Sarah Shirk

Tanzania!

2010-08-24T12:24:00.002-05:00

So many ups and downs in the span of a few short days! While meetings with Tanzania Mennonites and seeing where Mom grew up were amazing, attempting (and only sometimes succeeding) to enter Tanzania wildlife parks has been a huge headache. We learned, the hard way of course, that you can't enter Serengeti National Park in a non-Tanzanian vehicle. (We hired a van and driver in Nairobi.) Turns out our Kenyan driver would have to maintain a year-round Tanzanian tourism permit which is extremely expensive and would only occasionally be useful to him. (Frustratingly, no one at the park entrance was able to tell us that. They finally got around to informing us that we had to get the permit in Arusha and they're not open Sundays anyway.) So we had no other choice but to drive around the park, which is more than twice the distance as driving through. We finally made it to Karatu after nearly 17 hours on roads that were sometimes paved, but often not. So much brown snot...

We did get into Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area, but only after returning to town to get cash from an ATM. (Despite the agreeing information of multiple guidebooks, you can NOT pay your $400-plus park entrance fee with a credit card. Cash only.) And once in, we saw amazing animals, including 5 lions, elephants, zebras, flamingos and many more. It almost made us forget how difficult it was to get in in the first place! ;)

On the flip side, visiting places my mom lived as a child was even cooler than anticipated (and I've been looking forward to this for a long time.) My grandparents worked for the Mennonite church in western Tanzania for more than 30 years and my mother was born in Musoma and lived in Tanzania until the age of 15. One of the main reasons for our trip was to visit her old home areas, places she hadn't seen for nearly 30 years, and places we had only known in stories. Over four days, we visited the hospital in Shirati where my mom's four brothers were born and where my step-grandmother worked fashioning prosthetic legs for leprosy patients, schools my grandfather helped found and administrate, the boarding school my mom attended as a child at Nyarero, the house she lived in between the ages of 7 and 15 in Bumangi, and various other related landmarks in and around Musoma, Shirati, Nyarero, Bukiroba, and Bumangi. Without fail, we were met with a welcoming committee that once included an entire Mennonite congregation and a youth choir, and other times just kind-hearted people who made time to walk with us and point out places of interest. In Bumangi, our welcome included gifts from the congregation, a meal, and a beautiful concert by the youth choir that I wanted to never end. After eating, they called each member of the family forward and a group of ululating women surrounded each of us in turn and wrapped us in African cloth. Phil even got a chicken! I'm still not sure why, but they gave him a chicken. (We later traded it for two watermelons in Musoma, which we enjoyed eating more than chicken anyway.)

We were touched by how many people still remembered my grandparents and how richly we were welcomed and honored as their descendents. This will certainly remain the highlight of our time in Tanzania. Tomorrow we go to Amani Nature Reserve and see where Phil does his research. Hopefully also will get to go looking for chameleons!

Next stop-- Tanzania

2010-08-13T06:43:00.002-05:00

It's been a great visit in Egypt. There were a few wrinkles-- my camera gear was lifted from my bag, and dressing conservatively (long sleeves, long pants, shirts that cover my butt, hair always up) has been a little tedious, but it's going to be hard to leave this place and mainly these people.

My niece has had a bit of trouble getting Rhoda's and my names straight, and eventually just started calling us both Sarah. The other day my niece came over to me and asked where Sarah was. I told her that I was right there. She said, "no, the other one." She seems to enjoy us equally though, and both of us can be called upon in any moment to color with her, push her in her swing, or give her something "special" to eat. (Prunes will suffice as "special" any time!) It's been great catching up with my brother and sister-in-law too, and hearing more about their life here and how the adjustment to a new country has been going. Luckily I'll get to stop back in on my way north from Tanzania and see them all once more :)

A few more Egypt pics are up now on my flickr page.

In Tanzania we'll visit my other brother, who is living and working in eastern Tanzania as part of his masters' degree in biology. We also get to visit some of the places my mom lived as a child when her parents were Mennonite missionaries in Tanzania. I've long wanted to take a family trip to this part of the world to visit my mom's old childhood home, and it's so exciting to actually get to do it!

Some Egypt pics

2010-08-11T12:44:00.004-05:00

Well, I doubt I'll ever see my camera battery, charger, cord, or memory cards again. They disappeared from my bag somewhere between New York and Cairo. I've replaced them here in Alexandria and unhappily paid far more for them than I did at home. I am glad to have been able to find the necessary items, though-- no photos for the next 5 months would have been really depressing.

So here are a couple of pictures as promised, though you'll have to view them at my flickr site for now. I have maxed out my free storage space on picasa and have to delete some stuff before google will let me add any more photos to the blog.

Egypt-- Cairo & Alexandria

2010-08-10T08:38:00.003-05:00

It's been nearly a week now since I arrived in Egypt. I met up with my parents and sister, and my brother and sister-in-law and niece came down from Alexandria to spend some time showing us around. We spent our first few days in Cairo, taking in the sights of one of the largest cities in the world. Our first stop was the pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx. They're pretty freaking cool. I'd love to show you some pictures, but that will have to wait for now.* We hired a van one day and packed in lots of interesting places-- the Citadel and Mohammed Ali mosque, the Church of Simeon the Tanner in the Coptic part of town, and the Khan al-Khalil market.

The next day Rhoda and I struck out on our own and went to the Islamic Ceramic Museum, which was slightly overshadowed by the gorgeous 19th century villa it's housed in. I love how many 6 and 8 pointed stars show up in the tile, mosques, fabric, and everywhere. It always makes me think of Mennonite and Amish quilts.

We also went to the Egyptian Museum, a must-see if you're ever in Cairo. Amazing hallways full of stone statues of Pharoahs and Egyptian gods, as well as rooms full of mummies, sarcophagi, and their trappings. I could have spent days in there nosing through everything. It's so interesting to me to see the elaborate rituals that cultures and religions construct around the afterlife. So much effort went into building the pyramids, preparing the bodies of the dead, making all the statuettes, jewelry, beds, etc. to serve them and protect them in the afterlife. Yet who knows what the afterlife holds? Maybe they were met by Horus to be judged, but maybe not. Our ideas may have changed since, but we still postulate grandly about what will happen to us after we die, never mind that we really haven't got the slightest idea.

After Cairo, we took a van to Alexandria where we've been staying with my brother and sister-in-law. We've seen a number of cool things here too, including the library, Fort Qaitbay, Pompey's Pillar, and some impressive catacombs. But I would have to say that the best part so far has been hanging out with my niece again. She's twice as old as when I last saw her, and so smart and charming and interactive now. It'll be hard to say goodbye here.

(*When I got to Cairo I discovered that my extra camera battery, battery charger, camera cord, and all my extra memory cards were missing from my bag. Somewhere between New York and Cairo they exited without me knowing it. I'm trying to get Royal Jordanian to reimburse the cost of replacing them (assuming that I can find replacements here) but haven't managed to find a phone number that works yet. As soon as I figure out this wrinkle, I'll be glad to share some pictures!)

Around the World in 150 Days (give or take a few)

2010-07-28T13:25:00.004-05:00

So at the request of a number of friends, I've decided to try to revive my blog and morph it into a travel log. My hope is to post pictures and stories of my adventures here so that anyone who's interested can follow along. I know internet access will be sporadic, so I can't make any guarantees, but that's the goal.

For any of you who are not up to date on this next phase of my life-- I am taking 5 months, more or less, to travel around the world! The initial idea came out of a desire to visit family and friends living abroad and expanded to include an around-the-world ticket and some serious traveling. In the process of developing the plan, I met a friend, Katy, who worked with me at the Census Bureau. She also had plans to travel in the fall, and we decided to combine our trips and travel together. (You can also read her posts about the trip at her blog-- there's a link to the right in the sidebar.)

After many months of dreaming and planning, the departure date is suddenly a mere week away! The trip begins in Africa, and my parents and sister will both be along on this leg. We start off in Egypt to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and precocious niece in Alexandria, and will do some sight-seeing in Cairo. Then down to Tanzania to visit my other brother who is researching chameleons on a Fulbright scholarship as part of his master's degree. In Tanzania we will also get to visit some of the towns my mother lived in as a missionary child and get a glimpse of what the early part of her life was like.

We part ways after Africa, and I meet up with Katy in Spain. (Rhoda will return to Egypt to spend some more time with Peter & Lisa, and Mom & Dad head home). After Spain, Katy and I part ways briefly when she goes to visit a former student in Belgium and I head to Switzerland to meet up with more friends.

From Europe, we go to Turkey and will spend a few days exploring Istanbul-- the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and more. Then on to Amman, Jordan to see Petra. From there, I will go to Doha, Qatar to visit Chicago friends who have lived there for the past 2 years while Katy meets a friend in Dubai. Katy and I meet up again in Delhi, India and will spend some time traveling around northern India, and of course see the Taj Mahal.

After India, we head to Thailand to see Bangkok and Chiang Mai, a cultural center in northern Thailand. Then on to Sri Lanka to spend a relaxing few days at the beach. After a brief layover in Singapore, we head Down Under!

We'll visit Perth and Melbourne in Australia before hopping over to Auckland, New Zealand where we'll spend a bit of time exploring the north island. Then it's back to Australia to visit a good friend in Sydney.

Whew! So that's the grand plan-- I hope you'll keep an eye on this blog and see what we're up to next. I would also love to hear any travel tips you might have about places we're going that you've already been to. What's good to see and do? What's not worth our time?

I'll be back with more before long!

2009-12-18T13:39:00.003-06:00

U.S. Military Bases in Colombia

2009-12-15T11:36:00.002-06:00

Check out these videos that offer a helpful analysis of the new Colombia/U.S. agreement to allow U.S. troops full access to 7 Colombian military bases throughout the country.

Video Part 1

Video Part 2

2009-10-29T21:54:00.000-05:00

The Body Shop implicated in forced displacement of 123 families

2009-10-28T16:27:00.003-05:00

It's been quite a while since I last posted, but I wanted to update you all on a campaign at the forefront of our work these days.

Palm oil has become a hot product in Europe and North America as both a biofuel and in cosmetics. Uribe's administration plans to make Colombia the world's largest palm oil producer by the year 2020, with over 6 million hectares (roughly 14.8 million acres) planted with oil palm trees. As a direct result of these policies, the devastation of land, ecosystems, and communities is already evident and will only increase. Christian Peacemaker Teams Colombia accompanies two communities facing a struggle for their land in the southern Bolivar region, where palm production is already rampant.

On July 14, 2009, the community of Las Pavas discovered riot police on their land, forcing them to leave immediately for the nearby town of Buenos Aires. The 123 families (approx. 500 people) lost their homes, their food crops, and their land in one day. Daabon Organics bought the land in a shady deal with famed drug lord Pablo Escobar's uncle. Uncle Escobar had owned the land in the 80's but abandoned it in 1993 after Colombian military forces killed Pablo. Landless peasants occupied the land soon after and have been living on it and farming it ever since (save a temporary displacement because of paramilitary violence in the region). According to Colombian law, anyone can legally gain ownership to abandoned land if they can prove that they have lived and improved it for more than 5 years. The Las Pavas community had already begun the process of gaining legal title to the land, and must be allowed to finish that process to determine who the land legally belongs to.

Displaced Las Pavas resident describes destruction to CPT delegates
(see more photos)

Daabon Organics, a massive palm oil corporation, has destroyed acres and acres of forest, drained ponds and marshes, and burned down the houses that stood on the land, and have already begun planting palm oil. The Body Shop gets involved in that it buys 90% of its palm oil from Daabon Organics. Many of you will recognize The Body Shop as a corporation that touts its commitment to sustainable environmental and ethical practices. However, the case of Las Pavas shows their claims to be hollow.

Keep posted for an opportunity to get involved by sending letters to The Body Shop and Daabon executives, requesting that the land be returned to its rightful owners, the campesinos of Las Pavas.

For a good article that appeared in the British newspaper The Guardian click here.
For a good article (in Spanish) click here. (You can also view some great photos with this article.)
To read more from CPT writers, check out our website. (action opportunity also available here.)

Minitejo and send-off for Paul

2009-03-18T11:57:00.001-05:00

Here are some photos of our minitejo match last night with friends in Barranca.

¡Minitejo!

Small Steps toward Justice for Garzal

2009-03-12T10:57:00.003-05:00

by Pierre Shantz

*To receive more articles like this one, sign up for the CPT Colombia email list by sending an email to:
cptcolombia-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

“We are called to be faithful, not effective” is something that CPTers say to keep from feeling too depressed. Sometimes it feels like the violent forces always win. We can help prevent some levels of violence but so often it feels like we are only treading water. This past week the waters have started to recede and it feels like we can touch the bottom. One of the community processes that we accompany is the Garzal/Nueva Esperanza struggle to remain on their land. (see articles: Communities Resist Displacement and I Thought You Were Dead) The community challenged the Barreto family’s fraudulent titles in court and has been nervously waiting for the judge to give a ruling. Many felt that the judge, like many other government officials in this process, was paid off by the Barreto family and would rule in their favor. A ruling in favor of the Barreto family could mean that the residents of Garzal would be forcibly removed.

Last week, the judge called the community to a mediation session with the Barreto family on Wednesday, March 3rd. Many questions ran through the community’s mind. Is the process finished? Would the judge force the community to negotiate the surrender of their land? Loaded in the back of a truck, the community traveled to Simiti to hear the ruling. In the end only the lawyers were permitted to enter the judge’s chamber. The decision was not one that the community expected-- the judge ruled that the decision was out of his hands. The Colombian Institute for Rural Development (INCODER) should decide whose land it is.

This gives the community much hope. In February the Garzal communities had a meeting with the national legal representative of INCODER. She is the first government official to commit to a fair and open process reviewing all titles and documents related to the Garzal/Nueva Esperanza case. She will personally visit and inspect the Garzal communities to see who is in fact on the land. “I wanted to let out a loud shout of joy right there in the courthouse I was so happy,” said Pastor Salvador when I called him to congratulate him on this small step towards justice for the community.

The struggle is not over. Other low-level INCODER officials have been involved in trying to remove the families from their land. There is some hope that the long arm of corruption of the Barreto family isn’t long enough to reach the highest levels of INCODER.

Anxious yet hopeful we all await the date set for March 19th and 20th. The community requests your continued thoughts and prayers. I still believe that we are called to be faithful rather than effective, but it sure feels good to see a process we accompany stand firm and in the end, remain standing.

Garzal Update

2009-03-02T20:57:00.002-06:00

The conciliation mentioned in this post is taking place tomorrow and Wednesday in Simití, which I and my teammate Chris will be accompanying. It's an important stage in the Garzal struggle, and the outcome could be triumphant or disastrous for the communities of Garzal and Nueva Esperanza.

Context:
The Garzal township, including the towns of Garzal and Nueva Esperanza, lie along the Magdalena river a few hours north of Barrancabermeja. Just to the west, the foothills of the San Lucas Mountains begin sloping upwards. The 136 families who live in Garzal and Nueva Esperanza make their living on the land, growing cacao and vegetables, raising cattle, and fishing.

During the 1980’s, the Barreto family lived and worked in Garzal processing coca into cocaine and transporting it for the notorious drug czar Pablo Escobar. Flights full of cocaine took off as frequently as 3 times per night from a small runway on the Barretos’ land, carrying drugs that had been brought down from the mountains. In 1989, the drug lab was raided and Mr. Barreto received 2 years in jail. Over the next few years the Barreto family all but abandoned their land in Garzal. Other landless families moved to the area and began working the land. Now, the Barretos are back and demand not only the land they used to live on, but the entirety of all the land in Garzal for their own.

Approximately half of the families in Garzal and Nueva Esperanza legally own their land based on a Colombian law that states that a person can take legal ownership after 5 years of living on and working the land. INCODER, the Colombian Institute for Rural Development, issued paper titles to 64 families a few years ago, but returned and took them back under the pretext of needing to make changes to the documents. The Barreto family had false titles drawn up which show that they own all of Garzal, and have used these papers to bring a legal suit against the community. They want to officially revoke the 64 titles that currently exist and have mired the case in court for years.

Update: In recent weeks, the conflict has escalated significantly. The Barretos brought a criminal case against ten members of the community, including arrest warrants against them, based on trumped-up charges as a measure to put pressure on the communities. The judge currently assigned to the case has called both parties—the communities and the Barreto family—together for a “conciliation.” This essentially implies that the communities will have a chance to address the terms of the sale of their land to the Barreto family. The communities do not want to sell at all, and will attend but will not negotiate. Despite having no legal claim to the land, the Barreto family has used their sizeable wealth and power to intimidate and bully the rightful owners of the land.

The situation is tense at present as the communities wait to see whether or not justice will be done. The two parties meet for the “conciliation” on Wednesday, 4 March. An INCODER representative plans to visit the communities in approximately 2 weeks to investigate facts on the ground. CPT will maintain a presence in the community during the first week of March, as the farmers consult with their lawyer, prepare for and attend the meeting with the Barreto family.

Ash Wednesday Public Action

2009-02-28T16:40:00.001-06:00

Public Action

We presented a public action/prayer in front of the main cathedral in Barranca to publicize the release of our annual human rights report and to publicly mourn the deaths and massacres happening in Colombia.

Praying for Peace

2009-02-28T15:26:00.003-06:00

This is the reading, written by Pierre and Chris, that we used at our public action on Ash Wednesday.

Esther 3:8-10
Then Haman said to King Xerxes, "There is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king's laws; it is not in the king's best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury for the men who carry out this business." So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.

Context:
Today, multinational corporations and countries like the U.S. and Canada have said to Colombia, "Colombia, you have a certain people dispersed and scattered in all your provinces that do not obey the laws of privatization, monocultures, fumigations, and the concentration of wealth. They don't obey the laws of the free market. If it pleases you, Mr. President, issue a decree of Plan Colombia to annihilate them, and we will deposit in the hands of your administrators billions of pesos."

Esther 3:13
Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and little children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.

Context:
And the army and the paramilitaries were send to all the provinces of the country with the order to exterminate, kill and annihilate the farming villages, miners, indigenous groups, labor unions, social organizations, and human rights workers, and to forcibly recruit youth to be soldiers in the war project.

Esther 4:1-3
When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. But he went only as far as the king's gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

Context:
The Jews used sackcloth and covered themselves in ashes to show their sorrow. Today we come to dress ourselves for mourning and sit at the door of the government to lament the decree of economic, social and military war against the Colombian people.

Esther 4:6-8, 12-14
So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate. Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to urge her to go into the king's presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.
When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

Context:
Like Mordecai, we have knowledge of plans of destruction and how much they are prepared to pay for them. We have copies of the decrees that have gone out from the businesses and governments and we know the consequences of those actions. Just like Esther we are called to speak out and report to the king what we know is happening.

Esther 4:15-17
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish." So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther's instructions.

Context:
As Esther fasted and prepared herself to present herself to the king, we also must prepare ourselves and think about what our roles can be in the face of this monster of war. This season of Lent can be a time of reflection for each one of us. Esther made the decision of "if I perish, I perish" and sadly many have perished because they have confronted the king. Now we invite you, out loud or in your hearts, to name these people.

Esther 9:28
These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the Jews, nor should the memory of them die out among their descendants.

Context:
The story of Esther ends well for the Jewish people. The king issued a new decree, allowing the Jews the possibility to defend themselves against the threat. Today we have come together here not to celebrate a victory but to defend ourselves against the great threat of war with our one powerful tool-- the truth. We are present here to denounce the violent acts so that they won't be lost to memory or remain in impunity. We hope for the day in which kings carry out their duties to respect the lives of each one of the inhabitants of Colombia and the entire world.

CPT Colombia 2008 Human Rights Report

2009-02-25T13:00:00.002-06:00

For the past 3 years, the Colombia team has compiled reports of violations to international humanitarian law and published them in an annual report. We've just wrapped up the report covering Dec. 2007 through Nov. 2008, and you can read our findings on our website: Colombia 2008 Human Rights Report

Garzal

2009-02-19T17:39:00.002-06:00

We traveled to Garzal and Nueva Esperanza, two towns along the Magdalena River whose inhabitants face forced removal from their land. After living on the land for 5 years, Colombian law states that they become the rightful owners of the land, and these communities have been here for 20 years or more. Many farmers grow cacao, which turns a pretty good profit. Plans are in the works to build an entire chocolate production plant in the area, so that the communities can manage all stages of the process themselves and greatly increase their profit margin. But the land title issue has them worried. At one point INCODER (the Colombian Institute for Rural Development) issued 64 titles to many of the inhabitants. Later, they returned and collected the titles, claiming they needed to make a few small changes, and have never returned the titles.

The Barreto family used to live in the area where they managed the region's drug trade working for Pablo Escobar. When Escobar was under attack, the Barreto family fled. But now they are interested in returning, and have had fake land titles drawn up that show themselves as the owners of the entire area. The real titles, which belong to the members of the community, are in a legal process to be revoked. Thankfully the communities have a good lawyer helping them navigate the system, but so far the odds are stacked against them.

Garzal and Simiti

More photos

2009-01-31T20:52:00.003-06:00

I've just uploaded some more pictures, this time from an accompaniment last weekend to support the families of the victims of the 16 May 1998 massacre in Barrancabermeja as they received the remains of 5 of the victims.

On 16 May 1998, close to 50 paramilitaries showed up at a soccer field in Barrancabermeja where lots of people were out celebrating Mothers' Day. They rounded up a bunch of men and told them to get in the back of their pickup trucks. One man refused, so they shot him. 7 men were killed at the soccer field, and 25 were disappeared. In Dec. 2008, an ex-paramilitary disclosed the location of some of the bodies of the victims of this event. On 23 Jan. 2009, the exhumed remains of 5 of the 32 victims were returned to their families in Bucaramanga. The families (accompanied by quite a number of social organizations, including CPT) returned to Barrancabermeja with the remains of their loved ones. In the very same field where their loved ones had been taken, the families set up a night-long vigil, followed by mass the next morning, and finally, burial.

16 May 1998 Massacre

Mining Zone accompaniments

2009-01-31T10:39:00.002-06:00

So far nearly all the accompaniments I've participated in with ECAP Colombia have been in or with people from the mining zone, in the Southern Bolivar region. This link will take you to a Picasa photo album with pictures of two recent accompaniments in the mining zone.

Accompaniments in the Sur de Bolivar mining zone

Christmas lights in Barranca

2008-12-15T09:34:00.004-06:00

Parque de la Vida (Park of Life) in downtown Barranca,
all lit up for Christmas

My favorite, the iguana in a ceiba tree

Posing in the women sculptures

My other favorite, the snowman beside the palm trees

Enjoying ice cream at the Parque de la Vida on the Night of Lights

Sara, Chris, Stewart

Christmas lights on the palm trees lining the park

Velitas (little candles) lighting Mary's way on the night of the Immaculate Conception

David versus Goliath

2008-11-18T15:48:00.006-06:00

It's been ages since my last post, so kudos to any of you who are still checking in to see if I have anything to say this time :)

A few weeks ago I and two of my teammates (Kim Lamberty & Julián Gutierrez) traveled to Santa Rosa in the southern part of the Bolivar province to attend a round table discussion between a federation of small miners and government representatives. The Southern Bolivar Agricultural-Mining Federation (FEDEAGROMISBOL-- la Federación Agro-Minera de Sur de Bolivar) have been trying to schedule a meeting with the government for months now. The first meeting was planned for mid-September, and we found out the night before that the government had cancelled. So it was re-scheduled for a few weeks later. The government didn't go to that one either; nor did they bother to let anyone know they weren't coming. Hundreds of miners, some from as far as a 10 hour journey away, had already made the trip and weren't very happy about being stood up. They organized a commission of 150 representatives, who traveled to the Ministry of Mining office in Cartagena to demand an audience. Finally, on 6 November, both parties met together in Santa Rosa.

The Federation brought a huge agenda, which they didn't get through in its entirety, but they did broach several key topics. The Federation presented a human rights report from the past 2 years, documenting 35 instances of human rights abuses which resulted in over 100 deaths. One of the dead is Alejandro Uribe Chacón, former leader of the Federation and instrumental in organizing the miners to advocate for themselves. Death threats continue-- leaders of the Federation, priests from a local diocese, and members of a development organization that work in the region received threats twice so far this year from a paramilitary group, promising to "exterminate them like dogs." Paramilitaries continue to move and act with impunity. Often, local police know just enough of their plans to be conveniently absent when killings and kidnappings occur. In this, and many other cases, trying to make a living for yourself and your family on your land is enough to attract the attention of armed actors. More on this dynamic in a bit...

At the end of the day, people seemed energized and pleased with the achievements of the meetings. The biggest step forward came in the formation of a joint human rights investigation committee, made up of representatives from government entities and members of the Federation, who committed to look into the human rights abuses reported by the mining communities. Another positive outcome is the promise to put a bank in the region to be accessible for miners to sell their gold. (The government hadn't been pleased that the miners were selling their gold on the black market; the miners didn't have a bank to sell it to.) Some speculated that the government representatives felt a bit sheepish after failing to attend so many previous meetings, which made them a bit more prepared to work with the miners and their requests. Whatever the reason, it seemed like a constructive discussion.

So why so much paramilitary activity in the Sur de Bolivar? The answer is chillingly simple-- the veins of gold underground attract not only local miners, scraping to make a living, but also powerful corporations such as AngloGold Ashanti, a South African mining giant. Their subsidiary, Kedahda, is actively purchasing land in the Sur de Bolivar region. (see an article about Kedahda's activity in Colombia) Small mining communities determined to keep their land represent a threat to the interests of AngloGold, and while they haven't been directly linked to fomenting violence in Colombia, they have admitted to paying off rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in exchange for access to gold mines there.

The story is sadly similar the world over, and free trade agreements like the FTAA and the proposed Colombia Free Trade Agreement (which could be voted on in the U.S. Congress as early as this week) open the doors to corporations intent on increasing their profits, with little incentive for small farmers and miners just trying to survive. The "disposable poor" continue to be stripped of what power they have, so that the already rich can get even richer. But power comes in many forms, and economic power is just one of them. Communities such as the miners in the Sur de Bolivar know that they have a power to which corporations have assigned little value-- the power to organize and stand up for themselves. As the familiar quote goes, indeed, it is only the small groups of committed people who have ever brought true change to the world. The Federation and the families they represent face a huge, uphill, David-vs.-Goliath battle, but their efforts give witness to the strength of those small committed communities who work for nothing less (and nothing more) than the right to a life with dignity.

So this is what CPT does-- we go to meetings like this one in Santa Rosa, so that community activists can meet without fear of violent reprisal. We can't be everywhere at once, but our presence signals the attention of the international community, and hopefully, reminds those who would perpetrate violence that their actions will not go unnoticed.

International Day of Nonviolence

2008-10-02T18:03:00.002-05:00

Happy International Day of Nonviolence!

My teammate Stewart and I spent the afternoon at an assembly for local schools, where various groups spoke to the students about nonviolence. One group, Quinto Mandamiento (5th Commandmant; a conscientious objector group) asked the children what violence was, and the first response was "land take-overs." A form of violence all too common here, especially in resource-rich areas.

Colombia exports oil, coal, coffee, and gold, among other things. The gold mining region of Sur de Bolivar has experienced much upheaval, assassinations and displacement over the past two decades due to the value placed on their land, but not on the lives of those who inhabit the land. Paramilitary incursions and violence accompanied the arrival of mining giant Kedahda (a subsidiary of AngloGold Ashanti), who have set their sights on the profit to be made off this land. For more information about the Sur de Bolivar region, as well as the local federation formed to defend local, small-scale miners and their land, check out the Colombia Solidarity Campaign's blog.

Getting Oriented

2008-10-01T15:26:00.006-05:00

So here I am in Barrancabermeja at the CPT house. "Barrancabermeja" you say... or more likely, you wonder "how on earth do I say that?" Well, if you sound it out phonetically (that's the great thing about Spanish!) you get: Ba-ran-ca-ber-me-ha (the "j" makes an "h" sound). Or you can just stick with Barranca for short :).

Barrancabermeja is the unofficial capital of its department, Santander, and lies to the north and a bit east of Bogota. The national oil refinery, Ecopetrol (though in the process of being privatized), forms the backbone of the industry and economy here. Though predominantly industrial, Barranca also has a lively downtown business and shopping district and some pretty parks.

In our neighborhood of Barrio Versalles, I've already found a great little ice cream shop (the passion fruit ice cream beats all the competition!) and a soccer field where I can go jogging. Due to in part to Barranca's extremely low elevation of 246 ft. above sea level, and in part to its proximity to the equator, the climate is perpetually HOT and humid. I'm told it rarely falls below 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and I know it frequently climbs above that. Thankfully tank tops are appropriate attire in nearly all situations! For more information about Barranca, check out its Wikipedia entry, no doubt edited by one of CPT's own at some point :)

CPT, or ECAP as we're known here, set up house in Barranca in 2001 at the invitation of the Colombian Mennonite Church. Initially, our work focused on accompanying communities in the Opon River region who were under threat from guerrilla and paramilitary groups. Some communities were displaced by the violence, and some were eventually able to return. Currently ECAP's accompaniment work takes us to six different regions on a rotation, visiting each community every eight weeks or so. Each different area has its own distinct characteristics and challenges, and I'll be able to write more about each of them once I'm better acquainted with the specific work we do in each place.

For now, I'll wrap it up and get back to you with more later.

Fingerprints and paperwork

2008-09-24T15:26:00.002-05:00

No, I didn't get arrested again-- I'm just trying to register my Colombian visa here in Bogotá. It's taking longer than I thought, so I might end up spending another day in Bogotá til things get wrapped up.

I arrived last night, at the same time as a Christian band receiving a very warm welcome at the Bogota International Airport. I walked out of the baggage claim to discover all the fans just outside, crowding behind metal barricades, and straining for a glimpse (and a cell phone pic) of the band. Somebody had a guitar, and everyone was singing "Cantaré de tu amor por siempre" (I will sing of your love forever). Anybody know who sings that?

I'm staying with a very hospitable Mennonite couple here in Bogotá. José Luis even accompanied me all over town this morning, and agreed to do it again tomorrow. Apparently my visa doesn't include specific enough information about my work in Colombia, so I have to go to another office to have that clarified on my visa. Then the immigration office can issue me a cédula, or ID card, which will state my status and allow me to carry it instead of my passport for identification.

With the added morning of paperwork, I'll probably leave for Barrancabermeja on Friday instead of Thursday. More later!

CPT Borderlands Delegation

2008-05-25T16:38:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to let any of you who are interested know what I'm up to for the next two weeks. I leave this afternoon, Sunday 25 May, for Tucson. There, I'll meet 11 delegates and my co-leader, Renee, and I'll begin a familiar experience (a CPT delegation) in an unfamiliar role (as a leader). This delegation aims to educate and inspire justice-minded individuals about the injustices and militarization along our border with Mexico.

In Tucson, we will sit in court to experience first hand "Operation Streamline." This legislation has been in effect in parts of Texas and began this year in Tucson. Instead of the previous pattern of "catch and release," immigrants found in the U.S. without proper documentation are now arrested, booked and processed. This results in many immigrants spending a few weeks in jail before their court dates, and jails around the Tucson sector are swamped.

We'll also travel to Douglas, Arizona, to meet with those providing relief services to migrants weary and dehydrated from their trek across the Sonoran desert. The walk from Altar, a popular staging site, takes about 6 days, and it's impossible to carry enough water for the journey. All who walk become dehydrated, some to the point of convulsions and even death. This time of year is particularly deadly as temperatures climb into the 100's. Last year, 238 people died trying to cross the desert. And how many more were never found?

U.S. laws criminalize people, and those who would try to help them. Yet as followers of Christ, we know that no human being is illegal. Keep posted for updates on this journey, as we open our eyes to the strangers in our midst and how they are treated. (for more details on CPT delegations, check out our website.

"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for in so doing, some have entertained angels unawares."

2007-10-28T07:41:00.000-05:00

the separation wall between Jerusalem and Jericho
for more photos, click here

I'm sure many of you are familiar with the story of the blind men and the elephant, in which six blind men each feel different parts of the elephant, convinced that their individual part is the only true characteristic of the elephant. The poem posits that humanity does the same thing with God-- we are each convinced that the piece we know is the only true characteristic.

I've been thinking about this story a lot since I've come here to Palestine/Israel, the birthplace of the people of the Book-- Jews, Muslims and Christians. Looking over the Jerusalem skyline, you can see the buildings of all three places of worship prominently displayed. Since arriving, we have met peacemakers of all three faiths, all passionately committed to ending the occupation and finding ways to live together. At ICAHD (the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions), we met Jewish activists working against the oppressive violence of their state. At Holy Land Trust, we met Palestinian Christians who teach nonviolence and organize weekly demonstrations against the separation wall. At Wi'am, Muslim peacemakers lead mediation workshops and work to reconcile inter personal conflicts. Yet religion continues to be used to divide and separate people, something my understanding of the elephant doesn't support.

If only we could recognize the common humanity in one another and unite as brothers and sisters, the children of Abraham that we all are!

At-Tuwani!

2007-10-14T03:48:00.000-05:00

the village of At-Tuwani
for more photos, click here

I just returned to Hebron from a few days with the CPT team in At-Tuwani, a small village in the hills south of the city of Hebron.

It's much different than the city of Hebron, which has about 150,000 inhabitants. Tuwani is a village of about 130 people. They live off the land, growing olives and grains and herding sheep. It's a remarkably beautiful area, as you can see from my photos. One morning we walked down to see some old cave homes, only recently abandoned within the last decade. And villagers in neighboring Tuba still make their homes in caves. People have been living in these hills for a very very long time!

But in 1981, they gained some new and very unfriendly neighbors when the illegal Israeli settlement of Ma'on formed on the hill adjacent to Tuwani. More recently, settlers in Ma'on established an outpost even closer to Tuwani called Havat Ma'on, taking over land that belongs to villagers in Tuwani.

The settlers in Havat Ma'on in particular are a brand of violent ideologues that seem focused on making life difficult for the villagers in Tuwani and neighboring villages. Children from the village of Tuba, where inhabitants have lived in caves for hundreds of years, walk over the hill every day to attend school in Tuwani. Since the settlement and outpost have set up camp, the children must walk between the two to get to the school in Tuwani. They were regularly harassed, so CPTers began accompanying them daily to and from school. Until a few years ago, when settlers attacked two CPTers with chains, sending them to the hospital, one with a broken arm and leg, and the other with a punctured lung. Now the Israeli government provides a military escort for the children-- a jeep full of IDF soldiers appears every morning and afternoon to accompany the children past the settlement.

I'm still having trouble understanding this-- that a group of people could be so determined, their hate so virulent, as to personally make the daily effort to go out and harass shepherds grazing their flocks, even school children walking to school. Racism, my sisters and brothers, is a frighteningly healthy beast.

dance party, at-tuwani, palestine

2007-10-12T10:38:00.001-05:00

This is a great little clip of kids in At-Tuwani getting down to a dance mix ringtone on Sean's phone!!

Sunday in Jerusalem

2007-10-07T15:06:00.001-05:00

The Dome of the Rock, with the upper part of the Wailing Wall in the foreground
For more photos, click here

This morning we headed into Jerusalem for church services at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in the Old City. We wound through mazes of narrow streets filled with vendors selling everything from nail clippers to leather sandals to beautiful glass ware, and finally ended up at the church, only a few minutes late :) Today was World Communion Sunday, and I felt particularly connected to all people of faith as I participated in the Eucharist.

After the service, a few of us continued wandering around Jerusalem and found many remarkable things-- the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where artifacts and symbols of Jesus' crucifixion are enshrined amid ornate chandeliers, epic paintings and glittering baubles. I couldn't help but wonder what Jesus the man would have thought of this place, so institutionalized and gaudy. Visitors demonstrated remarkable devotion and fervor, but I just couldn't get into the spirit of it all. Somehow I think Jesus wants to meet us in the midst of the mess of real life, not in a lovely, but dead, building.

We also made our way through the Jewish quarter, and saw old columns, excavated from the ancient Roman city of Jerusalem. I just can't get over how OLD this place is!

Then we arrived at the Wailing Wall. After clearing the military checkpoint with metal detectors and scanners, we could pass through to the wall itself. In the distance, the gleaming roof of the Dome of the Rock rose out of the surrounding city-- a holy site for Muslims; where the prophet Mohammed ascended into heaven. I walked up to the section of Wailing Wall partitioned off for women and noticed all the notes. Little pieces of paper, covered in prayers and petitions, jutted out from every crack in the wall. If you've ever read The Secret Life of Bees, you might remember one of the sisters creating her own Wailing Wall of sorts, out in the woods in an old stone fencerow where she could write her worries on bits of paper, stuff them into the wall, and be released from their weight. I thought of her as I stood facing the wall, and decided to write a prayer of my own.

Why, O God, must your children fight so viciously among themselves? Are we not all the children of Abraham, your children, sisters and brothers to one another? Our greed and determination to possess, rather than share this sacred ground we all revere, is tearing us apart. Our greed and determination to possess, rather than to share you as one God of all, is corrupting our souls. Give us the courage to look each one in the eye, and grace to see their well-being intimately linked with our own. Give us strength to stand against injustice, for when one of us is oppressed, none of us is truly free. Forgive us, O God, and heal this land...

Everyone 'neath their vine and fig tree...

2007-10-05T06:15:00.001-05:00

Christina talks with the Israeli soldiers
For more photos click here.

I've had this song running through my head all day-- "And everyone 'neath their vine and fig tree, shall live in peace and unafraid. And into plowshares turn their swords, nations shall learn war no more." It's a catchy tune, but I really don't mind having it with me. Here in this land of vines, fig, olive, and date trees, nations still learn war and practice it daily on each other.

This morning we went to the town of Um Salamonah to join a group of Palestinians protesting the separation wall. On the neighboring hill, the Israeli settlement of Efrat looms, despite being in the West Bank, supposedly Palestinian territory. Now that the settlement has claimed the hill, they are annexing a large part of the Palestinian town's fields. A new road snakes between the two hills on which the separation wall will soon be built, cutting off Um Salamonah from some of their fields.

A group of about 50 people gathered, including both Palestinian and Israeli activists and members of various international groups such as Christian Peacemaker Teams, Michigan Peace Teams and the International Solidarity Movement. We walked down the hill from Um Salamonah, across the new road, and up the hill toward the Efrat settlement. Nearly a dozen soldiers met us partway up the hill, and another dozen soon joined them. We stayed only a short time to listen to a few speakers talk about the illegal land grab. Christina Gibb, member of CPT Palestine, attempted to give one of the soldiers a quote by Dr. King about the descending spiral of violence, which she took, but another soldier took it from her hand immediately and attempted to give it back. Christina was already on her way back down the hill by then.

These days, Palestinians can't sit under their own vine and fig tree-- Israeli settlements have occupied them.

Photos from Day One: Jerusalem and Hebron

2007-10-03T15:27:00.000-05:00

Shops along David Street in the Old City of Jerusalem

Ceramics and beads for sale

For more photos, see my album Palestine/Israel in October on Facebook.

Ramadan and Sukkoth in Jerusalem

2007-10-02T14:20:00.000-05:00

I arrived safely in Tel Aviv this afternoon, and Mary Wendeln from CPT's Hebron project met me at the airport. We took a shuttle to the Jaffa Gate, an entrance to the Old City in Jerusalem where Christians, Jews and Muslims can enter and easily access their own quarters of the Old City. It's high festival time now, for both Jewish and Muslim faiths. Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic year, continues in its third full week. Muslims fast during daylight hours and break the fast together after the call to prayer at sunset. This year it coincides with Sukkoth, the Jewish feast of the Tabernacle.

The city is alive, even at this late hour of the evening, with vendors selling food, shoes, cloth, pottery, and all sorts of beautiful artisan work. The Damascus Gate, at the entrance to the Muslim quarter, is adorned with bright lights and crowds of people wander through the stands, smoking nargeelah and talking.

Tomorrow we head out to Hebron, a 30 mile trip that takes 2 hours because of road closures and checkpoints. While Israelis have access to good roads, Palestinians must use separate (and unequal) roads to travel, and CPT will travel with the Palestinians. I'm looking forward to more reunions with many of the people who were in my January CPT training in Chicago-- 6 of them, in fact! We pretty much are the Palestine teams now ;) Keep posted for more news (and hopefully photos coming soon) from the Holy Land.

Borderlands Witness Drive

2007-10-01T01:47:00.001-05:00

CPT approached the work along the U.S./Mexico border in a new way this year-- a team of four, traveling from Tucson, AZ. along the border to Brownsville, TX., and then heading north to end in Washington, D.C. Along the way, we experienced life in the borderlands, a third place that is neither U.S. nor Mexico, but a mix of the two. For more photos, please see my Borderlands Witness Drive photo album.
For more information, please see the team's blog that tracked our experiences as we travelled.

FLOC Monterrey Accompaniment

2007-10-01T01:07:00.001-05:00

(in above photo: CPTer Joe Mueller at work in the FLOC Office)

In May 2007 I joined a CPT team in Monterrey, Mexico for an emergency accompaniment project with workers at the Farm Labor Organizing Committee office. In April 2007, one of their staffers was assassinated in the office, likely due to their work on behalf of migrant laborer rights. CPT spent two weeks accompanying the office workers, who were determined to carry on the work in spite of the attempt to intimidate and silence them. For more information on FLOC, please see: http://www.floc.com/

Welcome!

2007-10-01T01:02:00.000-05:00

Since I began full-time work with Christian Peacemaker Teams in January 2007, I've gotten involved in a number of exciting projects in various parts of North America, and now the Middle East. I have trouble keeping up with my own schedule, so I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you! Hence this blog... I'll post photos and reflections from my travels, which you can read (or not) at your own leisure. I'd love to have you along for the journey!