In many places in South America (and the world over for that matter), indigenous people often struggle to get their voices heard with local and national authorities. Try as they might, those in power frequently fail to engage and help resolve the issues of the people living there the longest. As we are aware in the West, there is usually a narrative dating back many centuries whereby new settlers came and took from the people who had been there long before.
In the south of Colombia, there seems only one way to get the attention of the government when such needs arise…block the road!
Our first experience of this dynamic could hardly have occurred at a worse time. We had travelled along the north coast of Peru, through the Ecuadorian Andes and into Colombia, all on a relatively tight timeline. This was due to the arrival of Laura’s mum for a much anticipated visit. She would land in Cali in the south of Colombia, travel with us through the Eje Cafetero region, before departing from Bogota in the centre of the country. Once her dates had been booked, we set our own timetable to ensure that we arrived in Cali Airport in good time to collect her.
We crossed into Colombia right on track, safely negotiating the needlessly complicated customs procedures in the southern city of Ipiales. From there we headed north, passing the cities of Pasto and Popoyan, before stopping for a night close to the small mountainous town of Silvia. We would travel the next day by local bus the three hours to Cali, where we had rented an apartment. This would get us settled in the city a full 24 hours before flight AV15 would touch down from Madrid. All was going as clockwork until just before bed when we got a knock on the door. Our wonderful host Kika at the camping knew of our travel plans, so took it on herself to let us know about a roadblock on the main Silvia to Cali road, by the local indigenous Misak people.
Now the roads to that point in Colombia had been ok, but nothing to write home about. Without a dual-carriageway or motorway in sight, the single-lane road from the Ecuadorian border had snaked through the mountains, resulting in long delays behind trucks, tractors and road construction vehicles. This made the ability to block the road, and the likelihood of the roadblock being successful, extremely likely in this part of the world.
The Cauca Region has a history filled with conflict and struggle. Cauca has historically been one of the Colombian regions most affected by clashes between different armed groups fighting for the territory’s control. Its geographic location in the Central Mountain Range, its connection with the Pacific Ocean, and its proximity to the cities of Cali and Buenaventura (the main Pacific Port) has allowed armed groups to establish transit zones, strategically locate illicit crops, and obtain resources from communities through social control.
In the 1960s, the first signs of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) occurred in the in the Cauca Region. This remained their hub for guerrilla activity over the following decades. The expansion of the paramilitary groups, the offensives of guerrillas groups, the Army’s dispute for territorial control, and the armed strengthening of the drug traffickers, generated an unprecedented increase in violent actions in the Cauca Region.
Thankfully, the 2016 Peace Accord not only established the end of the conflict between FARC and the State, but also established a series of measures and transformations to lay the foundations for a stable and lasting peace. Yet 2024 saw a return to increased violence and aggression in the area, alongside numerous roadblocks along key routes.
So it is with this backdrop that we processed the news of the latest roadblock in Cauca. Having consulted Kika about the likely timeline of the roadblock (“it could be hours, days or weeks to unblock”) and alternative route possibilities (“these are extremely dangerous due to guerrilla groups looking to benefit from vehicles wandering off the main road”), our concerns were not exactly alleviated.
Our sleep was not the best that night, as we racked our brains for solutions. Failing to come up anything meaningful, we got up the next day hoping to hear positive news. With none forthcoming, we played the waiting game. We were very keen not to pass the information onto Laura’s mum before she flew, as our sleep interrupted night would pale into insignificance compared to how the news would be received by her at the departure gate.
As fate would have it, a Colombian mother and daughter came into our lives. Diana and Ana had recently returned from living in Germany for many years, and were promoting their new yoga studio close to the campsite. After a brief introduction and chat, they mentioned that they were due in Cali the next morning for an unmissable appointment and would be delighted to offer us a lift. We were of course thrilled for the offer, but aware that it would not be possible if the roadblock was still in place. They said they would reassess at 6am the next morning and we could see if it was possible.
Long before the alarm went off the following day we were checking local media for updates. Unfortunately no good news was flowing. But when Diana called to say they were going to try the main route, we packed our small bags for Cali and off we went.
Stopping for petrol on the edge of town, we asked the attendant if he knew of any update. He mentioned that there may have been a breakthrough (literally), but could not 100% confirm. Again, our fearless chauffeurs decided that this was enough of a positive sign so we continued. A few kilometres down the road we saw what turned out to be a wonderful sight. A convoy of 18-wheel trucks coming towards us in a hurry on the opposite side of the road. The road block had been cleared, albeit with the use of armed force.
Yet as you can imagine, the built-up traffic from a roadblock that lasted more than 36 hours is not cleared in a matter of minutes. We spent the next seven hours crawling along the clogged road to cover the 130km to Cali. The journey was made even more difficult when a truck unwittingly reversed into the side of the car we were in, causing more than $1,000 in damages. It was also quite an experience to see our Colombian friends literally race after the truck and confront the driver and his passengers for a good 30 minutes.
Arriving in Cali, with time to spare before we were required at the airport, was a huge relief. We had made it despite significant challenges and setbacks. We settled into the rented apartment and duly departed for our date at the airport.
Yet lost in our own personal dramas is the all-important “why” of the whole situation. Why did the Misak people feel that blocking the road was required? Why did they risk their lives, the livelihoods of their families and future prospects of their villages, to get the attention of the government. And why did the government not enter dialogue before reaching this scarcely-believable point of blocking a road (well from a European perspective at least)?
These are questions that I certainly cannot answer. But it is something that made me reflect on our own lives, our own journey and our own futures. We are incredibly fortunate to be doing what we are doing, be it travelling, working steady well-paid jobs, or just living how we live in the West.
Whatever the correct answers are in this instance, let’s hope that we can create a more equitable world whereby people do not feel the need to do things like this in the future.
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