International Day of Nonviolence

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

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

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

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."

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!

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

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