In 2017, those reincorporated from the extinct FARC handed over their rifles to the United Nations to wield shovels and hoes, they even made bricks and blocks, and with their own hands they helped build the accommodations that are their homes today.
Since then, 60 children have been born in this Territorial Training and Reintegration Space (ETCR), who have become the emotional link that the reincorporated and their families have established with this territory. They also strive to carry out their hardware, block, ecotourism, small livestock, pig and laying hen farming ventures.
Professor Juan Camilo Lee Penagos, from the UNAL Headquarters in La Paz, doctor in Human and Social Sciences, mentions that “in Tierra Grata and in all the ETCR we find a varied spectrum of realities and knowledge that enriches Colombian society, in its attempt to rebuild and forge itself as a more just and inclusive community.”
“The academy can accompany and strengthen the processes carried out there, in addition to facilitating exchanges of experiences between ex-combatants and other inhabitants of the country.”
Precisely, the first semester students Edxon Javid Maldonado (of Biological Engineering) and Francisco Antonio de la Hoz Ortega (of Cultural and Communicative Management) and signatory of the peace, are carrying out a series of visits and interviews with the members of this community. In his opinion, “the signatories of the peace were forced to adapt to a new way of life and establish a different relationship with the territory. Its space was reduced to a delimited area of approximately 4 hectares.”
The student De la Hoz assures that among the most important changes that Tierra Grata has undergone is the demographic one. “Before, the family was replaced by the row mates. Women could not have children due to the dynamics of the conflict; The most complex thing about giving birth to a child in the mountains was that they had to get rid of them and had to take them somewhere where they would not be in danger: a friend, a family member or someone they knew. Those who were born in the mountains did not have their roots in the mountains, since guerrilla life was not for children,” he recalls.
Tierra Grata is that place where for the first time the reinstated women can bring their children into the world, be calm because their children belong to this land, and, as the old people of Cesar say, “your navel is buried here,” because it is the place where they are born and raised.
The physical space is another aspect that has changed. At first there were only two bahareque and plank houses in the middle of a pasture. Today it is a housing project with blocks and cement that has water and electricity services.
In this sense, the student Maldonado points out that during his visits and approaches to Tierra Grata they evidenced a community in the process of construction, both physically and socially. “The dedication and effort of this community that is investing in the development of its physical foundations, such as the construction of housing and other infrastructure necessary to improve its living conditions, was notable,” he says.
“What really caught our attention was the cohesion and unity that prevails in this community: despite the challenges they face in their search for a better future, we noticed how they work together, supporting each other in achieving their goals and objectives. This solidarity and collaboration are fundamental in the construction process not only of their homes, but also of their identity as a community.”
With these details, and within the framework of the subject Fundamentals of Social Sciences, the students wrote the paper “Territorial conceptions: the transformation from a guerrilla to a rooted community”, which was accepted at the IX International Congress of Critical Geographies, which will take place in October in Mexico.
The content of the presentation is significant, as it manages to align the academic work with one of the most interesting territorial and community processes in the region, which is that of the Tierra Grata village.
“It shows that it is possible to integrate the academic work of the students with the realities and processes of the area of influence of the Headquarters, strengthening their research capabilities and contributing from the academy to the understanding of territorial processes,” concludes Professor Lee.