● ER ●
By Edisher Rios
(Colombia-England-Taiwan)
Editor's note:
Edisher Rios has, in mind, body, and spirit, traveled worlds beyond words. He is currently a teacher on the island of Taiwan. As a man of multitudinous talents, Eddie coordinates joy, sharing, and love amongst all those who share his presence. In short, his words speak spirit-in-action.
DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY, it is no secret how cruel and heartless colonization has been in inflicting pain through copious global communities via episodes of perpetual violence. It is also clearly evident how despicable and greedy so-called 'leaders' have taken advantage of our ancestors' cultural values and patrimony. However, in recent years it is encouraging to note how the concept of 'Decolonization' has changed attitudes and minds to make people more conscious of how best to create a fairer world.
Back as a ten-year-old in the suburbs of my hometown Bogota, Colombia, my dad bought a set of encyclopedias. I read its contents voraciously, but the history edition was my favorite book by far. I devoured its entries daily and remember paging through it to the point that the book eventually lost its front cover. Despite this, I couldn't stop reading, completely mesmerized by the surreal pictures and captions coming to my eyes.
I clearly remember one picture of a half-naked aboriginal man with a conquistador that left me perplexed. The caption described how the tribesman – dressed in authentic attire – was dutifully working for his 'landlord'. This set me on a path of believing that history was projecting a clearly-defined world where whites (rich, supreme royals) dominated what appeared to be 'inferior' races like Blacks, Mulattos, and Indians. While flicking through more pages, I'd encounter similar facts on different dates. One particularly troublesome photo-caption combo was the 'exchange of black women's bodies on the west coast of Africa'. With a noted sense of disgust, I immediately realized 'Black' did not specifically refer to a particular race but rather encompassed the broad spectrum known as "colored people". This raw, eye-opening reality made me think that I was somehow complicit and worthy of blame for being white. I asked my dad if those aboriginals and black people in the encyclopedia were bad people that deserved punishment. He replied, "They didn't do anything wrong, son. All they did was live peacefully in their communities and environment until the conquistadores arrived and took their treasures, lands, and made them slaves".
This stage of my life crystallized both a solid sense of identity and accordant responsibility within me. I have always fully connected with my roots, and back then I began clamoring for a clearer idea of my family genealogy. I soon came to learn an ambiguous truth: my great-grandparents came from a distinguished group of military corporals, who in their period of service oversaw conflict in World War Two and all that accompanied that tragic slice of human history.
Bearing all this in mind, it became easier to comprehend my reality then and how my family history molded who I am and the world I inhabit. Being aware of this background, I grew increasingly curious and started to learn more actively about marginalized, disenfranchised minorities.
In present-day Colombia, approximately 3.4% of the population identifies as stemming from indigenous origin while still retaining rural culture and economic practices. In the Cauca valley, one group of aboriginals – invigorated by the legacy of their ancestors – have tried to dismantle Western-dominated history and epistemes by steadfastly retaining their original beliefs and cultural practices. On a daily basis, this group (and others) confront colonial tendencies to fight against losing their local values in an ever-escalating climate of violent Coloniality.
For decades, these aboriginals' primary enemy has been insurgent military groups known as "guerrillas". Guerrillas in the Cauca region have been increasingly violent since the turbulent and infamous "cartel era" ended. Additionally, the mountainous geography of this place allows rebels to hide in vast wilderness, where they build military camps and cocaine production labs. Upon settlement, these rebels often clash with local aboriginals, who were once the area's only inhabitants. These aboriginals – proud and with deep links to the land – are forced to offer resistance against far better-equipped militias, and what armed conflicts result generally bring about brutal bloodbaths marked by piles of corpses staining crystalline rivers amidst an otherwise beautiful landscape. These scenes are not anomalous; reports of tribal leaders being mutilated to death happen so frequently that the situation is described as akin to genocide. To make matters worse, government assistance has been so minimal that it has been suggested complicity exists between the authorities and those currently wreaking havoc within aboriginal domains.
This sad, emphatic reality – one which is not specific to the Cauca region or Colombia itself – makes me, and I hope others, aware of our responsibility toward ushering in a state of decolonized existence. I find myself asking: will it take a global revolution of mentalities to understand the benefits of equality and cooperation? Are we talking about full humankind reset? Suppose we sincerely wish to develop accurate, sustained systemic changes. In that case, we should start by developing the premise of whose lives matter: who is worth living a decent life and who should be cast aside like garbage. I know this sounds absurd, but that's what you get for living on a planet where people value their possessions over fellow human beings and other organic life.
At this junction of history, we humans are not considered equals. This is seen via countless governmental examples where so-called 'leaders' mobilize the state's resources against the populations they 'serve' to institute whatever causes they and their friends are backing. As the socio-political class supporting these executives, our duty as citizens is to reflect on inequality and loudly point it out. Every citizen's responsibility is to offer voices to those living and dying in Cauca and Cauca equivalents worldwide and simultaneously accord respect to what is different from what we know and believe. By doing this in an honest, sustained manner, we will develop and evolve into more nuanced beings who stand a better chance at resolving some of what appear to be Earth's greatest existential threats in living memory.
The famous Chilean singer Sergio Ortega once sang, "The people united will never be defeated". His feisty message has resounded in the hearts and minds of millions of believers who support the aboriginal communities being forced into extinction. As long as this spirit of camaraderie and actionable love continues, not all is lost, and everything that can be improved will face its moment of reckoning. And who knows: mutual benefit could even occur with correct intentions and real action.
I am optimistic that the essence of Decoloniality will gradually cause change and enhance our lives. Doing so should restore a sense of moral and ethical values which can build a platform espousing equal treatment for all. When I share the magnificence of our world with my future children, I hope it still exists rather than via utopian-esque mythology propagated by books that bear no relation to reality. Decoloniality is one of the key tools to attain that reality, and it should be spoken of, celebrated, and spread far and wide.
Questions for Reflection:
Eddie's description of the Decolonial condition is accurate and heartfelt. So is his optimism for a better world. How can we – individually and communally – offer sufficient and feasible optimism to the downtrodden and forgotten, and in doing so, enable them to join the resounding grassroots call for a better world to the point that power-elites must concede leverage and accept a more equal playing field?