The Last Week of Fieldwork

Well, my 3 months of fieldwork in Medellin will come to an end next Wednesday, as I leave for Berkeley on Thursday. During this time I have learned a great deal about internal displacement in Medellin, I have shared some of that knowledge with you through this blog.

The next step for me now is get back to Cal and write my thesis, finish with the classes I have left and graduate in May of next year. I have some graduate school programs in mind, all of them in Europe, and I will start applying in December/January.

I would like to thank you for reading about this journey of mine, in which I learned so many things not only about issues in internal displacement but also about myself.

Ursula

World Humanitarian Day

Celebrate World Humanitarian Day on August 19th
For more check out
http://ochaonline.un.org/News/WorldHumanitarianDay/tabid/5677/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Quimbaya Wordle

Click on the image to see its larger version.

This is a wordle on all the text I have written to date on this blog. Wordle is an online software that creates an image based on the data you entered. The larger words are the ones that are used more often, and the smaller the ones that are used less often. I thought this would be a very interesting exercise.

A Remarkable Couple

Today I conducted an interview with a couple who had caught my attention at last week's march. They held a sign and walked slowly through the streets on their boots, brown from the dry mud. Their faces were clear in my mind during the following days. The day before yesterday I saw them again. This time I approached them and introduced myself. We got to talking and that is how I found out that they have been displaced for 8 years, yet they received the first government "emergency" aid just 8 months ago. They lost their 4 children to government family services and are not allowed to see them. They cannot find work because the man is 50 and the woman is not much younger. At first they were too embbarassed to tell me that how they survive is by begging at the stop lights in the wealthier neighborhoods of the city. They agreed to meet with me the following day (yesterday) but unfortunately I waited for 1.5 hours before leaving. I thought that something must have come up, but was sad I did not get the chance to talk more with them.

Today, I was driving running errands for my father when I saw them at a stop light just a few blocks from where I live. They were on the other side of the road and traffic did not allow me to stop, so I hoped that they would still be there when I drove back. Lucky for me they were. I asked them if they had breakfast, they said no. They spent last night under a bridge because they had not made enough money the day before to pay the bus fare back to their settlement. I offered them to pick them up in 15 minutes and treat them to breakfast. They accepted.

We got to talking and it was heart-braking to hear their story of struggle for the past 8 years. One of the worse things was to hear what people say to them when they are begging, in the best case they call them lazy, in the worst they threaten to kill them if they see them begging there again. Unfortunately, poverty is a crime here and in every other place.

I had printed a picture I took of them during the march, and they were happy when I gave it to them. The woman looked at it for a long time, and pointing to the sign they were holding in the image she asked 'what does this print say again?' It was an eye opener to realize they did not even know what the sign they held for 3 hours said.

They were peasants, they did not have much money to begin with before being displaced, but at least, like the man told me, they had fruit trees, streams and rivers in which to fish, they cultivated the land and never had to worry about not having food on their plates, although they could not afford much else. Now, they are in the city, a concrete jungle (it is, even though it sounds like a cliche), where you have to pay for everything.

Both are convinced that there is power in numbers since they received their first government aid thanks to the help of the leader of the organization of displaced population they joined about a year ago. They hope that the marches and take overs they have done will make their struggles visible. When I asked them what gave them hope to go on, they said 'the help of the government.' Let's just hope that help doesn't come too little too late.

A Little Outraged

Today was a frustrating day. This week has been good so far, I've been very busy conducting interviews and transcribing them, but as always I have learned a lot.

Today I was waiting for a leader to conduct an interview and bumped into a couple of other leaders I had met before. They told me that at 2 o'clock there was a meeting at the city council, and that I should go. I jumped at the chance because to me those meetings are very informative, and it is also important to see the institutions and the displaced population interact.

Unfortunately, after waiting for about 30 minutes outside the city council, we were informed that the meeting was moved to August 5th. This is when my outrage started. I have seen the displaced fight for visibility and to be taken seriously, yet they keep being ignored. Today was an example of the lack of commitment on the part of the government. There were about 200 people there for the meeting, some of whom did not even have 4 cents in their pockets (literally). Some of them cannot find a job, and therefore must beg at the stop lights in the rich neighborhoods of the city. Others missed work because they wanted to be heard. This was a slap in the face. Many of the people who attended today can't even afford to pay the bus fare, and then they must turn around and come back at a later date? I am sorry but this is outrageous, at least to me.

Now, the population is arranging to do a march, a march similar to the one that took place here in Medellin last Friday. The difference is that this time they want to march from Medellin to Bogota to demand their rights in the capital. This would be an arduous march. Bogota is over 9 hours away from Medellin if you are driving, and one must go up the Andes, and then down them. It amazes me what they are willing to do to try to become visible. And it amazes me even more how they keep being ignored.

A Couple of Answered Questions

It was brought to my attention that I haven’t really talked much about who the displaced are and why they are displaced since I started the blog. This post will address those issues as well as other questions I have received by e-mail. I will not get too in depth about all the issues, just give a general overlook in order not to make this too tedious.

1. Who are the displaced?
In the Guidind Principles on Internal Displacement, UNHCR defines internally displaced persons as “persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of Human Rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border” The Colombian definition stated in Law 387 is similar; “every person who has been forced to migrate within the national territory leaving their locality of residence or habitual economic activities, because his/her life, physical integrity, security or personal liberty have been violated or are under direct threat with occasion of any of the following situations: Internal armed conflict, interior disturbances and tensions, generalized violence, massive violations of human rights, international humanitarian law infractions or other circumstances that emanated from the above-mentioned situations that can alter or dramatically alter de public order.”

In the Colombian case, many scholars agree that most of the displaced are rural farmers who have had to flee their land due to direct threats to their life. Rural farmers have different problems, one comes from armed insurgent groups who take over their land, who draft their children, or who kill or threat to kill family members, the other are neoliberal developmental schemes such as megaprojects (does Narmada Dam ring a bell?). In the case of the armed insurgent groups, many civilians are caught in the fight because they are perceived to belong to the “enemy.” This is a serious problem because the Colombian case gets even more complicated when we look at the actors. There are paramilitary groups, there are guerrilla groups, and other smaller actors, and they all fight amongst themselves for the control of land. So, a farmer can be accused by the paramilitaries of being with the guerrilla, and unfortunately, if someone is believed to be an “enemy” the punishment is death. If the person is lucky, he/she will be warned and can leave before it’s too late. In other instances, the groups take over the person’s home, and they have no other choice than to leave.

What makes this problem even more complicated is the drug trade, which is how most of these insurgent groups fund their fight. It is no longer an ideological fight, it is a fight for power and cash, lots and lots of cash. In Colombia, we have seen how a group that started to rebel against the central government on the basis of political ideologies has moved to being a terrorist organization linked to the international drug trade. At first, the rebellion was rooted in the time known as La Violencia (The Violence), which occurred between 1948 and 1958. During those years about two hundred thousand people lost their lives. The bloodshed stopped when Liberals and Conservatives agreed to share power in 1957.
Unfortunately, this bilateral agreement left out other parties (especially from the left), which felt compelled to fight for inclusion. The intractability of this conflict has been greatly aggravated by the transformation of the guerrilla (one of the most notorious and infamous actors) into a terrorist organization that focuses its energy in bringing unrest to the territory, killing citizens, hiding in national as well as international territory, profiting from extortion, kidnapping and most importantly from the drug trade.

Going back to the affected population, scholars agree that the rural population is targeted as a deliberate strategy of war, internal displacement is not collateral damage or an unintended consequence. On a more demographic note, most displaced persons are women head of household and children. Women have to displace by themselves because their husbands have lost their lives. There are also many indigenous people who have been displaced from their ancestral land.

One of the most difficult issues for the displaced is that they lived comfortably before displacement, many owned their own piece of land, and had their own home, always had food on their plate, etc. When they displace they cannot bring their means of production with them, as soon as they lose their land they lose their livelihood. Some estimates report that 95% of displaced persons (in the world) live under the poverty line. This is the most common complaint I hear from the people I’ve been working with, they had a good and “dignified” life before, now they live in dangerous areas, in ranches made out of wood, cardboard, in the worst cases, they don’t even have that. They have to sleep on the sidewalks.

2. What does Law 387 stipulate?
In my last post, and in most of my posts, I have mentioned this law, but have not gone really in depth about it. Experts in the subject agree that Colombian legislation on internal displacement is the most advanced in the world. Law 387 is the centerpiece of Colombian IDP legislation it was enacted in 1997 and was the result of a collective effort by scholars, government entities, the Red Cross, and UNHCR, among others to outline the rights of the displaced population, the responsibilities of the government, and to design a plan of action to tackle the problem of internal displacement. Law 387 established the politics of prevention, emergency humanitarian attention, and voluntary return or resettlement of the displaced population. One of the products of this law was the creation of the Sistema Nacional de Atención Integral a la Población Desplazada or National System of Integral Attention to the Displaced Population (SNAIPD). SNAIPD is a meeting point for all public, private and communitarian entities to formulate policies and adopt prevention measures of forced displacement. The goal is to generate action and to have an impact on the displaced population at national, regional and local levels. Law 387 allowed for the creation of many important entities whose mandate is to assist the displaced population.

I apologize in advance, I wrote this very quickly, this is by no means an in-depth analysis, or explanation of what happens here in Colombia with internal displacement or it’s causes, etc. But although I don’t have much time, I wanted to address the questions (and suggestions) I received.

Displaced Person's March in Medellin

Her Sign Reads: "Without Weapons Life is a Different Story"

The Sign Reads: "Senecio Serna, 103 Years, Displaced"

Anti-Riot Police Guarding the Entrance to the Office of Accion Social

PBI was Accompanying and Observing the March

Yesterday was a very interesting day. I was able to do some anthropology literally on the streets of downtown Medellin. The displaced population organized and conducted a march in commemoration of the creation and passing of Law 387 of 1997, while at the same time protest against the fact that, for the most part, it is not being honored, at least not fully. The people held banners and were enthusiastically marching through downtown, demanding that their rights be protected.

The march lasted from around 10.00am to about 1.30pm. There were probably 1000 people present, men, women, young and old. There was a man who sat on a wheelchair, and a girl sitting on his lap held a sign that read: "Selecio Serna, 103 years, Displaced."

Other signs read: "No more never-ending lines, no more injustice, no more violation of our rights, we demand respect" "We reject long lines, lack of information, bad treatment on the part of functionaries, domicile visits, and the failure to fulfill emergency humanitarian assistance" "The displaced request respect from the government. Land, dignified housing, equitable productive projects" "We didn't ask to be taken out of what was ours. Why are you denying our rights?" "No more hunger" "We demand truth, justice and integral reparations according to Law 387 of 1997" "Humanitarian humiliation, that is what emergency humanitarian assistance has become for all the population in situation of displacement in the Department of Antioquia" "The displaced and vulnerable population is not begging" "We demand the observance of Law 387, C278, T025 and good attention" "We demand dignified housing, administrative reparation, productive projects for 19 minimum salaries" "Major Alfonzo Salazar we want land for our housing projects Law 387 of 1997" "Violated rights: to equality, to free expression, to one's own identity, Articles 5 and 6 of C.C.A and articles 23, 29, 13 y 2 of the constitution" "Medellin, an equitable and solidary city. 57 thousand million for the murderers, 6 thousand million for the victims" "women head of household mistreated by Accion Social. Auto 092 needs to be a reality" "Without weapons life is a different story."

These were just a few examples of what people were carrying with them. The most important part is that they had the arguments, they had the law behind them, they quoted laws, and follow-ups to the laws. They were demanding what was promised to them, nothing more and nothing less.

It was a powerful experience to be able to participate and observe this massive collective action, but I am sad to say that I've been looking everywhere to find news about this, but have not been successful. I have only found 2 short stories in small and independent news websites. There is absolutely nothing in local newspapers. This problem keeps being invisible, even with these large collective efforts on the part of the displaced population.

I have to keep this short; I need to prepare for another interview I'm conducting in a few hours. I hope you enjoy the photos. I will try to write a post with more in-depth information on who are the displaced and why they are displaced, per the request of one of the readers. I am aware of the fact that I haven't touched much on that since I started writing, I just have a small hint on the description of the project. I will try to post that tomorrow. Please feel free to email me questions if you have them, I'll be glad to try to answer them as best as I can.

Interview, Meetings and Solidarity

Yesterday was an exceptional day. I had my first one-on-one interview with an OPD leader. He was very helpful and shared his story with me, I will not go into any details of that here, but his testimony and answers to my questions will be very helpful for my thesis analysis.

After our conversation, he invited me to stay for a meeting with an NGO and other leaders to coordinate a march that will take place next Friday (July 17th). This march happens every year as a commemoration of the creation of the Law 387, which is the centerpiece of Colombian legislation on forced displacement. The law was enacted in 1997 and was the result of a collective effort by scholars, government entities, the Red Cross, and UNHCR, among others. It outlines the rights of the displaced population, the responsibilities of the government, and designed a plan of action to tackle the problem of internal displacement in Colombia. Law 387 established the politics of prevention, emergency humanitarian attention, and voluntary return or resettlement of the displaced population among other important issues such as collective action. Friday's march will not just be commemorative, but it will also denounce the fact that although the law is there it has not been honored fully and, in many cases, the rights of the displaced population keep being violated and ignored.

After observing the coordination meeting, there was another meeting, this time it was of the MOPDM (Mesa de Organizaciones de Poblacion Desplazada de Medellin), which is the table of Organizations of Displaced Population in Medellin. There are over 30 OPDs that participate in the MOPDM, and it was great to be able to witness first hand one of their private meetings. I am very grateful to them for allowing me to observe it.

On that note, I can't stress enough how well received I have been (and my work) among the displaced population. Everyone has been very helpful, and has answered all my questions, and has welcomed me into their organizations and their collective participatory processes, meetings, marches, workshops, etc. Without their willingness to help me, I would not have learned as much as I have thus far.

I must say that it is hard to hear most of my informant's stories, but at the same time I know that by lending a willing ear, my new found friends can unload some of the heartache, and they have shared with me that it helps them to be able to vent and to know that there are people out there who care about their stories and want to help to make them visible. That is one of the things that is very important to them, visibility.

Last week, I attended another PIU workshop, and I have a small anecdote to share with you. This meeting was held at the city council, and that day (last Friday) there was a very important event, the first re-establishment of land for the displaced population, and many government leaders were there, as well as some international figures. Security was tight, and as always I had my camera in my backpack. Since the event was so "delicate," only the media that had been authorized in advance could enter the building with cameras. Obviously, I wasn't one of them. The guards at the door refused to let me in with the camera and there was nowhere for me to leave it. I was stunned, flattered and honored when one of the displaced persons I have been working with said, "we will not go in until they settle this problem with the camera. If she can't go in, we won't go in either." So, there I was, an anthropology student from Berkeley, with 7 leaders of organizations of displaced population at the door. Their solidarity toward me was moving, and I have to say that everyday I love fieldwork more. I love being around and dealing with people and learning about what they do and why they do it. Luckily the camera problem was settled and all of us went in and spent the day working on the PIU.

What I felt was one of the most interesting things that came out of that particular workshop was realizing that I chose a topic for my thesis that matters a great deal, not just to me, but also to the displaced population. Over and over, leaders would echo how important their community is to them, and how they would not be alive and well without others who are in their same situation. In all the exercises we did, time and again the community would come up as the key player, not institutions or NGOs, they came in second and third, but the community was always first. This is exactly what I have been studying with their help, that cohesion of the community and how displaced persons help each other and how they organize themselves collectively to demand their rights. Friday reminded me why I am here, and it is nice to have that validation, to know that this topic matters, and I feel a huge sense of responsibility. It is up to me to do a good job, and not to let them, or myself down. The issues I am studying are not simple on their own, but the Colombian context makes everything that much more difficult and wrapping one's head around them can be a very daunting task.

For me, the most important part of this is not to allow myself to forget that is a project about people. It will contain their deepest pains and sorrow, and that cannot be utilitized in any way. These are people who have suffered a great deal, but who remain strong, who organize in order to defend and fight for their rights, who have a deep understanding of the problems and dynamics of "the game" they are playing. They are all very aware that this is all very political, and that by staying united, sticking together, they can achieve much more than if they stand alone. As I have said many times before, I don't mean to romanticize internal displacement or it's victims, on the contrary, although I acknowledge their suffering, I want to highlight their actions toward inclusion, equality, and the observance and fulfillment of their rights, not just as humans, but also of the specific rights they have as victims of forced internal displacement.

Just a Couple of Photos

NIQUIA

Centro Administrativo "La Alpujarra"

Yesterday and today I attended another PIU Workshop. This time aimed at the work of both OPDs and Institutions. I will write about it later. For now here are two photos I took today at the administrative center of Medellin, where the workshop took place.

PIU (Plan Integral Unico) Workshop, and a thought about Praxis

On Tuesday and Wednesday I had the privilege to attend a workshop organized by the local gvmt. The aim of the workshop was to hear what the leaders of Organizations of Displaced Population (ODPs) had to add to the "characterization of forced internal displacement in the city of Medellin associated with the territory dynamics of urban conflict, populations, institutions and public policies" that was developed by the team of researchers of the Instituto de Estudios Politicos (IEP) of the Universidad de Antioquia (UdeA).

The aim of the PIU (Unique Integral Plan) is to bring together government institutions, international organizations and the displaced population to create a plan of action which is constructed in a participative and collective manner, in order to make assistance to the displaced more efficient, integral, coordinated, effective, etc.

This weeks' workshop was very intense (we worked long hours on both days), but many interesting things came out of it. Important problems in the attention to the displaced came to light, as well as problems of lack of access to their rights.

I would like to highlight some of the problems that I found to be most important:

There is a serious problem of information dissemination. Institutions either misinform or don’t inform the population about where they should go to do various kinds of paperwork, and many times this becomes an issue because they need that paperwork to access certain benefits, yet they can’t afford to pay for transportation, especially when they go to the wrong location and have the added cost of extra transportation.

Another important issue that kept coming up is the fact that the displaced are often mistreated, stigmatized and discriminated because of their condition of displacement. Functionaries are rude, call them liars, and are unhelpful with this very vulnerable population. People agreed that the institutions in themselves were not bad, just the people who work at the institutions. The displaced called for "humanity" in their treatment.

It was recognized that although the law is there to protect and aid the displaced (as it clearly states their rights), it is not being observed and their rights are being constantly violated.

One thing that kept being brought up was the lack of coordination among different institutions. One example is the fact that at the national level, the education of displaced populations is supposed to be free, yet at the local level this is, at times, not observed. Schools kick children out because they don’t wear the uniform (unfortunately their parents can’t afford to buy a uniform) or are not given food at school because their parents can’t pay. This coupled with stigmatization and discrimination of displaced children makes them feel insecure and unwanted, and they do not want to go back to school. Another issue is transportation. If the school is far, and parents cannot afford to pay for transportation, children are at risk, not just of homicide (they live in very dangerous places) but young girls are often targeted and raped. So, if the school is far, and parents cannot afford transportation, children are left at home. This is another risk, as these places are dangerous and children are (according to the displaced persons) the most vulnerable. Many times they turn to illicit activities such as prostitution and hired guns as a means to put food on their plates.

Another issue that kept coming up repeatedly throughout both days of the workshop was the differential treatment between the displaced (victims) and the “reinsertados/desmovilizados” (the ones who made them victims). The reinsertados (reinserted) are people who supposedly used to belong to insurgent groups, but who have been “reinserted” into society. They receive gvmt grants for housing and aid for training, education, job placement, etc. For the displaced this is very problematic. They argue that reinsertados keep breaking the law in their settlements (both live close together in the most marginal areas of Medelin), but now with the government’s money. They see a huge difference in what they (the displaced) receive and what the reinsertados receive. This has created a serious rift and an animosity toward the government. Along those lines, one person expressed that the displaced settled in Medellin have only two options. 1. Live along side and tolerate the very people who forced them to flee their homes and locations or 2. Flee again from settlement to settlement.

Medellin is the city with the biggest problem of intra-urban displacement in Colombia. The violence in the settlements and the death threats forced displaced persons to displace again within the city. This is very problematic because they encounter nearly the same situation here they were fleeing from in the first place. In other words, People flee from rural into urban areas because they are afraid for their lives. Yet, they arrive in the city to find a similar situation with the same actors. This creates problems of intra-urban displacement. So, the same dynamics of the conflict are found in the city, which results in redisplacement.

Due to this, there is also a generalized lack of trust in the public forces. There is nearly no police or military presence in the settlements, and they are controlled by insurgent groups who repress the population, steal from them, kill them, etc.

There is also a dislike for NGOs (operadores) because they are said to use the displaced populations to receive funds that ultimately do not go into the communities in need. The other side of this problem is that many times NGOs are hired by the gvmt to do some of the projects, and apparently the money to pay the NGOs is coming from that which is supposed to go to the displaced person. For instance, if one project is worth one million pesos, after dealing with the NGO the actual amount received by the person is much less. The displaced are concerned about the lack of responsibility and accountability that comes from the gvmt placing it's responsibility on private entities such as NGOs (both national and international).

These are some of the most important issues discussed during those two days. I am concerned about the deterioration of the relations between the displaced population and the institutions. Unfortunately, the government has lost credibility among that population and unless things start to change it will be very difficult to gain it back.

I have been learning a lot about this very complicated issue. There are many variables that come into play, many emotions, but what is most important to me, is that behind all of these problems are people. People who are struggling to earn a living who are coming together to participate and to construct their own future. I was asked a couple of days ago what praxis means here in Medellin. To me, praxis in Medellin is exactly what I am studying and experiencing right now. It is people acting and taking charge of their futures, actively working towards a better tomorrow and mobilizing to defend their rights. It doesn’t matter what kinds of obstacles you face, who stands against you, or what strength you have left to participate, because the point is to come together and by means of praxis, of engaging, of living and experiencing, learning through doing and through experimenting. Organizations of Displaced Persons do just that. Praxis doesn't just spring from one’s own inspiration, but it also inspires the uninspired.

Meeting With Leaders of ODPs

Presenting Posters

Presenting Posters

Making the Posters

Discussing the Origins of the Organizations

Yesterday was an amazing day. The research group of the FULAM opened their doors again to me, and allowed me to participate in their meeting with leaders of about 19 Organizations of Displaced Persons from Medellin (a total of about 25-30 participants). The turnout was amazing, since the team wasn't really sure how many leaders would join them. The idea was to present to them their research proposal and hopefully get them to participate. The FULAM's research project is entitled "Organization of Displaced Population and Restoration of Rights in the Cities of Medellin and Bogota."

The meeting was a success, and many leaders were very enthusiastic about participating. It must be said that many were very skeptical and wary at first, because they felt that they had been used many times before. One woman leader expressed her distrust, because she had participated in other research projects that had not been forthcoming about the impacts on the displaced community, or that had promised things or outcomes that never materialized. She was very clear in stating that the only way in which she, and therefore her organization, would take part in the project was if they promised her "sincerity, clarity, respect and honesty."

Other leaders were enthusiastic about the project's aim to provide feedback on what can be bettered in the organizations in order to be more efficient in restoring the rights of the displaced populations in Medellin.

Some were happy to have their pictures taken, videotaped and audio taped, while others, who were under death-threats opted out of any images of them being taken. Rightly so. Being a leader in this violent context can be very dangerous, and unfortunately, many have already lost their lives.

The research group had several interesting dynamics and activities geared toward getting to know each other and the histories of the different organizations. One that I felt was very efficient, was called the "visualization tree". In this activity each organization had to draw a large tree with information about their organization. In the tree they needed to write the name of the organization in the trunk, in the roots the demands and necessities, to the left of the trunk the potentialities and strengths, and to the right the difficulties and obstacles. On the top of the tree and to the left the accomplishments and to the right the challenges. After this was completed people from 9 organizations stood up in front and shared their trees.

This activity was very enriching because it made clear what each organization has accomplished, what difficulties they have faced and where they want to go in the future.

I am very thankful to the team at the FULAM (especially Jenny and Alfredo) for their generosity in allowing me to participate in this activity. It taught me a lot and allowed me to meet wonderful people with whom I hope to work with and learn from while I am here, and hopefully create lasting relationships.

Next week (Tuesday and Wednesday), I will attend a 2-day workshop of the Mesa de Organizaciones de Personas Desplazadas de Medellin (MOPDM) (TODPM - see previous post) and I hope to be able to talk more at length with some of the leaders I have already met, and of course to meet new ones. I admire their tenacity and dedication to the people they are helping and to the fight for the restoration of their rights.

FULAM's Laboratorio Universitario de Estudios Sociales -LUES- website for this project:
http://organizaciondesplazados.ning.com/

ODPs and TODPM

At the Seminar "Analysis of Context and Trajectories of Organizations of Displaced Persons in Medellin"

Well, this has been a very interesting time. I have learned tons for my thesis, and have met incredible people who have worked on Internal Displacement issues in Colombia for decades.
On Wednesday, I was lucky enough to get invited to a seminar on the contexts and trajectories of ODPs (Organizations of Displaced Population) in Medellin. This was great, because I got to meet many people who are involved in the same kind of research I am, and who are trying to answer similar questions. The seminar went from 8.00am to 5.00pm and it was very enriching. I was also invited to a workshop that will take place tomorrow with the leaders of 30 different ODPs in Medellin.

Once internally displaced persons arrive in the city, many are treated as second-rate citizens, and at times they equal stateless individuals who have to fight for their right to have rights. My thesis will explore the kinds of citizens that are formed in Medellín due to forced displacement, by addressing IDPs mechanisms of self-help like coping strategies, survival techniques and adaptation mechanisms through collective action to claim their citizenship and their rights to the city. In other words, I will explore the communal/collective construction of citizenship, particularly in the case of organizations that participate in the MOPDM (Mesa de Organizaciones de Poblacion Desplazada de Medellin) Table of Organizations of Displaced Populations of Medellin – TODPM.

I am very excited and anxious to be a part of the next workshop of the MOPDM, which will take place next Tuesday and Wednesday. I know that I will learn a lot about these collective action mechanisms, and how (as well as why) the displaced come together to form organizations that will make them and their struggles visible. I have read a lot about this topic, and I have to say that I am fascinated by it. There are many people here who have worked very hard on the subject of citizenship constructions and collective social actions of IDPs in Medellin, and they are all very generous with their knowledge.

I will keep this short, because I will probably have more interesting things to share tomorrow after the workshop with ODP leaders.

Photos taken from: FULAM's Laboratorio Universitario de Estudios Sociales -LUES- website for the project "Organization of Displaced Populations and Restoration of Rights in the Cities of Medellin and Bogota:"

http://organizaciondesplazados.ning.com/

A Quick Reflection on Violence

After not living in Medellin for a long time, and especially after living a very sheltered life while I did live here (my whole life until I graduated from High School in 1997), there are many realities that I never had to live.

While it is definitely true that the situation is not as bad as many people advertise (especially in the cities, where there is a lot of state presence in the form of police, military, etc), and while similar situations happen in many different cities across the US, today I was reminded of the violent side of this city.

I am doing this research thanks to the support of the Universidad de Antioquia, a well-known public university with a long academic history. Public universities here in Colombia are tricky places, as many insurgent groups, infiltrate them, and "take" them on a regular basis. Today was one of those instances. As usual, I got of the Metro and walked toward the main gate to sign in, because I just received my University ID today, and no one is allowed inside the university unless they hold a student ID. I noticed 7 policemen at the gate, while my ears buzzed at the sound of an alarm going off. I didn't think anything of it, this is Medellin after all and the cops are all over. I made my way to the Institute, which is located on the opposite side of campus. I was one of the first to arrive and went straight to my desk and continued my archival research. Maybe half an hour later, one of the teachers came in and informed us that the FARC group inside the university had set a few "petardos" or petards, which are small bombs used to blow up things, in this case an ATM (a sign of capitalism) and other things.

It turns out that these acts are part of a "celebration" or "commemoration" of the days of the fallen student (Estudiante Caido), which are on June 8-9 of every year. Apparently the celebrations were running a little later this year, just to be unexpected, as the authorities are usually prepared. I should place "prepared" in quotations as in Colombia, gvmt forces such as the police are not allowed inside institutions of higher education, news to me, because I just found that out today. Well, the day of the fallen student is accordingly "celebrated" or "commemorated," you pick your favorite word, with random acts of violence. Not good. The problem is that students want to have "their voices heard" by using violence, throwing stones, molotov cocktails and larger explosives, destroying the material space of the university. The one place that is opening doors for them, educating them. They cry for a revolution covering their faces with bandanas, but don't realize that they are going about it in the wrong way, the use of violence delegitimizes(?) their efforts. The fact that many of those students are involved with guerrillas like the FARC, turns this into a very difficult situation. Some argue that these are terror tactics to keep the other students in line, and also use it to recruit people who romanticize "revolution" and admire the hooded "patriots." The truth is that most of these "students" have been at the university for, sometimes, decades, and they work infiltrating the student body and recruit among them. Most real students just want to learn, and like me, flee the university every time something like this happens. They are the ones that are most affected, as classes get cancelled and many times the university has to shut down for weeks or months at a time, which completely disrupts the school cycle.

The people at the institute advised me to leave early, because since they had detonated those petards in the morning, they would more than likely wreak havoc in the afternoon. I didn't need to be advised twice, I packed my bag and took off. I just got of the phone with my friend who confirmed the fact that right now "shit has hit the fan" over there. I'm glad I wasn't there.

I share this with you, not to scare you, or to think of me as a daredevil, or crazy person. "What does she think she is doing?" you might be asking yourself. I share this to paint a picture. To express exactly why I am here, and why I am doing this. If I was scared just by the sound of a couple of small explosions, or by the fact that just a few months ago a student was murdered in the same building I am working at right now, I can't even begin to imagine what it is like for a family to be threatened directly, or to see and experience the violence first hand. People who have lost their loved ones to this senseless violence, and who to top it all of are treated as second-rate citizens, many times, stripped of their rights. The displaced are forced to leave out of the same fear I'm experiencing, but to the millionth degree. They are so scared that they leave absolutely everything behind, just to try to save their lives.

The problem is that there are many mechanisms of aid for the displaced, but there is not much being done in the area of prevention. Of course we need to help them while they are displaced, but that should be part of a more holistic solution including the right to return (or to stay in the city if they so chose), and reparations.

I end today reminding you that, like I said before, this happens every day in many places of the world, including the US, so please try not to think of Colombia as just a violent place. I know there are lots of negative things in the media, but I can assure you that there are many more things to this country than this story I share with you today.

http://www.todelar.com/noticias/estudiantes-miedo-actos-vand%C3%A1licos-univesidad-de-antioquia/estudiantes-de-la-universidad-de

http://www.caracolradio.com/nota.aspx?id=827634

Life is Good

Well, finally this thing is taking off. Yesterday, I showed up at the University, but the person I was meeting had forgotten that I had made the great voyage from Berkeley to Medellin and that we were to meet. Luckily, she got my message and we agreed to try again today. Gloria is great lady, she is the director of research at the Institute (Instituto de Estudios Politicos - Institute of Political Studies). She got her BA in Anthropology and did her graduate work in politics. She has a lot of experience working with displaced populations, and I could not found a better mentor for my time here. We had a long meeting in which we discussed everything related to my research, and now I am officially attached to Universidad de Antioquia, I even have my own desk at the Institute!!!

Everyone was very welcoming, and they are all great people to have around because of their extensive experience working with displaced persons here in Medellin. I feel really lucky to have the honor to work with such an amazing group of people.

As is expected, first things first. I have a ton of reading to do, as I started doing archival research to make sure I don't do something someone has already done, and to understand what has been done and in what context. So, right now, the plan is to do archival research, attend talks about Internal Displacement every Thursday for 4 hours in the afternoon, and my first visit to a displaced settlement will be in two weeks.

Needless to say, I am very excited, not only about this, but also because I recently found out that I am the new Anthropological Undergraduate Association (AUA) president at Berkeley. I have tons of ideas that I want to implement, and I'm working with a great team of people.

I guess all I have to say right now is: LIFE IS GOOD!

The Important Difference Between IDPs and Refugees

Today I got my hands on a book that I had wanted to get for a very long time, but it was too expensive ($155!). The book talks about Internal Displacement (see citation at the bottom). While I was reading the first chapters, I realized that although I have talked extensively about the difference between internally displaced persons and refugees in the papers I have written on the subject, I had not addressed it here yet.

Most people confuse displaced persons with refugees, and erroneously believe that they are one and the same. This could not be farther from the truth, and this issue is very important in the way the international community handles displacement issues. Refugees are persons who have crossed a state border, and are thus protected by international laws. As you all know, the UN has long taken care of refugees and has created bodies to deal with the subject, most notably UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). The internally displaced on the other hand, are persons who have been displaced but who have NOT crossed an international border. This is a very important difference as persons who are internally displaced are the sole responsibility of the state. There are no international laws that protect them, even though they outnumber refugees. The UN has created the "Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement," but that's just what they are, guiding principles. If you want to explore them further visit http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/7/b/principles.htm

The authors of the book put it much more eloquently; "Whereas international law entitles refugees to physical security and human rights protection in addition to assistance to offset their other vulnerabilities, no such legal guarantees exist for those who participate in an 'exodus within borders.' Thus, agencies seeking to help persons who have not crossed a border require permission from the very political authorities who may be responsible for the displacement." The bottom line is that there are no international agencies specifically mandated to override state sovereignty and reach in to assist and protect internally displaced persons.

The book also addresses the issue of sovereignty and argues for sovereignty as responsibility. This means that gvmts are responsible for protecting the human rights of their citizens and that when the state is unable or unwilling to ensure these rights the International Community should assume that responsibility.

Another issue that had already crossed my mind, but that I had never encountered in my archival research is the acronym itself. As some of you already know, the title of my project is "IDP: More Than Just an Acronym." This book discusses this issue, explaining that neither the term nor the acronym have been well received by journalists, humanitarians and others:

" 'Refugees' immediately evokes the image of people fleeing persecution. 'Internally displaced persons' is too many words, too clinical, too antiseptic. It does not automatically conjure up any identifiable image of distress. It does not convey the fact that in many instances these people are the most destitute of the destitute, those most exposed to hunger and disease and abuse by governments and rebel movements, the populations with the highest death rates recorded among all those whom humanitarians seek to assist. Or that they are, in their overwhelming majority, women and children, the most vulnerable of the vulnerable."

Internal Displacement is a very serious issue on a global scale, not just here in Colombia. We need to continue to search for better ways to provide the assistance they need and to ensure the enforcement of their rights.

Citation:
Weiss, Thomas and David Korn.
2006 Internal Displacement: Conceptualization and its Consequences. New York: Routledge

Big Problems in Bogota

There has been a recent development in the difficult story of Internal Displacement in Colombia. Last week, a large group of Internally Displaced Persons in Bogota (the capital of Colombia) mobilized in protest and took a large park in the city. Displaced Persons are fighting for visibility and inclusion. Bogota receives more Displaced Persons each day than it can deal with, and the system many times collapses under the pressure of so many families in need of attention. According to estimates, Bogota is also the city with the largest population of displaced persons in the country.

Reportedly about 2500 Displaced Persons have settled at the Parque Tercer Milenio (Third Millennium Park) in protest, and they are calling on others to join them. They have been there for about 2 weeks and are demanding several things, among them housing and COL$15 million, about US$7000 for a productive project (starting a business). City officials have brought the police to the park to prevent any more people from settling there and to prevent the construction of more permanent structures. The city has offered the displaced population settled at the park to move to "albergues" or shelters, but the displaced fear that once they are in the shelters they will be forgotten and their demands not met.

Although IDP legislation in Colombia is considered by experts as the most advanced in the world, assistance programs demand the displaced persons to be registered with the gvmt in order to be eligible to receive aid. There are many programs from school, to subsidies, to work programs, and many of them are wonderful, but many people are excluded from those kinds of benefits. The bottom line is that many displaced persons are very afraid of registering in the RUPD (Registro Unico de Personas Desplazadas - Unique Registry of Displaced Persons), because they fear retaliation. The affected persons and families have suffered a great deal and many times have lost their loved ones in violent ways. It is not hard to understand their fear. Making registration obligatory in order to receive aid makes sense because it is hard to classify who is really displaced and who is not, but at the same time, as I already stated, it excludes many people who deserve and desperately need that assistance from the gvmt.

This act of protest has been criticized by some government officials who argue that a public space is not a place for a long-term protest, and that young children are being abused by having them at the park. What they either don't realize or just omit from their discourse is the fact that the informal settlements in which they have to live at are not much better and, in some occasions, worse.

This is a new development, one in which displaced persons are being empowered by their will to become visible. It will be very interesting to see what kinds of other structures come out of this effort, and hopefully it will bring more attention to the subject, and better solutions to aid the displaced.

I am going to try to go to Bogota and speak to some of the people at the Parque Tercer Milenio, because I think this a very interesting development, but one that scares me because Internal Displacement is used as a way to destabilize the country and as a deliberate strategy of war. These people have suffered greatly, and I would not like to see them suffer any more.

I don't mean to romanticize displacement or the displaced, but it do mean to acknowledge their part in this fight, and their efforts for inclusion and visibility.

Thank you for reading...

Photo by David Campuzano - El Espectador.

First Days Back in Colombia

Well, I finally made it home after two very uncomfortable flights and some unexpected delays. I've spent the past couple of days catching up with family and friends. That is always the best part about coming home. Every time I come back it feels as if I had never left. The smell, the taste, and the feel of home invade me and all that has passed before seems to fade away. All the different places that I have visited seem like a dream, and I have to look at old photographs to convince myself that I was actually somewhere else.

Anyway, moving on to less emotional things, since my arrival I have been preparing for fieldwork. The whole Spring semester I spent doing just that, but I think you can never be too prepared, and for those of you who know me well, know how obsessive I can be about that. I've been reading methods books, theory books, etc, trying to be as prepared as possible for my first plunge into the field.

Since I was supposed to start my fieldwork on the second week of June, I am now waiting to hear from my liason here in the hopes that I can start as soon as possible. On Friday and Saturday, Medellin is hosting a very interesting and important congress. It's the congress for the victims of terrorism. Unfortunately, it's by invitation only, because many important people from different countries will attend. I applied for an invitation too late, because I only found out when I got here, so I can't make it. I'm a little bummed about that, because I am sure Internal Displacement will be an important topic in the agenda.

Well, I don't have anything interesting to report, but I'm hoping fieldwork will start soon, and I can share my experiences and lessons with you.

Getting Ready for Departure

A poster I presented at UC Berkeley about this project.

Well, it's that time again. Time to pack my bags and deal with the anxiety and excitement that come before an unprecedented experience. In this occasion it is an academic experience, my first field research. I have many expectations and hope to learn a great deal from the people I will be working with. Although I am a little scared because I don't quite know what to expect, I am very energized by the prospect of becoming an "anthropologist in the field."