While most members of the Penn community might be unfamiliar with aspects of the long and gruesome internal conflict in Colombia, over 60 people were enlightened last night when Festival Latino hosted a panel on the topic.
"Afro-Colombians: A Forgotten Side of the Colombian Conflict," the third event of Festival Latino Week, was meant to highlight the oppression experienced by Colombian citizens of African descent.
Luis Gilberto Murillo, the first elected Afro-Colombian governor of Choco, a Colombian state, was on the panel.
Murillo emphasized the racial struggle in Colombia, a country in the midst of much internal turmoil.
"Colombia is a multi-cultural and multi-lingual country, but when you see our elected people in power, you would think otherwise," Murillo said. "In addition to the hardship and cruelty of the internal conflict, Afro-Colombians are oppressed by those in powerful positions."
Leonardo Reales, the coordinator of CINMARRON, an Afro-Colombian human rights organization, called attention to what he thinks are very significant aspects of racial discrimination in Colombia.
Reales noted that while the Afro-Colombian population is over 12 million, or approximately 30 percent of the total population, Afro-Colombians hold only 0.01 percent of powerful positions.
Nimia Teresa Vargas, the director of the Federation of Non-Governmental Organizations of Choco, focused particularly on the oppression which Afro-Colombian women suffer.
Vargas emphasized a need to strengthen Colombia's civil society rather than focusing attention on the country's military operations.
"We are doing all we can" to settle the conflict, Vargas said. "At this moment in the conflict, we are trying to promote a civil society."
The panelists also noticed that in order to better the situation, the foreign aid coming to Colombia must be diverted from going to the military.
"To me, the focus on military war carries echoes of the Cold War," Murillo said. "The United States government can do more for peace to define a clear strategy" than it is now.
All three panelists also noted the need for education of Afro-Colombians.
Reales said that at the University of the Andes, a prestigious Latin American college with over 10,000 students, he was the only Afro-Colombian student.
"Most Afro-Colombians live in extreme poverty; they cannot afford to send their children to private schools and universities," Reales said. "So it doesn't matter if the universities don't discriminate, Afro-Colombians still cannot attend."
College sophomore Jessica George said that she found the conference to be a very educational experience.
"I thought it answered a lot of questions that I had, but there are still so many things we don't know about," George said. "A lot of Americans are not aware of these situations; Penn should host more events like this."
George herself admitted that she knew very little about Colombia, but thought that the panel would be interesting. "I just saw the flyer up and thought I'd come," George said.
Patricia Arrocha, a Wharton graduate student, said that she attended the panel in order to better understand the Colombian side of the events.
"I'm from Panama, and [Colombia's] political problems directly affect us -- a lot of our conflicts are related," Arrocha said. "I just wanted to see their point of view, so I could better understand."
Festival Latino Week celebrates Penn's Latino community, and it encourages other students to learn about the culture. The week started Sunday with a special Easter mass in Spanish and ends April 9.
