Information Overload

Giant vats of information about Colombia have been dumped on our heads in the last 3 days, in the hope that some small part of it will seep into our minds. It is starting to, but I’m too tired to write any pithy analysis of it all.


First of all, here’s the group:



In order: Ken, Jim, Amanda, Linda, Me, Bonnie’s cute 2 year old, Wilmer, Bonnie, Alice, Linda, Irene. Not pictured is John, who is taking the picture.

Amanda is the JustaPaz sister church coordinator and Bonnie is the MCC representative, and both are our constant companions during the Bogota part of the trip. They tirelessly arrange everything, keep us informed and out of trouble.

Linda, Linda, and Alice are from Portland Mennonite, and Samuel is from the Hispanic Portland Mennonite church that meets in the same building. Actually, one of the Lindas is here for a year to teach Spanish at their sister church, so technically, she is from here.

Jim is from Kirchner Mennonite, Ontario. I would call him the token Canadian, except that Amanda and Bonnie are both Canadian, and have all the power. Luckily, Canadadians are not very good at abusing power, so I think we’re OK. Also, Bonnie's parents, John and Irene are tagging along and are also both Canadians, so we can legitimately claim to be a Canadian group if we get kidnapped. In fact, Jim offered to sell me a maple leaf lapel pin so I could convince others that I was Canadian to be safer, but I pointed out that selling your country actually makes you more American than Canadian.


In the last few days, we’ve met with folks from JustaPaz, MCC, Mencoldes, a Mennonite Brethren church in a displacement area that also runs a school, an ex-Colonel from the Colombian Air Force who is now a pacifist, and a 13 year old displaced Colombian girl who like Algebra. I am deeply impressed with them all – the number of programs that they are running and the commitment and integrity with which they advocate for peace, justice, education, and humanity. I plan to sprinkle in posts about some of these when I get the time, except that it doesn’t look like there will be much time.


I guess the two most important things I’ve learned so far are:

1. Drug Money Runs Colombia. It drives the economy, elects politicians, and finances the violence. While Colombians themselves do not have much of a drug-use problem, they do a drug-money-corruption problem. Of course, as one of our speakers said (when he noted cases of US military and diplomatic personel caught smuggling drugs): “Drug trafficking money can corrupt any nationality.”

2. Economic Interests Drive Displacment. Over 10% of Colombia’s population is currently displaced due to violence or threats. However, it is the economics that drive this, from paramilitary or insurgents forcing people off farm land so they can grow coca, to multinational corporations being given rights to develop land that people already live on and must be driven out for money to be made.

Once again, it comes down to the corruption of power. It's too bad there aren't more Canadians in the world.