Upon my arrival, I was finding it difficult to imagine myself in Colombia… finding it difficult knowing how to pack and prepare for my Leadership in Action Project. Yet, here I am, feeling that I have made several-months-worth of impressions, connections, learnings, and conversations in Colombia. It has been a long and hectic, but wonderful week.

Truthfully, I was unsure of what to expect – let alone of myself. For the past seven months, I have been struggling with getting through the semester and everything else while recovering from a severe head injury. On Wednesday, July 3^rd, I completed my rehabilitation at a Centre for People with Brain Traumas. On Friday, July 5^th, my 22-hour travel to Medellín began at 3:30 in the morning at Copenhagen Airport. An obvious side note is that this was not the top-one recommendation for my recovery plan. Yet here I am.

It is unbelievably green here and the country is celebrated for its biodiversity around the world. And, I feel beyond grateful to spend the next 5 weeks on this land, seeking to understand its vital role in building peace in different communities. As we have been introduced to the make_sense methodology of design thinking, we have also learned how significant and magnificent the land is to the people of Medellín, both historically and culturally.

The landscape is wounded from 60 years of armed conflict and displacement wherein land ownership was among the root problems. Alongside this, though, the land is also the provider of natural resources, agricultural production, and finally, home to its people. David (our make_sense facilitator together with Daniela) told us that the concept of home is captured by the Spanish word Tierra; the sense of belonging to the Earth upon which one grew up.

Tierra is a beautiful reminder of how connected we humans are to the nature we know most intimately. And, I am looking forward to learning more about how this connection plays a role in environmental sustainability and peacebuilding in Picacho, the local community where Oliver, Rachel, and I start working next week with the organisation Picacho Con Futuro.

Museo Casa de La Memoria

Tuesday, July 9^th was a humbling and heavy day. We visited Museo Casa de La Memoria, a museum that is a testimony to the victims and survivors of the many years of violence. It is a painful yet remarkable museum, portraying the complex history of the atrocities. I wish to come back and go through the exhibition again, slowly…

We concluded outside with Selena, a woman who had been displaced during the conflict. She shared with us a healing practice of processing trauma and looking ahead. We created an atadito which is a little cloth bag of soil, native seeds, and a word we wished to plant for the Earth. I wrote kærlighed, meaning love in Danish.

What I remember, too, is the quote David and Daniela shared with us, stated    by Francisco de Roux in response to the conflict: “How could we let it happen and why do we keep letting it happen?”  

I have found myself reflecting upon this throughout the week. Can our everyday efforts for collective healing counter the continuous cycle of violence? By building peace for some, do we perpetrate violence on others? What are my responsibilities as a peacebuilder during my Leadership in Action Project? 

Communa 13

Thursday, July 11^th added some context and clarity to my questions above. We visited Communa 13 which was one of the central areas for drug trafficking and guerilla wars during the conflict, leading it to be one of the most violent and unsafe areas for many years in Medellín. Stiven, our guide who grew up in Communa 13, shared both the realities of the dark past as well as the cruciality of social work and art for transformation for a peaceful future.

Beyond being an incredible place of prospering hope, this commune also evidences that everyday efforts for peace are among the most important – small acts of kindness and care make big differences in a community. Inspired by such, I will continue emphasising care and kindness as my leadership journey develops in the following weeks. 

Finally, I wish to highlight the amazing community of people that I get to share and shape this experience with. I have always struggled with justifying my privilege in relation to peacebuilding because I come from Denmark, a relatively peaceful country (on paper). However, in conversation with David, Daniela, and the other Laidlaw scholars, I have been reminded that privilege is not anything to feel ashamed of. Rather, it is something to be thankful for – and to use it for bringing about a positive change for others. So, here I am, thankful and excited to create an impact for, with, and alongside the people of Medellín.