Accompaniment in Columbia: Nonviolent Resistance as a Tool for Social Change
This project was supported by the partnership with my community sponsor, Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) Colombia. Based in Barrancabermeja, Santander, CPT Colombia is an international accompaniment organization that works throughout the Magdalena Medio region. We accompany communities, leaders, and organizations as they work toward a more just and peaceful future. Accompaniment is defined as simply being present, and this manifests in two principal ways: 1) as a physical presence, walking alongside community members to act as a barrier to any threats of violence or intimidation from armed actors; and 2) as a force to build upon existing networks to gain support from other accompaniment organizations, international citizens, and legal systems.
I was fortunate to be granted an internship with CPT Colombia with a presence on the ground for six months, October 2017 through April 2018. I was expected to participate in the daily life of the team, including being present in community life, working with the team, traveling on accompaniment trips, being flexible to changes in daily routines, and a commitment to the continuous work of undoing oppression. After arriving with a curiosity and energy to learn from our partners and the team, my project work focused on creating media in the form of photojournalism, documentary short films, and social media outreach. Many challenges and new learnings emerged over the course of my six months in Colombia, but, to use the language of Dr. John Hausdoerffer: with resiliency I have thrived as a producer.
The opportunity to work in this setting has been a divergent path perhaps in comparison to other Master in Environmental Management (MEM) students' work. Our program has many intriguing lenses, and my colleagues have offered a chance to learn through classroom and more casual settings. My own work as a human rights defender and storyteller in this context has opened another door of connections and possibilities for the MEM community moving forward. I am hopeful that the reflections and recommendations in this report will provide a framework for future MEM students with interests both similar and unique from my own, and that I will not be the last MEMer to complete a project with CPT Colombia. See Phil Keim's Photo Journal here.
Cross-Boundary Collaboration
Phillip Keim
Jhon Henry Camargo
Marian DeCouto
Hannah Redekop
Pierre Shantz
Christian Peacemaker Team - Columbia