I've been wanting to write this post for a while now. The peace process in Colombia has been in the international headlines for weeks yet even though I live in Colombia, I felt like I did not have enough information to really comment on the process itself mostly because I was getting my information from the headlines and articles in the media just like everyone else in the world.
"Do not talk about the peace process with your students." This was announced to all of the middle school teachers at school. Though there was no explicit reason given, it is clear that the peace deal is controversial and a point of contention between students, teachers, parents, and administrators. However, despite the warnings (I'm in high school and my principal didn't directly say "don't talk about it"), I decided to ask questions to some of my students and co-workers to find out more about the peace treaty and plebiscite. Here's the short version:
Who voted YES: Those who voted yes fall into a few categories: low/middle class, live in rural areas that were directly affected by the FARC, or were displaced as a result of the war. Every Colombian teacher I spoke with at my school was voting yes explaining that although parts of the treaty may not be perfect, peace is better than war. Others explained that compromise is necessary and some even mentioned the importance of forgiveness when seeking peace.
Who voted NO: These are mostly urban, upper class citizens with power (the majority of my students' families). When I asked some of my students their thoughts, most of them said that they would vote NO if they could. They argued that they want peace, but the FARC deserve stronger punishments than would be given under the terms of the treaty. They also mentioned that no FARC members should be allowed to be part of the government. Furthermore, they are extremely loyal to Alvaro Uribe, the former president who has been extremely vocal against the treaty. I specifically remember last year while reading Orwell's 1984, my honors students had to create their own Two Minutes Hate video and a few of them chose Santos as "Goldstein" and Uribe as "Big Brother." This "hate" for everything Santos does is not new.
Why Colombia voted NO:
- Less than 40% of the Colombian population voted.
- Many people didn't vote because they assumed the YES vote would win.
- There was harsh weather on the northern Caribbean coast which prevented people from voting.
- Colombia's history of election fraud and corruption??
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| Green areas equal YES, orange areas equal NO. We live in Valle de Cauca province which voted YES. http://www.telesurtv.net/ |
Amidst all the dissension, school on Friday was different. I arrived early and as I turned into my classroom, I could hear one of the school secretaries squealing like a school girl behind me. "Did you hear about the peace prize?" she asked a co-worker. I turned around to see them hugging and jumping up and down. I swear their smiles reached from here to Medellin. There was a distinct buzz of joy and national pride that penetrated even some of the strongest naysayers. Although I don't know what the future will bring, I can only hope that Colombia will continue to become the safe, beautiful, and vibrant country I have grown to know and love.
Here are some articles that I found helpful when researching the peace process:
