Leaving Town

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest accomplishment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” -Leo Buscaglia

Libertad is a town of 8,000 people, so clearly not everyone knows me. But since I am one of the few people living in Libertad who is not Afrocolombian, I do stick out a little. When people meet me, the second question they ask me (after “do you have a husband?”) is how long have you been in Libertad?” When I answer four months, they always say, “Wow, you must really like it here!”

The truth is, I do! I love being in Libertad. I love the rhythm of life, the way they speak Spanish, the loud way of communicating, the laughter that is shared, the yucca, the super sugary coffee, the heat, the music, and the sharing and support they give one another. There are definitely challenges and things that are difficult for me, but every day I am learning more and more about myself and about this place.

The work I do here has me traveling a lot and it always is a relief to return to Libertad. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to Cali for a retreat with MCC and then Bogota to reflect and learn with the SEEDers. I was gone for two weeks.

It was great to be with the MCC and SEED community.

And it sucked to be away from Libertad.

It was cold; there was no champeta; there was no yucca; there was no greeting people in the streets; there was no laughter and chatter between motos; there were endless buses, cars, and trucks; there were huge stores and malls; there were mountains instead of the sea. The Spanish was different; the clothing was different; the food was different; the climate was different; the people acted differently.

It was a shock to the system.

And it made me think… so many people have been leaving Libertad because of the lack of economic opportunities – there just aren’t many ways right now to support a family since the shrimp farm shut down and there is not a lot of access to land to farm on. Liberteños pack up and move to Cartagena, Sincelejo, Barranquilla, and Bogota looking for ways to support their families. If it was such a shock for me heading into Bogota after only living in Libertad for four months, how would it feel to be someone who lived in Libertad their whole life?

Even though one of my friends told me that Liberteños are very resilient and can adapt to anything, I have decided that the next time I head to Bogota, I will make a point to visit my friends from Libertad who are now living in the city and bring mangos, tamarind, plums, and coconuts in order to give them a little bit of the coast in the big, cold city. We’ll listen to champeta, drink chicha Caribbean style (a rice drink with cola flavoring), and we’ll talk about all the news from Libertad.

And for now, I will be grateful for the time I have in this community, discovering ways to bring a little of it back with me when it is time for me to return home.

A Little Bit About Libertad

"Truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it." 

-Flannery O'Connor

I have a ton of information now on Libertad and I am not even really sure where to start and how exactly to share it with everyone. To me, every detail seems important, but I don’t want to bore anyone. I suppose that’s the beauty of a blog- you can just skip around and read whatever you want.

To begin, here is a video I made while traveling around on motorcycle one day, announcing a community meeting. This will give you an idea of what the town is like and a few tid bits of information that I added. I tried to put some of the typical music we listen to here but youtube kept muting my video for copyright reasons, so instead it has a few of my brother’s tracks (see https://soundcloud.com/johnlooke) 

History
Libertad is a township in San Onofre, Sucre, on the Caribbean coast in Colombia. There is between 7,000 and 8,000 inhabitants and it is a community comprised almost completely of Afro descendants. Libertad was founded on January 6, 1933, making it 81 years old. Originally it was called Mambú and the land was in the hands of a few wealthy families, but the people who actually lived there and worked the land fought for it and won, changing the name to Libertad (which means freedom).

The town began very small, with just several houses, but little by little more families moved in and built their homes. The original entrance to Libertad was by river and later they built the road that connects Libertad to the highway about twenty kilometers away (I’m totally making up that number… I don’t know how far away the high way is. It’s about one hour on motorcycle.) Electricity was brought to Libertad in 1982 and cell phone service arrived in 2000.

A Time of Violence
Also in the year 2000, the paramilitaries arrived. Paramilitary presence had been noticed since 1997, but in 2000 they came to stay. Libertad is the ideal location for illegal groups involved in smuggling since they are at the end of a not-so-commonly-traveled road that leads to a not-so-touristy port. The man in charge was called El Oso, The Bear. He lived just outside of the community but was the one calling the shots, making the rules for the town, and solving the conflicts between neighbors. The people experienced many forms of violence: homicide, rape, humiliation, forced selling of land, animals, and equipment, among other awful acts. While El Oso and the paramilitary troops were present everyone lived in fear and all trust within the community was broken. To this day, the community is still struggling to rebuild this trust and confidence that was lost.

One thing that sets Libertad apart from many other communities affected by the violence in Colombia is that they were a community that was resistant. While many other communities were forced to leave their homes or experienced massacres, the people of Libertad refused to leave, even under the oppressive thumb of the paramilitaries. The community is proud of the fact that they were the ones who forced the paramilitary troops to leave Libertad: the men closed off all the entrances to the town and checked every vehicle that came and left; the women sat on their doorsteps with machetes across their laps, drinking coffee to stay awake, guarding their homes and the streets; upon reaching their breaking point, the town rallied together and even killed a member of the paramilitary group. Finally, a colonel from the neighboring state arrived with troops to assist Libertad in ridding the community of paramilitary presence once and for all.

Another thing that sets Libertad apart from other communities on the coast of Colombia is that they are the first community to have a pilot project of collective reparations approved by the government. These reparations include things like building a Multigenerational Center, building a sports complex, improving access to education and health care, recuperating culture, traditions, and social connections that were lost due to the oppression of the paramilitary troops, and guarantees that what happened in Libertad will never happen again. Unfortunately, the pilot was approved a year ago and very little has been actually completed.

Economy
The economy in Libertad is pretty crappy right now. Before, there was a shrimp farm that employed about 200 people and really was a good push for the economy of all of Libertad. When that went bankrupt last year, it left many people without work and very few other options for generating money flow within the community. Another problem that makes money an issue in Libertad is the lack of land. It is very rare to find someone in Libertad who actually owns land or has their own place to farm; most people rent or borrow land. Unfortunately, most of the wealthy people who own the land (and do not actually live in Libertad) are now using the land for cattle which uses large amounts of land and doesn’t benefit the community. When people do farm, the main crops are yucca, corn, rice, and ñame (I really have no idea how to say that in English).

Other people in Libertad live by taking people places or delivering messages on their motorcycle, selling fruit (mango season now!), chopping up cows or pigs on their front porch and selling meat, having stores in their living rooms, selling lottery tickets, fishing, teaching, or any other random thing that one can find to sell, fix, or exchange.

But the economic situation really is grave. Many people have left because of the lack of opportunities.

Politics
As a community of Afro descendants, Libertad has special rights because of the Law 70, which guarantees considerations such as collective land ownership and government support in conserving traditions. Another special right included in this law is the right to a community counsel as their form of government. A community counsel consists of an assembly and a board of directors. This group plans and directs projects for the community and also advocates for the rights of the community. Right now, a large part of the work that the counsel does is pushing the government entities to follow through on the reparations that they promised in the pilot project of collective reparations. The work that I do is mainly in support of the community counsel.

Public Services
Libertad has a health center that is attended by a medical professional who has finished school but is required to lend a year of service in a rural community. He comes sometimes on Monday, sometimes on Tuesday, and he always leaves on Thursday. Let’s just say it is not a very consistent service and there is definitely a lack of medical attention in the community. Another major issue is the lack of ambulance. More than one person has died since I have arrived solely because they had no way to get the medical attention they needed in a timely manner.

Libertad has a school that includes elementary and high school. The school even has a library, but it is consistently locked. I’ve never seen it used. It also lacks special classrooms such as science labs.

There is no garbage service in Libertad, not to mention recycling. Most people burn their trash or throw it in the streets. There is lots of talk about cleaning the town up and we have done it a couple of times, but really the entire culture of trash disposal needs to be changed so that once the roads are cleaned, they stay clean.

The roads are not paved and when it rains they get filled with ravines and holes. The road in front of my house is always pretty nasty with water and a kingdom of mosquitoes. There is talk about the government starting to put in a drainage system. That would be pretty nice.

Libertad does have electricity, but it is not very consistent. It is recommended that at night, you unplug your refrigerator so that the lights and fans work better. The electricity probably goes out about once a week.

There is an aqueduct that brings water to Libertad, but it is not always turned on. I have not figured out still how they decide when to turn it on, but it generally is on in the morning around 7 am until noon. Some days longer. Some days not at all. When the water is on, everyone fills up all their tanks just in case it doesn’t come back for a few days. It is called agua gorda (fat water) because it has salt in it. It is not really for drinking. I have to buy my water to drink. People who don’t have water spigots in their homes have to either buy their water from people who have massive stores of it or look for it in the river. Some people also collect rain water, but since it hasn’t rained for a long time, that’s not really an option right now.

Transportation options in Libertad consist of bus, motorcycles, and donkeys. My personal favorite is motorcycle, but I have yet to try donkey…

So there it is: Libertad in a nutshell. This is my new home and my new community. I am grateful to be here, to be learning about the stories lived here, and to be a part of the current story that we are all living now.

There is so much more to share, but perhaps it would be better to come and experience it. I have an extra bedroom…

A Different Kind of Easter

“Fill each day with life and heart. There is no pleasure in the world comparable to the delight and satisfaction that a good person takes in doing good.” – John Tillotson

In my family, we have Holy Week traditions involving taking the Last Supper, painting Easter Eggs, fasting, and breaking the fast with pancakes at church and hunting for jelly beans in the living room followed by a huge feast with family.

The traditions in Libertad are a little bit different…

We started on Palm Sunday with the blessing of the palms/olive branches by the priest (who arrived 2 hours late) and then a procession through town singing praise songs (which sounded a little bit like dirges, but the words were beautiful) and including a donkey and young girl dressed like Jesus.

A surprise I found on my blessed olive branch during the Palm Sunday Service

Then the food preparations began. People traveled to neighboring towns to find enough rice, fish, and beans to feed 5,000. Literally everyone made enough food to feed 5,000. All day on Thursday and Friday people give food to everyone who passes by their house, each plate piled high with rice and beans, fish, and clown salad (beets, potatoes, carrots, and eggs) and a huge glass of chicha (ground up rice with lots of sugar and cola). On Thursday I was served five plates and had two more delivered to my house. On Friday I tried to escape the mounds of food since I ended Thursday feeling fairly sick, but I still ended up being served three large plates and one more delivered to my house. I didn’t want to say no because they gave me the food with so much love! Plus, they were plates full of my favorite foods here!

They also make sweets.  Unlike the chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and Cadbury eggs that I am used to, the sweets here are made of fruits or seeds that are ground up, boiled, mixed with a ton of sugar, and served like a cream.  I have had sweets made out of everything from papaya, coconut, and mango to ñame (a root kind of like a potato) and wondu (I have no idea how to spell that, but it’s basically the pit of a fruit).  However, I found some chocolate covered almonds in the store in Sincelejo and splurged in order to have some chocolates semi-shaped like eggs on Easter.

Another one of the traditions is playing cards. Every night people put tables out in front of their houses and the people come and play. There are certain tables that draw huge crowds. There are several games that are played, but the only one I have learned is called Nines. I don’t like it at all. Everyone is dealt two cards and whoever has cards that add up to nine, or is the closest to nine without going over, wins. It is pure luck. Except when people cheat. And I guess cheating is part of the game: the dealer puts the cards in order so that they get nine, players hide cards in pockets or sleeves to get closer to nine, or people switch their hand with cards already laid on the table. So it’s luck or cheating, neither of which I am a big fan. And it’s a betting game. I’m not a fan of betting either.

But the kids like it when I play because I make a big stink about how I always get 10 (which is the worst you can get) and they think it is funny. I think it is funny too, except I keep losing 100 pesos (which is like 5¢) and when I decide not to lose any more money kids always say that they will spot me, but I don’t like losing kids’ money either so I end up just watching. It is definitely entertaining and people take it really seriously.

Of course, as in Christmas and New Year’s, dancing and drinking are a big part of the festivities as well. I’ve heard two different versions of the story (one saying the police have prohibited it and another saying the priest), but the picos are not allowed to be in Libertad on Thursday and Friday. Instead, the two rival picos from Libertad – Sovietico and Increible – go to two of the neighboring towns and people from Libertad head out to dance and drink. I had the chance to hit up both, one Thursday and one of Friday. I danced a bit, but I really enjoy watching people dance here. The way they know how to move their bodies is impressive and they are just so happy when they dance! I love it!

On Saturday, the picos return to Libertad to battle it out as they did at Christmas time. Everyone dresses in their finest and dances the night away. I also got to attend the birthday party of a woman turning 100 years old. Pretty awesome! The music there was also on full blast and the dancing was nonstop!

(Side note- during the picos, the djs make shout outs to friends who arrive or who they see dancing. During Semana Santa was the first time that I was added to the list of people included in the shout outs. Lani is moving up in the hip world! Ha!) 

Finally, on Sunday we had another beach day.  It was a very relaxing day and I always love being by the water.  The big activity at the sea this day was burying my feet in the sand.  Somehow that was super entertaining for everyone...

There definitely are still religious aspects to Holy Week. There is mass everyday and they walk the 14 stations of the cross around town on Friday. On Sunday I was surprised to find that the Easter Service was completely dedicated to baptisms and barely mentioned Jesus’s resurrection. I was a little disappointed in that since I love Easter Sunday and celebrating the awesomeness of what the resurrection means. Plus, my favorite song is In Christ Alone (which inevitably is sung on Easter) and I never get tired of laughing at Christ the Lord is Risen Today (with That’s Amore).

It was definitely a new experience for me this Easter, but I also brought a tradition from the US with me to share with the kiddos in Libertad: on Thursday I invited all the kids over to paint eggs. Everyone thought that was just the most bizarre thing when I invited them, but they all came. And they loved it! I had to get creative with the paint since there was no dye to be found anywhere; we ended up finger painting with regular paint. It was messy and awesome.  Just imagine it: 30 kids painting eggs in my house and me (really just a big kid) as the only adult.  YES!

Like Christmas and New Year’s, the Easter celebration was very different for me, but it definitely was very enjoyable!  Happy Easter to all!  He has risen!