The Peace Community of San José de Apartadó was founded 27 years ago on March 23rd on principles of nonviolence, collective action, and a dedicated resistance to violence and conflict. How did they develop these principles and what role do they play in life in the Peace Community?
“When we were creating the Peace Community, we participated in workshops to reflect and talk about the principles that would guide our actions and our vision. They were produced collectively, where we proposed new ways to relate to one another, from the knowledge that we have to fight as a unit that becomes stronger each time we manage to protect life, each time that we run into an armed actor that treats us better than before, and each time we plant productive crops on lands that others have wanted to clear. It is because of this, that the decisions that we make are made for our own community; a community that is organized, that has been mistreated, and that has stood up and resisted the logic of war. Our experience has created a circular relationship, one in which everyone participates, and where all of us have the right to make decisions. Our decision-making process is based on the possibility that everyone has an equal opportunity to lead. What are the ethical ideas that guide our actions? Morally and ethically, the Peace Community is based around one idea: that we cannot think in terms of “I” or “you”, but rather, that we must think in others in terms of OURSELVES.”
“En nuestro proceso participamos de talleres en los que reflexionamos y discutimos sobre los principios que guían nuestras acciones y nuestra lucha. Ellos son una producción colectiva desde la que planteamos formas distintas de relacionarnos, desde el saber que la comunidad tiene que luchar como una unidad que se fortalece cada vez que logramos proteger la vida, cada vez que nos encontramos a un actor armado y ya no nos irrespeta como antes, cada vez que sembramos para que produzca donde otros han querido arrasar. Es por eso que las decisiones que tomamos están dirigidas a la misma comunidad que es una comunidad organizada, que ha sido golpeada, y que se ha rebelado contra la lógica de la guerra. Nuestra experiencia ha establecido una relación política circular porque todos participamos, todos tenemos derecho a tomar decisiones. Existe un proceso basado en la posibilidad que es igual para todos de liderar esta opción. ¿Cuáles son esas concepciones éticas que guían nuestro modo de actuar? Moralmente y éticamente la Comunidad parte de una convicción: que no podemos pensar en tú o yo, sino que debemos pensar en el otro en un sentido de NOSOTROS.”