National Congress of Art and Poetry
for the peace of Colombia
A big group of Colombian poets, artists and intellectual held in Bogota, on February 25 and 26, 2006, a National Congress of Artists and Intellectuals with Carlos Gaviria Díaz, in support of his presidential candidacy. The importance of this meeting, held on occasion of the 2006 presidential election, lay on the fact that for the first time in the recent history of our country, after many years of self-censorship by most Colombian poets, artists and intellectuals, because of fear of the extreme violence, the cultural sector met to express openly its decision to choose a course different from the war that Colombians have suffered during the last four decades, leaving hundreds of thousands of dead, wounded, disabled, displaced persons, kidnapped and disappeared men and women, and the economy in shambles.
Although Carlos Gaviria Díaz did not obtain a majority of votes, we think that the reasons to summon Colombian poets, artists and intellectuals are still well founded. It is still urgent to restore freedom of thought, creation and speech in Colombia; it is still pressing to defend cultural rights and to demand the creation of a new country.
Video in Spanish
Unfortunately, the absence in Colombia of a strong and independent cultural movement and of cultural institutions able to attract people, or with enough contacts or resources, has not made posible a new meeting of the cultural sector. Colombian poets, artists and intellectuals, beyond elections, should think about the role we have in the context of a state that gives priority to war and that has rejected dialogue and negotiation as a peaceful solution for this conflict, that imprisons our dreams and sheds our blood.
As we have seen, Congress recently approved a war budget of 6.2 billion Colombian pesos, while the state continues with a policy of meager support of the cultural sector. All of this weakens the capacity of survival of the country’s fundamental cultural processes and projects.
The struggle for peace is also the struggle for a new culture, and in this sense the contribution of poets, artists and intellectuals is essential. The need to give unity to their efforts is evident, in order to foster debate and actions toward a new alternative for Colombia. It is necessary to promote a confluence of various voices and expressions to reach a new, generous and just society through a political solution of the Colombian conflict.
The International Poetry Festival of Medellín summons poets, writers, artists and intellectuals to take part in a cycle of dialogues to lead us to a collective self-examination and the drawing up of proposals for the solutions of the problems we have mentioned, in the framework of the National
Congres of Art and Poetry for the Peace of Colombia, which will held on June 1, 2 and 3, 2007.
On June 1st we will then open and present the National Congress of Art and Poetry for the Peace of Colombia, whose program will be based on three activities:
1.Panels, lectures, and round tables by poets, artists and intellectuals.
2. Poetry readings and plays.
3. Concerts.
Steering committee
International Poetry Festival of Medellín
