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
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
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