Saturday, May 21, 2011

Mucho Mas Mayo

Coastal beaches, domineering mountain ranges, enveloping jungle: Colombia has it all.  But who has Colombia? 
During our training in Barranquilla we learned about the significance of the Colombian flag.  The flag is simple, it has three stripes that run horizontal.  The widest of the three and the one that occupies the top part of the flag is yellow, underneath that is a blue stripe, and then a red stripe.  The yellow stripe, we were told, represents the gold that exists in abundance in Colombia.  The blue stripe represents the waters that flow generously in almost all parts of the country: Colombia has shores on the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, as well as many rivers that form a complex, perilous system that empties into the Amazon.  The final stripe, the red one, represents the blood of the people that was shed to gain independence from Spain.  When the flag was adopted as the symbol of the nation, who could have known the blood of the people (the red stripe) would continue to flow in a struggle for control of the country’s resources and wealth (yellow and green stripe)?  
Another topic (or is it the same topic?):
This week there has been a festival called Mucho Mas Mayo.  It is a festival celebrating art, music, dance, and afrocolombian culture.  All over the city for the last 5 days there have been concerts, poetry readings, dance performances, and discussions.  Today the final concert was held in the historic district in the Plaza de la Paz (The Plaza of Peace).  It began at 8pm and the crowd was mostly composed of youth ages 16-24.  Various hip-hip, rock, and rap bands performed on the center stage, and on a side-stage local breakdance and hip-hop groups displayed their skills.  I was in the center of the crowd, standing in front of the stage with my host brother Esteban.  The bands were good, with messages of hope, peace, and respect.  Everything you would expect from a production sponsored by the local government.  Then a heavy metal group took the stage.  As soon as the lead singer began screaming into his microphone, commotion erupted on my left.  I looked over and suddenly a circle was opening up in the middle of the crowd.  I was pushed back, along with everyone around me, to make space for….what? 
I soon discovered that the space was for fighting.  Young men who entered the circle, entered with fists flying.  It became a swirling mess of young men pushing and punching one-another, dispelling rage and energy in the most violent of ways.  The group performing on stage seemed only encouraged by the chaos.  At one point the lead singer shouted “Jovenes Cartageneros, quiero que se maten!” (Youth of Cartagena, I want you to kill each other!).  My stomach turned.  I stood there, watching the crowd, those plunging into the fray, and those standing near me, just observing the mania.  The main band of the night hadn’t played yet, but I was ready to leave.  As we walked away from the Plaza, we discussed what was happening there.  Esteban had seen one of the kids get a tooth knocked out, and Yamina (a teacher-friend) talked about the influence of drugs at this kind of event.   The night’s events now make sense and yet are so contrary to how things should be.
I don’t have a conclusion for this blog.  I can’t think of anyway proverbatize what I saw.  I want more explanations and, even more, I want solutions. 
Today is my 4 month anniversary in Cartagena…