Thursday, 17 May 2018

The life and times of Sebastian Cadavid, a former Colombian guerilla fighter

Image result for sebastian cadavid of colombia


In Colombia, efforts are being made to train or re-train not just soldiers but civilians who were displaced by the long war that ravaged the country.

Sebastian Cadavid is a classic example.  He was only 12 when he was recruited by Farc, Colombia's pre-eminent guerilla group.  He had little or no idea of what the future held for him other than that he was lured with promises of cars and money.  The 12-year-old didn't hesitate to sign up.

Sebastian, like many others in the group, was illiterate.  He spent four years fighting with the guerillas, receiving intensive ammunition training - but no schooling.  Mercifully, he was captured by the army at 16, however, he was faced with a world he was unskilled and unprepared to live in.

Hear Sebastian:
"I was sent to Bogota.  To a reform house where street criminals were sent. And I had to find a job, in a busy city where I knew no-one and had no skills. I was scared and nervous - it was the first encounter I'd had with society since I was 12.

"Many just go into construction, where the pay is bad and the work conditions are terrible, but at least you don't need to know how to read.

"It was so difficult for me to get any work when I came out of the Farc. I had no skills, and who would employ an ex-guerrilla?


Image result for sebastian cadavid of colombia"I moved back to the countryside and found work on a coca farm [the leaf used to make cocaine] - the only thing I knew how to do - and eventually ended up getting back into narco-trafficking."


Image result for the colombian wars


The government offered the recently-demobilised Farc members two years of education.  The truth is that this is insufficient to allow them to compete against other Colombians, particularly in the current economic landscape.

No comments:

Post a Comment

A crumbling empire : The world's sole superpower, Derek Chauvin and the tragedy of a broken system

Insensitivity personified : Police Officer Derek Chauvin, 44, kneeling on Floyd's neck during his arrest George Floyd was filmed Mo...