THE WORLD BANK VOLUME 2 LaVentNEWSLETTER ana A REPORT FROM THE LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT UNIT www.worldbank.org/afrolatin EPSY CAMPBELL BARR: A Voice in the Silent MARTIEN VAN NIEUWKOOP VAN MARTIEN Struggle of Central America and the Caribbean n order to be heard, I had to break barriers in the collective subcon- scious mind,” explains Epsy Campbell Barr, Costa Rica’s first Afro-descendant woman senator. Barr, 37, has become the voice of the Isilent struggle initiated by her ancestors The Belize Meeting half a century ago in this Central American country. he sense of identity is an stressed, would ensure that Afro-descen- “It was not easy,” the young parlia- emerging fact of life for dants actively participate in local devel- mentarian confesses of her electoral Afro-descendants, declared opment projects.The working groups victory. “But it was an exciting participants in the Belize also suggested using local technical experience.” Meeting, a workshop held resources, creating community participa- Barr’s election is regarded in Costa at Hopkins, Belize in tion committees, and training Afro-Latin Rica as an important benchmark, not TDecember. This sense of identity, they communities and individuals to enable only in Costa Rican history but in her emphasized, is an increasingly relevant them to engage in a constructive and own personal struggle to redress the factor and one that will have to be taken effective dialogue with the Bank and grievances of Afro-descendant women in into account when implementing the other institutions. Latin America and the Caribbean. Bank’s Indigenous Peoples Policy, known Participants indicated that, overall, Her own family gave Barr important as OP 4.10 (Operational Policy No. 4.10). the draft Indigenous Peoples Policy did role models. Barr’s ancestors emigrated The workshop, held on December 7, not contemplate any sex discrimination, to Limón province—to work on the con- 2001, was organized by the World Bank thereby ensuring that women and their struction of the Caribbean Railway. In and sponsored by the Central American organizations will continue their full par- the 1960s and 1970s, Afro-descendants Black Organization (CABO) at Hopkins. ticipation, together with mixed commu- were stripped of their lands when Costa Among the participants were representa- nities and non-governmental organiza- Rica created a new national park. Barr’s tives of community and nongovernmen- tions (NGOs).Half the participants in grandmother, and later her father, be- tal organizations of Afro-descendants in Belize were women—a typical occurrence came an activist in the fight to protect Central America. in Afro-Latin community organizations. the land rights of Afro-descendants in Like indigenous peoples, said the During his presentation Juan Limón province. Belize participants, Afro-descendants too Martínez, who has extensive experience Barr adds that she took up her are attached to their ancestral lands. with indigenous communities and Afro- father’s fight when she was an adoles- Land, indeed, is their main source of descendants in Central America, showed cent. It is not surprising that this well-being. Echoing the United Nations’ examples and situations that helped the woman, who tackled important social policies in this area, working groups rec- groups understand the World Bank’s issues early on, also tackled other ommended that the Bank recognize Afro- descendant organizations. This, they (Continued on page 2) (Continued on page 2) THE WORLD BANK 2 LaVent ana Belize Meeting, continued from page 1 degree of participation in the protection delegates—Agustín Flores, Coordinator MEXICO WORKSHOP of the most vulnerable groups’ rights. of the Network of Central American Participants said afterwards that they Black Organizations (CABO); Epsy Participants regarded the Martinez presentation as Campbell, Coordinator of the Central an especially important part of the American Network of Black Women; Call for Follow- workshop. and Melvin Soto, representing Panama’s The results of this conference are organizations of Afro-descendants—to up Meetings contained in a document detailing the submit a preliminary draft of the work- Afro-descendant communities’ recom- shop’s recommendations.The meeting’s f the new Indigenous People’s Policy mendations, presented at the Latin participants said they look forward to is to succeed, participants at the American Regional Consultation.That the Bank’s reaction to their recommen- Tlaxcala workshop in December told event was held in Panama City in dations, and to learning to what extent Bank representatives, dialogue about December 2001 with Indigenous Fund their cooperation will contribute to the it must go on. Twenty-eight represen- sponsorship. development of the Bank’s Indigenous tatives of indigenous people’s organi- Workshop participants chose three Peoples Policy in its final version. ◗ Izations, six from non-governmental and academic organizations, sixteen from government agencies, and eight World BOOKS Silent Struggle, continued from page 1 Bank officers met in Tlaxcala, Mexico, on December 3 and 4, 2001 to give human matters very early, becoming a Bank representatives African mother at a young age. She explains, feedback about the draft “My struggle has come at a personal of the Bank’s Indigenous Roots/ cost. My two daughters, Tanisa and Peoples Policy. Narda, have been heroic. They have not The participants in American seen their mother a lot, but they sup- the workshop told Bank port her ideals. representatives that they Cultures recognize the effort the Racism and Sexism Bank is making to incor- he contributions of Africans The war to redress the grievances of porate cultural criteria Tand their descendants to Pan- Afro-Latins, far from being over, has into economic projects. American life are so central and foun- just started. For Barr, racism is still However, they also dational that there is no way of dis- identified as a social problem. She pointed out that the FRENCH JONATHAN cussing the American accurately and makes this very clear in her analysis of Bank’s policy does not reflect the every- honestly without considering them,” the economic impact of racism and sex- day reality of life in indigenous commu- writes Dr. Sheila Walker in her most ism on Afro-descendant women in Latin nities. The previous policy, they said, recent book, African Roots/American America and the Caribbean. contains clear protections of indigenous Cultures: Africa in the Creation of “Nowadays, racism is identified peoples’ rights, and the workshop partic- the Americas. Dr. Walker, a professor more as a social and cultural, rather ipants firmly rejected any initiative that of anthropology at the University than an economic, problem,” Barr could weaken or restrict those rights. of Texas, describes her book as an says. “However, despite the develop- The participants also agreed that the anthology that underscores the contri- ment of countries, the abolition of consultation on the draft (known as OP bution of Afro-descendants to all racism starting more than three hun- 4.10) should integrate the results of the walks of American history, present dred years ago, the recognition of evaluation of the previous policy. The and future. She emphasizes that the human rights of individuals ‘with- new version of the policy should be in African immigrants have been part out any distinctions’ more than fifty accordance with international agreements of the creation of all of the myriad years ago, and the ongoing democratic regarding indigenous people’s rights, par- cultural systems, forms, and styles in processes, the economic structure of ticularly those reached under the aegis of which all the inhabitants of this conti- countries is based on a racist model, the United Nations (UN) and the nent have organized themselves and with obvious signs of economic exclu- International Labor Organization (ILO). expressed their identities. sion for more than 150 million Afro- The discussions resulted in a letter of For orders and information descendants in the Americas.” recommendations that exhorted the com- about this book, please contact the “Likewise,” she continues, “sexism petent authorities to initiate negotiations publisher: includes racial differentiation as a strati- with the UN in order to develop an Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, fication category. Thus, it creates a Indigenous Fund (a Global Indigenous Inc. pyramid marked not only by sexual dif- Facility, similar to the GEF), supporting 4720 Boston Way ferentiation, but also by racial distinc- indigenous communities with priority Lanham, Maryland 20706 tion, which, as already indicated, reaf- needs and presenting proposals for a bilin- 1-800-462-6420 firms the white world as a prototype of gual educational project that would take www.rowmanlittlefield.com ◗ what is human, as opposed to the black into account indigenous languages. The world, always associated with non- letter also called for an investment loan human or less human aspects.” ◗ from the Bank to implement the project. ◗ THE WORLD BANK 3 LaVent ana CONSULTATION ON THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES POLICY IN LATIN AMERICA Valuable Feedback for the World Bank ore than 250 participants, migrants to cities should fall within the that both sections of the policy be merged including representatives of purview of Operational Policy 4.10 and given similar weight. many indigenous organiza- whenever they maintain their cultural One message that emerged in the tions and Afro-descendant identity and social