PCSJA members honour those who lost their lives for standing up for peace in Colombia’s civil war. (www.cdpsanjose.org)Last
summer – one year after finishing The Power of Staying Put – I went back to La Holandita, Colombia, home to the Peace
Community of San José de Apartadó (PCSJA). My admiration for the PCSJA’s
perseverance, resourcefulness and commitment to nonviolent resistance in the
face of war had not diminished one bit. Still facing repression and
stigmatization from armed groups stationed in their area, this small farming community
in northwestern Colombia continues to engage in an impressive array of civil
resistance tactics which have sustained the lives and livelihoods of its
residents for almost two decades. As a peace community, the PCSJA does not
cooperate with or rely on any group or entity that derives power from the
barrel of a gun – state forces, the FARC, and paramilitary groups alike.
First
established in 1997 in San José de Apartadó, PCSJA villagers did not flee the
violence these actors were perpetrating. Instead they stayed put as an act of
nonviolent resistance, declaring total neutrality. Many villagers have paid the
ultimate price for this choice. In 2005, they were forced to move their
headquarters a few miles down the road to La Holandita, when a military outpost
was built in San José de Apartadó (which overtly violated their raison d’être
of neutrality). Nevertheless, the PCSJA today has grown into a robust,
sophisticated peace community which operates its own school and self-sustained
economic activities. Many major international actors, including the Fellowship for
Reconciliation, Operazione Colomba, and Peace Brigades
International, as well as burgeoning peace initiatives
around the world recognize the PCSJA as a model and authentic, grassroots
peacebuilder.
Returning
to La Holandita this past summer felt like going back home; warm smiles and
friendly greetings welcomed me. I had the chance to meet the new members of the
Internal Council, play with the kids, help with the community vegetable garden,
enjoy a few days refreshing community life, and learn about recent developments
since my last visit in spring 2014.
The history: suffering, organizing,
courage
The history
of the PCSJA is one of war, violence and suffering, but also one of solidarity,
organization and courage.
“It makes me happy when the community fights back.” PCSJA. Credit: Juan Masullo J.Situated at the foot of the Abibe Mountains, San José de Apartadó is a tight-knit
rural village with a complex history of social and political tensions and acute
violence. The agitation was in large part due to the village’s location – in
the economically vibrant and geostrategic region of Urabá, which became one of
the hearts of Colombia’s civil war over the course of the twentieth century. The
residents are mainly campesinos (peasant
farmers) – with poor access to education and surviving on meagre income.
Acting
collectively and nonviolently was all the PCSJA had to try to protect each
other from violence and to salvage what was left of their livelihoods in the
midst of war.
War came to
the village in the early 1970s with the arrival of left-wing guerrilla groups.
After almost two decades of insurgent control, San José residents saw the
arrival of right-wing paramilitaries subsequently in the mid-1990s. With the
paramilitaries disputing guerilla territorial control, villagers were swept
into a violent contest for domination of their land. Under these circumstances, and an increase in violence that campesinos increasingly perceived as inescapable, many villagers
decided to flee the area. But a small group of farmers (around a thousand) instead
stayed put and chose to collectively defy violent groups by engaging in
organized nonviolent forms of noncooperation, self-organization and disruption.
For San José villagers,
acting collectively and nonviolently was all they had to try to protect each
other from violence and to salvage what was left of their livelihoods in the
midst of war. Many of the (primarily Catholic) villagers and leaders believe in
the ethical value of nonviolence. But for them, outright rejection of violence
was quite simply the best strategic way to guarantee a minimum of protection, and to signal to all armed
groups their intention not to cooperate with them and to stay out of a war they
did not feel was theirs.
Hamlet of La Unión, village of San José de Apartadó, situated in the geostrategic region of Urabá. Credit: Juan Masullo J. The Power of Staying Put
provides a near-comprehensive history of the PCSJA. What I would like
to highlight in this article is, first, the unique contributions that this
committed and organized peace community has to offer as a guide for other
communities living in the midst of war; and second, the takeaways it offers to the national peace process
for ensuring a long-lasting peace.
The painted stone memorial to PCSJA members who had been killed in Colombia’s civil war, depicted on the mural in this photo, was purposefully destroyed by the military in the mid-2000s. Credit: Juan Masullo J.
Core values of the Peace Community
What makes
the PCSJA particularly robust is its functional structure and the strict rules
of behaviour members abide by. All this is clearly stipulated in its Declaration, which was publicly
signed and presented on 23 March 1997, in the town centre of the village. This
declaration was the result of a very risky and difficult process of
consultation and coordination among villagers (with the support of third party
actors at a later stage) in the mid-1990s amid heightened violence in the
region. A symbolic act marking the official foundation of the Community, it communicated
unmistakably to all parties present – campesinos,
international representatives, members of national NGOs, representatives of the
local church and the local government – villagers’ intentions to not cooperate
with armed actors and to have absolutely nothing to do with the armed conflict.
The process leading to the Declaration was in fact so complicated, and implied
so much effort that it immediately became an achievement
to celebrate – initially every three months, as they were uncertain how long
the Community would last, and now every year.
The PCSJA
Declaration opens with a description of the conditions that pushed campesinos of San José to create the
PCSJA, codifies the rules and expectations that govern life within the
Community, and closes with a list of principles, internal structure and formal
procedures of the Community. Article 3 of
the Declaration explicitly lays out the villagers’ strategic principles and
nonviolent methods (quotes below are adapted from The Power of Staying Put):
There is intrinsic value in bringing a community
together to spell out their suffering on paper – in essence, creating a list of
grievances.
- “Not to participate, directly or indirectly, in hostilities” [non-involvement]
- “Not to carry or own arms, ammunitions and/or explosives” [nonviolent
discipline] - “Not to provide logistical support to any of the armed groups” [noncooperation]
- “Not to turn to any of the armed groups to manage or resolve internal,
personal or communal disputes” [rejection of armed actors’ involvement in favour
of conflict resolution at the community level] - “Commit to participate in community work projects” [self-organization, sometimes
known as the constructive programme] - “Commit to fight against injustice and impunity” [values/cause]
San
José villagers also abstain from selling or consuming alcohol on Community grounds.
This rule, an example of self-restraint, is a way to avoid conflicts, further
close inroads into the community, and reinforce nonviolent discipline.
Furthermore,
the declaration carries significant, inherent, symbolic and practical value.
First, there is intrinsic value in bringing a community together to spell out
their suffering on paper – in essence, creating a list of grievances. This strengthens
the sense of unity, which is an
essential ingredient to ensuring a nonviolent movement’s success.
Second, publicly presenting a collective declaration lends an element of
formality to a community’s actions. Third, in more practical terms, it spells
out the fundamental elements of the Community’s self-organization (a central
component of civil resistance), which includes the composition and procedures
of the Internal Council, and the existence and role of thematic working groups
and committees.
All this
together, plus several years of resistance and community work, have forged a
strong collective identity which today is the strongest weapon they have to
face the multiplicity of challenges that emerge almost on a daily basis when
one opts for noncooperation with armed actors in the midst of a civil war.
The peace process, issue du jour
The peace process in Havana was an important conversation
topic during my visit this summer. In a group conversation with the members of
the Internal Council, including some who were recently elected, leaders
stressed the importance of actively involving local groups and grassroots social
organizations in the peace process. While some such groups were invited to the
talks in Havana, not all felt their views carried weight as official parties
present at the talks.
I spoke with a leader of the Community who
went to Havana as an individual victim and also to represent the PCSJA. After
highlighting the not-so-easy internal consultation process the Community held
in deciding whether to go or not, given the relationship they have with the
government, he said the experience was valuable in that the victims met face-to-face
with the victimizers. He stressed the plural in victimizers, as for him it is clear that both the FARC and the
Colombian government are responsible for the violence that has affected San
José de Apartadó. He told me:
“We [the victims] were invited and that is very important. My
family has been strongly affected by this war, and all armed groups have done
things to us. That is why we thought that I was the right person to go, both as
an individual victim and as part of the Peace Community. We have to be central
in the process. That process can only be successful if they take us seriously,
if they really incorporate the views of social organizations, of victim
organizations. It is not a matter of going there once and that’s it….”
The focus during the talks in Havana was on one simple message: The PCSJA embodied a living, breathing example of how peace can be achieved nonviolently.
Risking
accusations of traveling to Havana as FARC “friends”, he and the PCSJA focused
on delivering one simple message during the talks: that the Community embodied
a living, breathing example of how peace can be achieved nonviolently. And they
brought with them the proposal of designating humanitarian areas that both
sides would respect, where villagers could carry on their lives in safety and
tranquility while real and sustained peace arrives. The PCSJA had put forth this
proposal many years ago, but it was never taken into consideration. Given
the fact that now both parties are reaching agreements, they were hopeful that
this time the proposal could succeed.
The
proposal was neither accepted nor rejected. The officials said that they were
going to evaluate the proposal and continue to discuss it. San José de Apartadó cited this as the
perfect example of why a mere invitation to the talks is not enough, and that
what was needed to produce long-lasting results was deeper, more long-term
involvement of social organizations in the entire process.
Challenges looking forward: violence,
stigmatization, extractive industry interests
My
visit this summer coincided with the Community’s celebration of 18 years of
nonviolent resistance in the midst of Colombia’s longstanding civil war – a war
that, although changing constantly, sadly does not cease to affect San José
villagers.
Many challenges lie ahead for this peace community. Armed groups
still disturb villagers and disrespect their neutrality. The Community’s latest communiqué denounced
how in the month of October (2015) they have had to deal with regular incursions
and the presence of armed groups (mainly paramilitaries) in their territory.
Moreover, part of an old strategy of stigmatization, villagers constantly face defamatory claims
by different actors, including armed state forces and various media outlets.
Beyond
these rather classic forms of repression, the PCSJA must also struggle with
increasing extractive industry interest in their land. Members of the Community
have repeatedly reported being pressured by armed organizations, some with
links with multinational corporations, to leave or sell their lands for
virtually nothing. But the Community is equipped with the self-organization,
unity, nonviolent discipline and adaptability they need to face any new
challenge.
I would like to thank Amber French for helping me put together this article and ICNC in general for its support in drafting The Power of Staying Put.