Señor
Alvaro Uribe Vélez
Presidente de la República de Colombia
Casa de Nariño
Carrera 8 # 7-96
Bogotá D.C.
Colombia
Dear Sir;
Sustained poisonous fumigations in the area around Guapi, Costa Caucana – your crime against humanity and biodiversity
We, the undersigned academics, lawyers and economists, have confirmed knowledge that since the month of January Colombia's anti-narcotics police have established a base in the small town of Guapi on the Cauca coast, from where they have led operations to fumigate large parts of the rainforest, pretending to eradicate coca cultivation. While aware of the purpose of these fumigations, we are highly concerned about their detrimental effect on everyday life in the communities affected who live along the river banks in this part of the
country.
We demand an IMMEDIATE HALT to your fumigation campaign. You are directly responsible for committing a double crime against humanity and the environment.
As you know, rural black and indigenous communities who live along the river banks in the Pacific coast region, have established for hundreds of years a peaceful form of living together in harmony with their surrounding environment – una convivencia pacífica. These communities have been responsible and successful in the preservation of this unique ecosystem that has a world-renowned reputation for being one of the hotspots of biological diversity in the world. This was recognised by the World Bank-supported research project Proyecto Biopacífico that ran from 1992 to 1998. It is in utter disregard of the recommendations drawn up by this acclaimed study that you have decided to start a massive, indiscriminate fumigation campaign in the region, hoping to eradicate illegal coca cultivation.
It is an act of utterly unacceptable cynicism that you should even consider spraying poisonous liquids – glifosato – onto this biodiverse region, thereby killing off the very vegetation, for which the region has become so importantly recognised. The United Nations have declared 2010 as the Year of Biodiversity. And the Colombian government is destroying this biodiversity in front of our eyes. This is a scandal of most utter cynicism.
History will not absolve you!
Moreover, the implications of the widespread fumigation campaign for the local communities are devastating. Not only do you target the illegal coca plants, but all vegetation, including cultivations of important everyday crops – the pan coger – that local populations depend upon. Rivers are contaminated, elderly and children are particularly affected by skin rashes and asthmatic attacks. The true and long-lasting effects of this poisonous contamination that you have begun will become obvious in the weeks and months ahead.
We cannot sit idly by and let you commit these crimes against humanity and the environment. We most strongly condemn your practice of fumigation.
An added irony is the fact that the anti-narcotics police have taken over the Hotel Río Guapi (a hotel in which some of the undersigned have stayed themselves in the past). This hotel is run by a Spanish NGO – Levante en Marxa (http://www.llevantenmarxa.com) – that aims at providing support for the poorest of children and young people in the municipality of Guapi. It is one of the Macondian ironies that your anti-narcotics police, which destroy the life base of these children by fumigation, should operate from the hotel run by this NGO.
Many of us have a long-standing commitment to the communities in and around the region of Guapi. We have been to the area many a times and know what we are talking about. Based on this first-hand experience we repeat our demand for an IMMEDIATE HALT TO FUMIGATION in this area and the whole region of the Pacific coast.
Yours sincerely,
• Dr. Ulrich Oslender, University of Glasgow, Scotland.
• Dr. Carlos Agudelo, Associated Researcher IHEAL-CREDAL-CNRS, France.
• Dr. Kiran Asher, Clark University, USA.
• Professor Arturo Escobar, Kenan Distinguished Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.
• Professor Anne-Marie Losonczy, Directora de Estudios, EPHE-Sorbonne, Paris, France.
• Professor Michael Taussig, Class of 1933 Professor of Anthropology, Columbia University, New York, USA.
• Professor Jonathan Tittler, Rutgers University, Camden, New Jersey, USA.
• Professor John Agnew, Distinguished Professor, UCLA, Los Angeles, Past President (2009-2010) Association of American Geographers,USA.
• Professor Derek Gregory, University of British Columbia, Canada.
• Dr. Jean Rahier, Director of African and African Diaspora Studies, Florida International University, Miami, USA.
• Dr. Ana Maria Bidegain, Director Colombia Studies Institute, Florida International University, Miami, USA.
• Dr. Luis Castro Nogueira, Profesor Titular de Sociología, UNED, Madrid, España.
• Dr. Cesar Arellano, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA.
• Dr. Helen Sooväli-Sepping, Tallinn University, Estonia.
• Profesor Mario Diego Romero, Departamento de Historia, Universidad del Valle, Cali.
• Dr. Gisela Cramer, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá.
• Drs. Maria Teresa Salcedo, Juana Camacho, Álvaro Santoyo, Carlos Andrés Meza, Margarita Chaves; Grupo de Antropología Social, Instituto Colombiano de Antropología ICANH, Bogotá.
• Omar Jabary Salamanca, Gent University, Bélgica.
• Roosbelinda Cárdenas González, PhD Candidate, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA.
• Manuel Martínez, Global Health Access Program, Los Ángeles, USA.
• Elsi Angulo, abogada y estudiante de Justicia Social, Universidad de Western Ontario, Canadá.
• Lee Leckie, Amnesty International, Málaga, España.
• Mireya Ivanovic Barbeito, Profesora de Arquitectura y licenciada en Ciencias Políticas, Presidenta del Partido Animalista PACMA, Madrid, España.
• Lucely Orozco Soto, Arquitecta UPB, Satélite Arquitectura SLP, Madrid, España.
• Arnulfo Medina Carreño, artista, Madrid, España.
• Edelma Zapata Pérez, Poeta, Bogotá.
• Grupo de Investigación CUNUNO, Universidad del Valle, Cali.
• Enrique Jaramillo Buenaventura, Director Programa de Antropología, Universidad Icesi, Cali.
• Nora P. Castañeda, Ingeniera Agrónoma, Cali.
For correspondence please write to the following address:
Dr. Ulrich Oslender
Department of Geographical & Earth Sciences
University of Glasgow
Glasgow
G12 8QQ
UK
email: Ulrich.Oslender@ges.gla.ac.uk
Pease note that a copies of this letter have been sent to:
• Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperación de España, Madrid
• Oficina de Relaciones Exteriores del Reino Unido (UK Foreign Office, Londres) (en inglés)
• Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Francia (Ministre des Affaires étrangères et européennes, Paris) (en francés)
• Ministerio de Ecología, y Desarrollo Sostenible de Francia (Ministère de l'Ecologie, de l'Energie du Développement durable et de la Mer, La Défense) (en francés)
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHICAL & EARTH SCIENCES
University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK
Prof. T Hoey (Head of Department), Prof. P Bishop, Prof. J A Briggs, Prof. C P Philo, Prof. R Paddison
Dr Ulrich Oslender telephone: +44 (0)141 330 4782; Fax: +44 (0)141 330 4894
email: Ulrich.Oslender@ges.gla.ac.uk
http://www.ges.gla.ac.uk:443/staff/uoslender
--------------
De: Marcia Alexandra Santacruz Palacios
Hola Amigos -Amigas
Hace ya algunas semanas, un grupo de Académicos de talla Internacional, iniciaron una campaña de denuncia sobre las fumigaciones de cultivos ilícitos en Guapi, uno de los promotores de esta iniciativa es el Investigador Ulirch Oslender de la Universidad de Glasgow Escocia, le siguen el Dr. Carlos Agudelo (Associated Researcher IHEAL-CREDAL-CNRS, France), Profesor Michael Taussig (Class of 1933 Professor of Anthropology, Columbia University, New York, USA) Profesor Arturo Escobar (Kenan Distinguished Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA) Dr. Ana María Bidegain, Director Colombia Studies Institute, Florida International University, Miami, USA, entre otros.
Este destacado grupo de profesionales, gracias a su amplio conocimiento sobre la situación de Guapi y su dilatada experiencia investigativa en esta región, decidieron por medio de una carta, exigir al gobierno Colombiano la suspensión inmediata las fumigaciones en esta zona. El hecho al alcanzado cierto nivel de trascendencia, al punto de despertar el interés mediático y la reacción de algunos cuerpos diplomáticos que se pronunciaron sobre el particular.
Por lo anterior, considero que este ejercicio sienta un precedente y constituye al mismo tiempo ejemplo para quienes creemos que otra Colombia es Posible, estas personas nos demostraron cómo proteger aquello que nos compete a todos como es la biodiversidad...
Estoy convencida por tanto, que con "pequeñas" acciones simbólicas, fundamentadas en la Armonía, el respeto y amor por las y los otros (porque no decir lo otro, entendiendo a la Naturaleza en su conjunto) podemos generar incidencia, alianzas hermanamientos etc., que blinden nuestras comunidades para la efectiva defensa del territorio y la conservación de la vida.
Este es el reportaje del Espectador.
Como afro, me sumo a esta iniciativa y les invito a que sigamos difundiendo esta información.
Agradezco a los firmantes su compromiso y sentido humano.
Cordialmente
Marcia Santacruz
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