[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGZib2PwbXQ 400x400]
Above is the trailer for "The Battle for Land" , a documentary directed by Juan Mejia Botero.
Synopsis of the documentary:
"Filmed across the Pacific Coast of Colombia as well as the capital city of Bogotá, the film pushes us past prevailing notions in which displacement is seen as an aberration and a sad outcome of the civil war, and progressively reveals a much more intricate picture where violence and uprooting are exposed as an intrinsic part of the government’s project for “progress” a project directly complicit with the interests of multinational corporations and the Colombian and U.S governments.
The Battle for Land is therefore an ongoing discovery of the devastating consequences of uprooting and its more thorny, undisclosed causes. Still, as Black communities stand against what seem like insurmountable obstacles, character after character guide our journey, which uncovers tremendous resilience and resistance amidst stark conditions and apparent despair.
Told through a multiplicity of characters, through an array of locations, the intricate trajectory of uprooted interweaves the deep causes and complex consequences of the forced displacement in the Pacific. In this way as we explore the economic interests forcefully pushed in the region, the film digs deep into what displacement has meant for Black Communities and the social fabric weaved over centuries of habitation along the estuaries of the Pacific region. "
This perspective is important to keep in mind in light of the proposed Free Trade Agreement between U.S. and Colombia. Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities in Colombia are among the most vulnerable groups and make up a disproportionate amount of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
An article by Fadnes and Horst titled, "Responses to Internal Displacement in Colombia: Guided by What Principles? " questions the gap between IDP law in Colombia (actually considered one of the world's most advanced) and the practice and implementation of this law. The thesis of this article is that, "it is too simplistic to explain forced displacement in Colombia as a random side effect of the clashes between armed groups without recognizing underlying political causes." (Fadnes & Horst, 112)
One of these main political causes, they argue, is the continuation of a struggle for land (Fadnes & Horst, 113). Their central claim is that overall, responses to the displacement in Colombia have depoliticized the situation, and that this reaction takes attention away from underlying political causes like the territorial struggle. Fadnes & Horst list three main ways that this is done. Ultimately, these three points lead to treating the conditions of the displaced as a problem that requires "technical rather than structural or political solutions." The depoliticizing factors include:
1. A focus on humanitarian aid. Though necessary, this comes as a substitute for prevention measures or finding long-term solutions for IDPs.
2. The government only acknowledges certain causes of displacement and denies others. For example, denial of ties between government/military officials and paramilitary groups (which are one of the main causes of displacement).
3. The invisibility of IDPs, particularly in the public debate on the conflict in Colombia. In the U.S., the Drug War is of primary concern. As discussed in previous blog posts (and the reason for me writing this blog in the first place), IDPs are left out of the picture, most notably in mainstream media.
The majority of IDPs in Colombia are campesinos, peasants from rural areas, and the displacement has proven to be more intesne in regions well-suited for agriculture or areas rich in minerals.
Again, it is important to question why the U.S. wants to enter into into a free trade agreement with a country that continues to be in the midst of a conflict over land.