It boasts as many animal species as any country on Earth, hosting more than 1,889 species of birds, 763 species of amphibians, 479 species of mammals, 571 species of reptiles, 3,533 species of fish, and a mind-blowing 30,436 species of plants. Yet Colombia is so much more than jaguars, sombreros and the legend of El Dorado. A TIME magazine cover story properly noted “The Colombian Comeback” by explaining its rise “from nearly failed state to emerging global player in less than a decade.” It is respected as “The Fashion Capital of Latin America,” “The Salsa Capital of the World,” the host of the world’s largest theater festival and the home of the world’s second largest carnival.
    [Show full text]
  • Women, Nature, and Tourism in Colombia Es Pasión Michelle Rocío Nasser / Grinnell College
    ENSAYOS Feminized Topographies: Women, Nature, and Tourism in Colombia es Pasión Michelle Rocío Nasser / Grinnell College Resumen inside because this is how you will really get to know who we are, how we act, and how we dream.” He then goes on to enumerate Este artículo analiza la campaña de turismo e inversión the many things that make Colombia a unique country and the internacional “Colombia es pasión” que comenzó en 2005. A ways in which Colombians are “ordinary people.” Finally, he través de una lectura detenida de tres aspectos de la campaña: reminds viewers that, although there are all kinds of people in el logo con forma de corazón, comerciales de la fase nacional y Colombia, most of all there are “good people, many, many good videos promocionales de la fase internacional, la autora analiza people.” la manera en que la campaña “Colombia es pasión” reapropia la terminología e imágenes de Colombia que circularon en la prensa It did not come as a surprise to me that the room—filled internacional en las décadas de 1980 y 1990. Esta reapropiación with Colombians and non-Colombians alike—erupted with resulta en una re-presentación de eventos de la historia applause at the end of the video. By highlighting images of colombiana que omiten imágenes de violencia. Como resultado, parents and children, of people involved in leisurely activities, of al re-presentar Colombia y su historia, la campaña “Colombia different Colombian cultural events and of successful athletes, es pasión” simplemente presenta otra imagen unilateral del país. musicians and writers, the video presents images of Colombia Ésta romantiza el país y sus ciudadanos, describiéndolos como that have not commonly circulated in the international media.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Constitution-Building Processes in Democratization
    International IDEA Democracy-building & Conflict Management (DCM) THE ROLE OF CONSTITUTION-BUILDING PROCESSES IN DEMOCRATIZATION http://www.idea.int/conflict/cbp/ Case Study Colombia Iván Marulanda 2004 Strömsborg, S-103 34 Stockholm, SWEDEN Tel +46 8 698 37 00 Fax +46 8 20 24 22 e-mail: [email protected] Website: www.idea.int THE 1991 CONSTITUTIONAL ASSEMBLY and its Role in the Construction of a Democratic Colombia Written for IDEA INTERNATIONAL, Stockholm 1 By Iván Marulanda Member of the Assembly INTRODUCTION Stockholm, October 11, 2004 I circulated the account of Colombia’s 1991 constitution that I wrote for IDEA INTERNATIONAL among some colleagues and friends, wishing to know their reactions. One of them said: “This is a terrible story” , and suggested that I should place it in the context of the violence and unreason that prevails everywhere in the world, in order to make it clear that Colombia is not an exceptional case. I count myself among those who think it necessary to confront the truth in order to build upon it, but I recognize that the attitude of this friend resembles, more than mine, that of Colombians in general. Polls indicate that in my country the majority of people count themselves happy, in spite of the terrible things that happen around them. But perhaps this optimism is due to the fact that social events which ought to look abnormal to any observer have become part of the daily life of most Colombians. In contrast, another friend alerted me to the fact that, although it is impossible in a document of this sort to enumerate and name all the victims of the Colombian tragedy, in the passages describing the systematic wiping out of the political party Unión Patriótica during the 1980s I failed to mention the murder of José Antequera, the young Secretary of the party, who was gunned down in broad daylight in Bogotá’s airport.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Writing by Heart. Victims of The
    Writing by Heart. Victims of the Colombian Armed Conflict Write their Testimonies Item Type text; Electronic Thesis Authors Bungard, Claudia Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction, presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 29/09/2021 07:56:00 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/631420 1 WRITING BY HEART. VICTIMS OF THE COLOMBIAN ARMED CONFLICT WRITE THEIR TESTIMONIES by Claudia Bungard ____________________________ Copyright © Claudia Bungard 2018 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the CENTER FOR LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2018 2 3 Acknowledgements I want to start by thanking my family: Tucker, Azucena and Otto Bungard, who have been very patient and supportive during the time of this research. Thank you also to Kate Richter, my mother-in-law, for being so caring ever since I first thought about studying in the Master’s program in Latin American Studies. Thank you to all the people in Medellín, Colombia, who shared their memories with me. They were the organizers of the writing workshops: Patricia Nieto, Gabriel Bustamante, Jorge Mario Betancur, Luz Adriana Ruiz Marín, Victor Casas and Lina Martínez, and the victims who wrote their testimonies during these workshops: Maria Teresa Uribe, Fabiola Lalinde, Helly Johana Blandon, the Úsuga Brothers, Cristian Cardona, Iván Darío Arroyave, Jorge Iván López and Laura Guzmán.
    [Show full text]