PBI-Colombia accompanies Campesina Association at third annual festival

On August 20, the Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project tweeted, “This weekend [on Saturday August 17] we accompanied @ACVCRAN in the Third Festival of Peasant Culture and Dignity in Cañabraval Bajo.”

In their Facebook post, PBI-Colombia adds, “Around the music, dance and exchange of products, peasants from the different hamlets of Sur de Bolívar and Magdalena Medio were found to celebrate the peasant cultural heritage and claim the recognition of the Colombian peasantry as a political subject.”

ACVC-RAN refers to the Campesina Association of the Cimitarra River Valley – National Agroecological Network.

PBI-Colombia has previously noted, “PBI accompanies the ACVC who focus their work on the Campesino Reserve Zones (ZRC) and sustainable development, the development of agricultural projects in areas of education and health”

It has also explained, “The Campesino Reserve Zones are an example of community-driven resistance, installed through Law 160 of 1994.”

“The objective of these territories is to provide land for the peasant population to develop their own economic models that promote food security and sustainable agriculture, challenging the economic model based on the extraction of natural resources and large-scale land exploitation. through agribusiness.”

“The National Land Agency (ANT) is the entity in charge of authorizing the ZRCs, which once installed contemplate strong protection measures for the territory, preventing property titles from being granted for mining activities or private property.”

In that January 2018 article, PBI-Colombia also highlighted, “ZRCs tend to be created in areas that have been particularly affected by the armed conflict, which often implies that the population that inhabits the ZRCs are victims.”

“For example, 16 extrajudicial executions have been committed in the ZRC of the Cimitarra River Valley and the majority of the population is a victim of forced displacement.”

The Cimitarra River Valley reserve was established in December 2002, suspended in April 2003 and reactivated in February 2011.

At last year’s Festival for Culture and Peasant Dignity, International Action for Peace noted, “There was talk about the problem of fracking and the threat of this activity in the Serranía de San Lucas and the wetlands of the Magdalena Medio.”

PBI-Colombia has noted, “The hydrocarbon industry has played a fundamental role in the economic activity of the [Cimitarra River Valley] region, generating approximately 70% of the total economic value produced there.”

PBI-Colombia has accompanied the ACVC since 2007 and has since expanded its accompaniment emphasizing political advocacy to raise awareness about the problems faces by the organization and the region in which they carry out their work.