“. . is a constitutional mandate. The environment is what we take care of for future generations of humanity.”
-Mondragon Ducuara Family
The Families of La Esperanza
ESPERANZA IS RESISTANCE, ESPERANZA IS THE STRUGGLE, ESPERANZA IS LIFE, ESPERANZA IS COMMUNITY, ESPERANZA IS A GUARANTEE OF LIFE FOR THE PLANET.
text written by the Community Council of La Esperanza
In times of a pandemic, the cry of humanity and solidarity arises from the bowels of the earth, sore from so much death, for so much destruction. The hope of restoring biodiverse territories emerges as an alternative to the crisis of civilization imposed by the current economic model and to the global collapse of lives. In the midst of the dictatorship of the market and its seductive discourse of unlimited accumulation, life flourishes as an option and with it community initiatives of protection and solidarity, such as the one led for 40 years by the Afro-Colombian families of the Community Council of La Esperanza, that protect the biodiversity of its territory, as a guarantee of life for humanity, as a common good and as an environmental reserve. The constant action of economic and market power, which threatens the concretion of dispossession, through violence, imposing forced displacement and consummating ecocide, is proof of the economic interests of the international port of Buenaventura in the Colombian Pacific.
The non-violent struggle and the civil and community resistance of the La Esperanza Community Council must also be our fight, it must be ours because this territory is a community heritage of humanity initiative, because it has been declared as a common good, as a biodiverse territory by the peace in Colombia, but in it life is being murdered and it needs our solidarity. The life of this territory depends on everyone, there is an urgent need to stop ecocide.
WHO ARE THE WOMEN, GIRLS, CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE, ADULTS, GRANDMOTHERS AND GRANDFATHERS WHO PROTECT THIS BIODIVERSE TERRITORY ?
Rodrigues Family: Peace in our territory is a quality life with our neighbors that it is not destroyed by people outside our community
Becerra Rosera Family: Peace is a close link between people with nature and the territory where they live, the effective enjoyment of everything around us, being in complete harmony with our body, mind and spirit to transcend and share with our loved ones and community in general.
Becerra Gonzalez Family: Peace is the ability of human beings to live calmly, with healthy social coexistence. It also has to do with proper conflict management, so as not to get into more problematic situations. Each and every one of us must understand that to achieve peace we must make our own decisions.
