The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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PAPER The Drum Beat - 21 - COLOMBIA - General Context

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The Drum Beat - 21 - COLOMBIA - General Context
Additional Information and Commentary

By Adelaida Trujillo-Caicedo
Citurna Producciones en Cine y Video
Bogotá, May of 1999
adelaidatrujillo@cable.net.co

1. Colombia: General Context

Colombia is a multicultural country with a population of 40 million inhabitants, of which 70% are today urban dwellers. The rest live from agro-industrial related activities in a breathtakingly varied geographical scenario, one of the world's most coveted biodiverse areas and mineral resources, particularly oil and natural gas. The capital city of Bogotá is one of the largest in the continent , with more than 8 million people, and industrial Medellín and agroindustrial Cali follow in importance (aprox. 1.5 and 2.2 million respectively). Several other medium sized cities (Barranquilla, Cartagena, Pereira, etc) concentrate the population, which growing daily due to political armed conflict in the rural areas, violence which has become critical in the last two years. Despite a complex political and social context, underestimated internationally because of the drugs label tagged to the country, Colombia is one of the most solid economies in the region. It has a democratic political tradition, high literacy rate, a well prepared technical and intellectual middle class and innovative development projects, at both the government and community level.

Since the end of 1997, Colombia has been suffering an escalating economic crisis, affected in part by its neighbours in the region, and the highest unemployment rates in recent history (average of 15%, with Cali reaching 22%). This serious economic situation has been affected dramatically by the armed conflict.

Colombia has a tradition of violence, due in part to the liberal and conservative establishment's incapacity to deal with opposition since the late forties (which triggered a non-declared civil war called La Violencia). The largest guerrilla group ( FARC), created 35 years ago, is the oldest in the continent. After 18 years of attempts to disarm insurgent groups, FARC and ELN (15,000 and 5,000 men, respectively) are still at war, though in the process of defining an agenda for peace negotiations with the actual Colombian government - the Pastrana administration.

Colombia holds the sad record of being one of the most violent countries in the world, with an average death toll of 25,000 per year. It is important to note that the main cause for this extraordinary rate of criminality is not political , but intrafamiliar violence and common delinquency. On the other hand, Colombia has one of the continent's strongest presence of NGO's and civil society organisations, many of them highly influential in public policies and in co-producing projects , particularly in the development sector.
This general description to explain why the quest for peace and reconciliation has become in the last years the number one priority in the agenda for both state, development agencies and non-governmental organisations.

The Constitution of 1991 was a response to civil society's pressure and the youth movement (La Septima Papeleta), triggered by accute levels of political violence at the end of the eighties. A Constitutional Assembly was popularly elected and radical changes were developed, many of them controversial, which I am not going to mention in this very general description. The essence of the national constitution agreed in 1991 is that all local development plans must be debated and 'constructed' with participation from all sectors

I that spirit, the majority of the governmental and non- governmental organisations ( if not all) are working towards the concept of "convivencia". Convivencia translates as "conviviality", or living in peace, in harmony, in a spirit of civility and tolerance. It is a positive expression of a vision for reconstructing the social fabric of Colombia, which contrasts with the extraordinary rate of violence. Communication and the use of mass media and alternative media is seen clearly as an essential tool in this process.

Despite these common purpose towards "convivencia", the mass media (radio, television and press) are in the hands of the most powerful economic groups and seem to have completely different agendas. This particularly applies to national television and radio stations ( with one or two exceptions in the printed press, and isolated efforts in the audiovisual sector).