The strength of civil society through 32 examples of solidarity
Nina Chaparro May 14, 2024
Civil society is a living fabric that exists in every corner of the world, and Colombia is no exception. This book is a tribute to the people and organizations that contribute so much to the defense of our democracy. | Living Fabric Archive |
In our new publication, “Tejido vivo,” we tell the stories of 32 organizations from different parts of Colombia that have created ways to defend democracy, their rights, and resist discrimination, war, and violence.
In our new publication, “Tejido vivo,” we tell the stories of 32 organizations from different parts of Colombia that have created ways to defend democracy, their rights, and resist discrimination, war, and violence.
Civil society is on the move around the world. In Argentina, thousands of students march against the defunding of public education. In Venezuela, various organizations are calling on the international community to be present in the upcoming presidential elections. In Colombia, a group of Raizal fishermen from Providencia recently stopped the construction of a military base to prevent ecological damage. And in the United States, a large number of university students are joining the global outcry against the genocide of the Palestinian people.
But what is civil society? Although it is a concept that is difficult to define, one could say it is the everyday citizen who voluntarily joins with others to discuss problems they have in common. Civil society is also known as “the third sector” because it is generally independent from both the government in power and the profit-driven business sector. Sometimes they organize as NGOs, media outlets, grassroots community organizations, think tanks, human rights organizations, or religious groups, among others.
The importance of this third sector is also essential in a democracy. While democracies need stable states and fair economies, it is equally indispensable for people to be able to gather freely, debate, and form opinions that can influence their lives. A clear example was in 2017 when the people of Cajamarca, in the Tolima region, resisted government pressure and the economic interests of the mining company Anglo Gold Ashanti. In a popular consultation, 98% said NO to open-pit mining with cyanide that would have destroyed their mountains. In this David versus Goliath battle, only an independent civil society could defend its territory from the political and private powers that threatened it.
In our country and in other territories, civil society has been silenced and battered by violence. Visiting the website of Indepaz, which keeps an updated record of social leaders killed in Colombia, brings deep sorrow. Beyond the numbers—which are absurdly high—every time a social leader is killed, as Yolanda Ruíz beautifully wrote in a column, the best of our society is being taken away.
On Tuesday, April 30, at the Bogotá Book Fair, Dejusticia launched the book Tejido Vivo, which pays tribute to these organizations. Together with allied journalists and Dejusticia researchers—who are also part of civil society—we tell the stories of 32 organizations, mostly rural and grassroots, that from different parts of Colombian territory have created ways to defend their rights and resist discrimination, war, and violence.
These are stories ranging from farmers’ initiatives to protect their lands or be counted in the national census, to organizations working tirelessly on peacebuilding, women advocating for food sovereignty and environmental protection, Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities defending their traditions and their right to inhabit their ancestral lands, alternative media outlets giving voice to different perspectives, and the courage of mothers defending and protecting the rights of their LGBT children or children with disabilities.
Civil society is a fabric that is alive in every corner of the world, and Colombia is no exception. This book is a tribute to the people and organizations that contribute so much to the defense of our democracy.
