humanitarian crisis for black people in colombia: “they have taken away so much from us, even the fear”

The Afro Colombians are people with ancestral heritage of resistance and resilience but eternally condemned to the exile of our territories because of structurally racist policies, the armed conflict, and the abandonment of the Colombian state. We are the hen of the golden eggs of this country but we are treated like cockroaches. It is ridiculous that in the middle of 2017 we must be stripping for potable water or for the continuity of the electric power service. It is ridiculous to have to be demanding a second level hospital in our towns so that our children do not die on the way to the nearest hospital, playing with the health of a community is genocide! This is the slavery of the 21st century.

And so it is “They have taken away so much from us, even the fear” for this reason since two weeks ago two of the most important Afro cities of Colombia, Buenaventura in the department of Valle del Cauca and Quibdó the department of Choco, have risen in a civic strike unprecedentedly paralyzing trade and maintaining a state of civil disobedience to demand payment of the historical debt and current debt to the black peoples of all Colombia. As is customary, the only response by the government to the list of petitions of both cities has been to send the repressive apparatus of the state to violate, infiltrate and delegitimize the just struggle of the black people with the unfortunate balance of two minors killed to date in the protests.

That is why the Civic Committee for the Dignity of Chocó and the Committee of Civic of Buenaventura demand the declaration of social, economic and ecological emergency of the Colombian Pacific as provided in Article 215 of the political constitution of Colombia. We make a call A The networks of Afro-descendant social movements around the world so that they join in the struggle of us—the children of the African diaspora born in Colombia—and visualize this reality together we are more. The town does not give a fuck.

For this reason we are asking all brothers and sisters of the broad network of afro-diaspora social movements to join the cause of the black peoples of the Colombian Pacific as follows:
– 1 On a piece of paper write FROM (city where you are) SORRY INJUSTICE #SOMOSPACIFICO
#SOMOSBUENAVENTURA #SOMOSCHOCO – 2 takes a picture of the leaf overlooking the street
– 3 Upload the photo to all your social networks with the #SOMOSPACIFICO #SOMOSBUENAVENTURA #SOMOSCHOCO
– Please share with family or friends

Photos by Don Corrinche