Latest news with #Afro-Colombian


Scoop
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
UN Envoy Urges Colombia To ‘Stay The Course' As Peace Faces New Strains
18 July 2025 Briefing the Security Council for the last time as head of the UN Verification Mission, Special Representative Carlos Ruiz Massieu said the peace agreement provided a roadmap for addressing the root causes of conflict. ' The Final Peace Agreement of 2016 set out the path to be followed: a holistic and comprehensive roadmap for addressing deep-rooted structural issues that have driven violence in Colombia for decades,' he told ambassadors. He cited progress in land reform, rural development, the reintegration of more than 13,000 former combatants, the start of a 'complex journey' for truth and reconciliation and opening of political space. ' Today, Colombia is a very different country from that it was in the years prior to the signing of the peace agreement,' he added, noting, however, that gaps and challenges remain. SRSG Ruiz Massieu briefs the Security Council. Violence persists Chief among these is the limited presence of civilian and military state institutions in various regions of the country where existing peace dividends remain inadequate and violence persists, including against social leaders and ex-combatants. At least 472 former fighters have been killed since 2016, four in recent weeks alone, Mr. Ruiz Massieu said, urging measures to strengthen their protection and ensure accountability. ' It is also essential to achieve effective complementarity between peacebuilding policies, security strategies and efforts to combat illicit economies,' he added. Painful moments revived Mr. Ruiz Massieu highlighted progress on opening political space, noting 'a widespread rejection of political violence', but warning that the attempted assassination of presidential candidate Miguel Uribe in June revived painful memories and underscored the need to remove violence from electoral competition. To address persistent insecurity, he urged full implementation of security guarantees alongside rural development programmes and strategies to combat illicit economies. 'Expanded and sustained state presence remains essential,' he said, stressing the need for coordinated investments in conflict-prone regions. Upcoming elections The briefing also comes as Colombia enters a sensitive period leading to elections next year. Mr. Ruiz Massieu appealed to all actors to uphold commitments for a peaceful campaign and to advance the comprehensive vision of the 2016 accord, which includes provisions for women as well as Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities. ' In their pursuit of peace, Colombians have a deeply rooted history of resilience and persistence," he said. 'Sometimes their efforts have not yielded the expected results, but other times, thanks to patience and perseverance, they have achieved significant progress. ' Path to peace is never easy ' The path to peace is never easy, nor is it free of obstacles. But, staying the course is always worthwhile,' he concluded. ' The 2016 peace agreement is a striking example of this.' Mr. Ruiz Massieu, who has led the mission for more than six years, will soon assume duties as the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Haiti. He thanked the Council for its 'consistent and crucial' support, adding that the UN mission's role in fostering trust 'will remain as important as ever in the period ahead'.
Montreal Gazette
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Montreal Gazette
Dunlevy: 25 free shows to catch at 45th Montreal International Jazz Festival
By Montreal Gazette With 350 shows on tap, the 45th Montreal International Jazz Festival offers a panoply of mouth-watering entertainment options, June 26 to July 5. The kicker? Most of them don't cost a dime. To help get you off the couch and into the crowded downtown streets, here are 25 free concerts to catch over the next 10 days at our city's iconic summer event. THURSDAY, JUNE 26 Balthvs (June 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the TD Stage). They have been compared to trippy Texan instrumental it-band Khruangbin, but Colombia's Bathvs have their own beguiling groove. Kombilesa Mi (June 26 and 27 at 8:30 p.m. at Le Cabaret TD Assurances) (and Friday). This Afro-Colombian ensemble mixes traditional percussion with lively raps to rousing effect. Mavis Staples (Thurs., June 26 at 9:30 p.m., TD Stage). As the last living member of the Staple Singers, Mavis Staples is a soul music legend. Her father was close friends with Martin Luther King, and Bob Dylan once proposed to her. On the jazz fest's opening night, she will take you there. FRIDAY, JUNE 27 Yasmin Williams (7 p.m., Rogers Stage). North Virginia six-string virtuoso Yasmin Williams learned her instrument at 12 years old by playing Guitar Hero. She plays fingerstyle guitar, i.e. on her lap with the strings facing up, but it's her wonderfully intricate music that will win your heart. Balkan Paradise Orchestra (8 and 10 p.m., Rio Tinto Stage). This all-female Barcelona collective mixes percussion, strings, horns and synths for a festive sound at once traditional and modern. Blue Rodeo (9:30 p.m., TD Stage). Can-rock heroes play a big free show in the heart of downtown on a Friday night. What's not to like? SATURDAY, JUNE 28 Kelly Finnigan and the Atonements (7 and 9 p.m., Rogers Stage). L.A.'s Kelly Finnigan sings blue-eyed soul like he means it. He and his band the Atonements will charm you with their retro-fitted, funkafied styles. Elisapie (9:30 p.m., TD Stage). Quebec darling Elisapie takes the main stage with songs from her hit 2023 album Inuktitut, featuring breathtaking Inuk covers of '80s pop and rock classics, and from throughout her 20-year career. SUNDAY, JUNE 29 Tyreek McDole (6 p.m., Le Studio TD) If you're a sucker for jazz song with a new-school twist, Tyreek McDole is your man. The Haitian-American vocalist from Florida dropped his debut album Open Up Your Senses on June 6. Catch him while you can. PJ Morton (9:30 p.m., TD Stage). Maroon 5 keyboardist PJ Morton's latest album Cape Town to Cairo mixes Gospel, soul, funk and African influences in a multitude of fly combinations. Ghost-Note (11 p.m., Rogers Stage). Snarky Puppy drummer Robert 'Sput' Searight and percussionist Nate Werth's frenetic, psychedelic jazz-funk side-project is a voyage worth taking. MONDAY, JUNE 30 Nubya Garcia (7:30 p.m., TD Stage). With her third album, Odyssey, released last year, British jazz saxophonist Nubya Garcia continues to push the boundaries of the genre. Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue (9:30 p.m., TD Stage). New Orleans horn-man Trombone Shorty has become a jazz fest regular, and with good reason — he always brings the funky good times. TUESDAY, JULY 1 Ayra Starr (9:30 p.m., TD Stage). As a leading figure of the surging Afrobeats genre, Nigeria's Sarah Oyinkansola Aderibigbe, better known as Ayra Starr, may well deliver one of the defining moments of this year's jazz fest. Endea Owens and the Cookout (7:30 p.m., TD Stage). Detroit bassist-composer Endea Owens has toured with Wynton Marsalis, Diana Ross and Solange, and performed as part of Stephen Colbert's house band. She mixes hard bop jazz, soul, blues and gospel with style and grace. Andy Rubal (8 and 10 p.m., Rio Tinto Stage) Born in Cuba, where he began singing with the group Baby Salsa at age 6, Montrealer Andy Rubal has grown up on stage. He's got showmanship and spark, as will present tunes from his forthcoming album in his mid-festival performance. You should have comfortable footwear: there will be dancing. WEDNESDAY, JULY 2 Christine Jensen Quartet (6 p.m., Le Studio TD). Christine Jensen's lyricism is matched only by her ingenuity. The multi-Juno-winning jazz saxophonist and long-time Montrealer appears with a rock-solid quartet featuring pianist Gary Versace, bassist Adrian Vedady and drummer Jim Doxas. Men I Trust (9:30 p.m., TD Stage). Led by vocalist Emma Proulx, groovy Montreal indie trio Men I Trust knows how to set a mood. The band has released not one, but two albums this year, providing ample material to take a hometown crowd on a whole new sonic adventure. Los Bitchos (7:30 p.m., TD Stage). As their name suggests, Los Bitchos don't take themselves too seriously. The all-female British outfit features members from Australia/Turkey, Sweden and the U.K., and instrumental tracks with influences ranging from cumbia to new wave, punk and indie-rock. THURSDAY, JULY 3 Allison Russell (9:30 p.m., TD Stage). Born and raised in Montreal, Grammy-winning artist Allison Russell is now based out of Nashville. She brings soul, star power and disarming candour to her down-home brand of folk and roots rock. Do not miss this. Beth McKenna (6 p.m., Pub Molson). Montreal jazz saxophonist Beth McKenna knows her way around a groove and takes an artful approach to melody. She'll play music from her new album Momentum in this early evening slot. FRIDAY, JULY 4 Dylan Synclair (7:30 p.m., TD Stage). The jazz fest goes urban with this main stage appearance by Toronto R&B singer Dylan Sinclair, whose smooth falsetto and spacious arrangements trace new possibilities for the post-Drake/Weeknd era. Frente Cumbiero (8 and 10 p.m., Rio Tinto Stage). Expanding the possibilities of cumbia is the raison d'être of this fearless foursome from Colombia. SATURDAY, JULY 5 Sun Ra Arkestra (7 p.m., Rogers Stage). Led by 101-year-old saxophonist Marshall Allen, who just released his debut solo album New Dawn, Philadelphia's Sun Ra Arkestra is a legendary sonic entity that carries on in the spirit of its titular founder.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Peace has long been elusive in rural Colombia – Black women's community groups try to bring it closer each day
It's been almost nine years since Colombia celebrated a landmark peace agreement between one guerrilla group and the government, and three years since President Gustavo Petro vowed 'total peace.' But in reality, the country's decades-long internal conflict continues – making it one of the oldest in the world. Violence surged in early 2025, the most intense uptick in years. Fighting between two armed guerrilla groups in the northeastern Catatumbo region killed dozens of people and displaced tens of thousands more. Since the largest armed group – the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC – signed the 2016 peace accord, more than 400 signatories have been killed. Meanwhile, more than 1,200 social leaders and human rights defenders have been assassinated. We often define peace as the absence of war. The problem with thinking about peace and war as an all-or-nothing binary, however, is that it obscures the violence that takes place in 'peaceful times.' For Colombians, that paradox is nothing new. In many communities most affected by the violence, thinking about a 'post-conflict era' feels utopian. As a Colombian researcher who has collaborated with Afro-Colombian leaders for over a decade, I have noticed that emphasizing peace talks and accords erases the historical violence that is still present, especially for racial minorities. Colombia has the largest Black population in Spanish-speaking Latin America. In Chocó – a region on the Pacific coast where I conducted my research – Afro-Colombians form a majority. Communities there are contending not only with the contemporary conflict, but also ongoing challenges from the legacies of slavery, colonialism and extractive industries. Many residents, particularly women, work together every day to try to bring peace and justice within reach. Colombia has been mired in war for over six decades, as legal and illegal armed groups across the political spectrum fight for territories and resources. The conflict is estimated to have killed around 450,000 people and displaced around 7 million. Black and Indigenous communities have disproportionately suffered the brunt of the war – especially in rural areas, where their lives and territories have been threatened by armed groups and companies alike. In Chocó Department, the site of my research, the region's remoteness and biodiversity have attracted illegal groups and practices like drug trafficking, as well as mining and other types of resource extraction that threaten traditional livelihoods. Mercury from industrial mining poses an additional danger to people's health and the environment. Black rural communities in the Pacific lowlands, where most of Chocó is located, have a legal right to collective ownership of their territories and to be consulted about development plans. In reality, land grabs and targeted killings over illegal crops, mining and other extractive practices have become the norm here, as is true throughout rural Colombia. The conflict has intensified racism and gender hierarchies, with Black women, particularly activists, especially vulnerable. Vice President Francia Márquez Mina, for example – who has won awards for her activism against illegal mining – survived an attack near her home in the nearby department of Cauca in 2019. She and her family have received other threats on their lives since then. Even in 'postconflict' times, peace is a challenging task. It requires social change that does not happen overnight. Rather, it is the accumulation of tiny sparks in people's daily commitments. In my book 'Postconflict Utopias: Everyday Survival in Chocó, Colombia,' I write about how Black women's organizations care for their territories and communities. The 'comisionadas,' for example, belong to one of the largest such groups in Colombia, called COCOMACIA. These women travel the Atrato River and its tributaries to lead workshops about the organization, as well as territorial rights and women's rights. Everyone in the community is welcome to participate in dialogues about issues such as women's political participation, land ownership and related legislation. Comisionada María del Socorro Mosquera Pérez, for example, wrote a song to share the importance of Law 1257, a landmark 2008 law against violence and discrimination against women. In her story for the research project that I discuss in my book, 'Mujeres Pacíficas,' comisionada Rubiela Cuesta Córdoba says it best: 'The best legacy that one leaves to family and friends is resistance.' One focus of these women's groups' work is the Atrato River itself. Since 2016, the same year of the peace accords, Colombian courts have recognized the river as a legal person, with rights to protection, conservation, maintenance and restoration. The river is a source of food and transportation between many basin communities where potable water, electricity and other amenities are scarce. But it is also intertwined with politics and spirituality. Pilgrimages like 'Atratiando,' a trip along the river and its tributaries that has taken place multiple times since 1999, highlight that there is no life without the river. Participants travel through areas where paramilitaries and guerrillas are active, showing solidarity with vulnerable communities. COCOMACIA's comisionadas are part of many other organizations – highlighting how survival is not only intertwined with lands and rivers, but other regions and countries. The struggle for women's rights has led the comisionadas to collaborate with other organizations, creating wider networks of care. These include La Red Departamental de Mujeres Chocoanas, a feminist coalition of women's organizations in Chocó; La Ruta Pacífica de las Mujeres, a feminist movement of 300 organizations from across Colombia; and Women in Black, an anti-militarism network with members in over 150 countries. Their solidarity is a reminder that peace and justice are a collaborative, everyday effort. As Justa Germania Mena Córdoba, leader of the comisionadas at the time, told me in 2012: 'One cannot change the world by herself.' This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Tania Lizarazo, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Read more: Activism on foot: When Indigenous activists walk the land to honor their past and reshape their future Land acknowledgments meant to honor Indigenous people too often do the opposite – erasing American Indians and sanitizing history instead How Ecuador went from being Latin America's model of stability to a nation in crisis Tania Lizarazo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.


Ya Biladi
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
South America : Morocco eyes countries still recognizing the «SADR»
Moroccan diplomacy, both official and partisan, has recently shifted its attention to several South American countries that recognize the «Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR)». On Friday, May 23, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita welcomed Marta Lucía Ramírez, former Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, in Rabat. Ramírez, a member of Colombia's conservative party, now in opposition, also met the same day with Nizar Baraka, Secretary-General of the Istiqlal Party and Minister of Equipment and Water. «I shared with Minister Nizar Baraka our experience in successfully developing infrastructure concessions, enabling unprecedented construction over the past 50 years», she wrote on the platform X. This visit comes amid tensions within Colombia's left-wing government, in power since August 7, 2022. Vice President Francia Márquez, from the Afro-Colombian community, has publicly accused President Gustavo Petro's administration of «racism» and «patriarchy». President Petro reinstated Colombia's recognition of the «SADR» just three days after taking office—a move that sparked criticism from the upper house. On October 25, 2022, a majority of Colombian senators adopted a resolution expressing their «deep rejection and total disagreement» with the Foreign Ministry's decision to renew ties with what they described as a «separatist movement» claiming statehood, noting that «the vast majority of countries, including the United Nations, do not recognize it». Colombia is preparing for presidential elections in the summer of 2026. «The country needs a strong center-right candidate in 2026», Marta Lucía Ramírez told a Colombian media outlet last March. Ramírez's visit to Morocco coincides with that of Nabil Benabdellah, Secretary-General of the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS), who is visiting Venezuela and Cuba—two countries that also recognize the «SADR». In Caracas and Havana, Benabdellah is scheduled to meet with officials from the United Socialist Party of Venezuela and the Cuban Communist Party. The PPS has maintained cordial relations with these two leftist parties, currently in power in their respective countries. This renewed focus on countries recognizing the «SADR» follows a Moroccan diplomatic push in Mexico three months ago. That effort was marked by two key events: a speech by the President of the House of Representatives, Rachid Talbi Alami, in the Mexican Parliament, and a visit to Mexico City by Driss Lachgar, First Secretary of the USFP.


France 24
23-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Colombian VP accuses government of 'racism, patriarchy'
Francia Marquez, a trailblazing Afro-Colombian activist turned politico, launched an extraordinary broadside at her own colleagues, less than a year before a presidential election. "The role of vice president has not been easy," she told an event to mark the abolition of slavery Wednesday. "It hasn't been an easy task to govern in a country that has a racial state, and that has a government that practices racism and patriarchy." Her comments come as Gustavo Petro -- Colombia's first leftist president -- struggles to carve a legacy before he must leave office next year. His administration has been beset by cabinet resignations, infighting and a stalled legislative agenda. The president has called for a general strike later this month, in an effort to force hostile lawmakers to take his flagship labor and health care reforms. Marquez has had several public disputes with Petro, and was stripped of her role as equality minister earlier this year. But her barbed remarks went beyond previous criticism of Petro's administration. "When I arrived, I arrived with lots of wishful thinking," she said. "But I've had many obstacles put in the way of realizing the hopes and dreams of my people, my community and for this country."