Silencing dissent? Viva la Punk!
23.04.04
It´s a wet Friday here in Cali and I'm sitting out in the back yard patio of Julieta´s house awaiting a lift to work by the armed escorts employed by the State to protect my colleagues (from threats from quasi State organizations - seemingly counterintuitive but better than no protection).
Its been a fairly busy week and when not racing round town to meet with various people I've been stationed at the office of the University Workers Union (SINTRAUNICOL) on the Universidad de Valle campus. Its a large green campus and covered in anti Americanan/imperialist murals, calling for peace and reconciliation. Che here is still symbolic of dissent, revolution and most of all hope unlike in the UK where his image is brand of teeshirt. As such, quite naturally, he is a prominent feature on the walls with many huge paintings and pertinent quotes. Its a different world from the high security SINTRAEMCALI offices in town though with a history no less turbulent.
Most of the stuff we'veve been up to has revolved around preparations for the launch of the new Human Rights Campaign (ÂSo That The University Can Live in Colombia!Â) ranging from mundane data entry compiling the necessary databases for denunciation of violations and promotion of the campaign to meetings with directors, committee members of various non governmental organizationsions and Unions in which I've ive felt pretty out of my depth. Spanish is still hard, its one thing chatting with mates in Spain, another trying to articulate intelligent comments about highly comlex political situations with people who are well on it. It doesn't help being so young in comparisonsson to all my colleagues but its unavoidable and natural really. Kind of like the feeling of going from being the oldest at middle school to the little one in secondary, something that will repeat itself through life in different forms.
As well as the university higher education system here in Colombia there is, like in many countries, a National professional Training apprenticeshipship Scheme (The SENA). This year the Government pushed through three bills (248, 249 and 250 of 2004) with the objective of restructuring programamme. The changes are similar to those experienced in UK education, greater coverage, reduced budgets, dismantling the rights and
services of the students and workers such as boarding facilities, medical
services, transport, libraries and cafeterias and a greater degree of incorporation form the private sector to the effect that students will have to gain funding through private companies.
Meanwhile in anticipation of resistance governmentment has selectively restuctured certain areas so as to leave union leaders redundant. In response to this union organisations have declared themselves in a Permanent Assembly in all SENA installations across the country to demand respect for the institution and open negotiations with government. Students and staff have been protesting all week outside SENA buildings accross Cali and the country.
On Tuesday while sitting at my desk emersed in the slow motion monotony of entering email adresses to a data base on a painfully slow computer two girls burst in to the office with the news that one of the demonstations had erupted into violence. A force comprised of 100 officers from the ESMAC or anti mutiny squadron and led by superintendent JUAN CARLOS BERNAL moved in on the demonstrators employing excessive force and anti personal spray. In total eleven students and one member of staff suffered injuries due to police brutality and one student (ANDRES GEOVANI MERA) was arbitrarily detained for four hours inside a police riot vehicle into which the police sprayed pepper gas. Another (ALBEIRIO GARCIA) suffered a fractured wrist and another (CLAUDIA MOSQUERA) incurred a broken rib at the hands of the police. Member of staff ANA MILENA MARTINEZ was beaten by police suffering bruising and students were beaten and exposed to CS gas pepper spray. A number of the victims were taken to the Occidental Heath Clinic and other health centres across the city.
In spite of this the demos continued all week and are set to carry on until an agreement is reached.
Right now I am back at the University at my desk. There is a seminar in about half an hour on impunity and the path to justice. The rain has given up and the building is reverberating with the sound of Latin American Punk coming from a soundsystem the students have set up outside. Many people are sitting around under the large trees that shade the surrounding area.
Its friday in Cali.
It´s a wet Friday here in Cali and I'm sitting out in the back yard patio of Julieta´s house awaiting a lift to work by the armed escorts employed by the State to protect my colleagues (from threats from quasi State organizations - seemingly counterintuitive but better than no protection).
Its been a fairly busy week and when not racing round town to meet with various people I've been stationed at the office of the University Workers Union (SINTRAUNICOL) on the Universidad de Valle campus. Its a large green campus and covered in anti Americanan/imperialist murals, calling for peace and reconciliation. Che here is still symbolic of dissent, revolution and most of all hope unlike in the UK where his image is brand of teeshirt. As such, quite naturally, he is a prominent feature on the walls with many huge paintings and pertinent quotes. Its a different world from the high security SINTRAEMCALI offices in town though with a history no less turbulent.
Most of the stuff we'veve been up to has revolved around preparations for the launch of the new Human Rights Campaign (ÂSo That The University Can Live in Colombia!Â) ranging from mundane data entry compiling the necessary databases for denunciation of violations and promotion of the campaign to meetings with directors, committee members of various non governmental organizationsions and Unions in which I've ive felt pretty out of my depth. Spanish is still hard, its one thing chatting with mates in Spain, another trying to articulate intelligent comments about highly comlex political situations with people who are well on it. It doesn't help being so young in comparisonsson to all my colleagues but its unavoidable and natural really. Kind of like the feeling of going from being the oldest at middle school to the little one in secondary, something that will repeat itself through life in different forms.
As well as the university higher education system here in Colombia there is, like in many countries, a National professional Training apprenticeshipship Scheme (The SENA). This year the Government pushed through three bills (248, 249 and 250 of 2004) with the objective of restructuring programamme. The changes are similar to those experienced in UK education, greater coverage, reduced budgets, dismantling the rights and
services of the students and workers such as boarding facilities, medical
services, transport, libraries and cafeterias and a greater degree of incorporation form the private sector to the effect that students will have to gain funding through private companies.
Meanwhile in anticipation of resistance governmentment has selectively restuctured certain areas so as to leave union leaders redundant. In response to this union organisations have declared themselves in a Permanent Assembly in all SENA installations across the country to demand respect for the institution and open negotiations with government. Students and staff have been protesting all week outside SENA buildings accross Cali and the country.
On Tuesday while sitting at my desk emersed in the slow motion monotony of entering email adresses to a data base on a painfully slow computer two girls burst in to the office with the news that one of the demonstations had erupted into violence. A force comprised of 100 officers from the ESMAC or anti mutiny squadron and led by superintendent JUAN CARLOS BERNAL moved in on the demonstrators employing excessive force and anti personal spray. In total eleven students and one member of staff suffered injuries due to police brutality and one student (ANDRES GEOVANI MERA) was arbitrarily detained for four hours inside a police riot vehicle into which the police sprayed pepper gas. Another (ALBEIRIO GARCIA) suffered a fractured wrist and another (CLAUDIA MOSQUERA) incurred a broken rib at the hands of the police. Member of staff ANA MILENA MARTINEZ was beaten by police suffering bruising and students were beaten and exposed to CS gas pepper spray. A number of the victims were taken to the Occidental Heath Clinic and other health centres across the city.
In spite of this the demos continued all week and are set to carry on until an agreement is reached.
Right now I am back at the University at my desk. There is a seminar in about half an hour on impunity and the path to justice. The rain has given up and the building is reverberating with the sound of Latin American Punk coming from a soundsystem the students have set up outside. Many people are sitting around under the large trees that shade the surrounding area.
Its friday in Cali.
