A TRUE STORY: Life inside the demilitarized zone .By Teresa Gutierrez
I had the good fortune to travel with an International Action Center delegation to Colombia in November 2000. Our delegation, headed by former U.S. Atty. Gen. Ramsey Clark, visited representatives from various sectors of the movement for social change.
We spent some time in Bogotá as well, and the "zona de despeje"--the demilitarized zone. This zone is currently very much in the news as the administrations of U.S. President George Bush and Colombian President Andres Pastrana present a bellicose ultimatum to the rebels who have been operating in the zone for almost three years.
Our delegation spent a couple of nights in San Vicente de Caguán, a small town inside the zone. We walked the streets, ate dinner at the plaza and talked to residents. We also spent a couple of nights at the encampment of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP), just a few miles from San Vicente.
When we first arrived in San Vicente the atmosphere there, compared to that of Bogotá, immediately struck me.
Bogotá was tense, people cautious, afraid to talk about the political situation.
But it is different in San Vicente. There, people are very open. As you walk the streets, the air is festive as music rings out all around you.
Bogotá was tense, people cautious, afraid to talk about the political situation.
But it is different in San Vicente. There, people are very open. As you walk the streets, the air is festive as music rings out all around you.
The youth play basketball in the park. The hotel and restaurant workers, taxi drivers-everyone--carry themselves differently. They do not appear to be tense or watching their backs at every moment. And they were eager to talk with us about the political situation.
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