The Colombia-Venezuela border it is probably one of the most hostile territories on the continent.
There, historical tensions, latent conflicts and a movement in defense of Human Rights coexist that refuses to disappear.
(Summit on Venezuela: “It is the Venezuelans who must decide what they want,” says Petro)
Precisely, those voices of resistance and struggles are consigned in the book Common Border, struggles for Human Rights in Colombia and Venezuela. It is a journey through the territories of Norte de Santander, Arauca and the U’ Wa Nation, in Colombia, and Táchira, Zulia and Apure in Venezuela to discover what it means to face violence to defend rights.
(Opposition in Venezuela questions Petro’s leadership after Guaidó’s expulsion)
The book, which is made up of six experiences recounted by defenders, activists and leaders on how life and territory are defended on both sides of the border between the two countries, will be launched this Wednesday at the Bogotá International Book Fair.
Common Border, Struggles for Human Rights, is a book produced by Civil Rights Defenders, with the support of the Swedish Embassy, which will take readers to A trip from the Venezuelan Guajira to the Colombian plain to know in depth, and through the voice of those who inhabit the territory, the ancestral ties, the vindicative struggles, the social processes and the binational roots that make this place a common space.
“In these years of work on the border between the two countries, we have been impressed by the resistance of women, indigenous peoples, and peasants to stay in the territory and overcome the violence. This book is a portrait of the path that we have tried to build to generate links and dialogues between the civil society of Colombia and Venezuela”, says Erik Jennische, director for Latin America of Civil Rights Defenders.
For his part, Helena Storm, Swedish Ambassador to Colombia, affirms that the experiences reported in this book are an invitation to continue building bridges, alliances and processes. “It is essential that it be done respecting human rights as a fundamental element for peace”, comments the ambassador, adding that the book “is the result of the joint commitment between Sweden and the Swedish organization Civil Rights Defenders to build bridges of dialogue to strengthen an active and connected civil society, thus making it possible to advance on the road to peace.”
The conversation will revolve around the challenges, the difficulties and also the small but significant victories achieved by those who risk their lives in these territories. Although geographically distant, Latin America’s borders face very similar challenges.
“Common border sees the light at a time of extreme darkness for border areas. The experience in the dividing line between Venezuela and Colombia becomes in these pages an exercise in reflection. In a space for dialogue. No.Or we are here facing statistics of a border that resists, we are facing testimonies that invite us to observe the various practices for the defense of human rights in this constant migratory flow of already vulnerable communities. The authors bring us closer to realities that we believe to be far away, but that touch the inside”, points out the author Sylvia Aguilar-Zéleny on the other hand.
A commitment to explore the roots of our culture
This event is part of the FilBo’s commitment to explore and celebrate the roots of our culture: border territories are also enclaves where countries articulate and enrich themselves and the solution to their problems involves measures that take their realities into account individuals.
“This year, at FILBo we will talk about Roots and this includes roots and uprooting. For this reason, the launch of this book produced by Civil Rights Defenders and the Swedish Embassy on the border we share with Venezuela is absolutely pertinent, since it is totally aligned with the transversal theme of the Fair”, says Adriana Ángel Forero, director of the Fair.
Schedule for the launch of Common Frontier
Common Border will be launched this Wednesday, April 26 at 5 pm in the great room A of Corferias with a conversation in which two of the authors will meet with the renowned Mexican writer Sylvia Aguilar Zéleny and the Swedish ambassador, Helena Storm , to look for clues about what it means to inhabit the border territories in Latin America.
During the event, attendees will be able to receive the Common Border physical book free of charge.
STEPHANY ECHAVARRÍA
INTERNATIONAL EDITOR
TIME
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