Siloe, Cali - A Story of Danger, Resilience, Transformation and Hope
Teddy Florea
Social Design Innovator, Sustainability Catalyst, Ecosystem Strategist, Senior Advisor
Dear Fellow Soul Dreamers,
First of all, I would like to wish you a very happy and purposeful 2023! I have been consciously taking a break from writing over the past couple of months due to my travels into the eco and urban communities of Colombia. My goal has been to immerse further into the chosen experiences so I can live and share from the heart the authenticity and beauty of the local flavour and history.
Second, I am also currently fundraising for our EcoManka eco-educational NGO compiling the change makers curriculum which we will be launching in Colombia soon. (More info below!)
Today, I am presenting you a short story of a strong yet challenged urban outcasted community of Siloe where the EcoManka/ SoulDreamers MVP will launch this year.
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Ventured into what’s commonly perceived as the most dangerous barrio in Cali, and arguably in the whole of Colombia.
Situated on a picturesque hill with panoramique views of the city, Cali’s most ancient communa has been for decades a no go zone for outsiders or police while imaginary lines divided the territory across multiple lines of local leadership. A place of acute poverty, it received the constant influx of domestic migrants especially from the Popayan southern region fleeing their own violent homes during the decades long internal war in Colombia.
To add further spice to an already tense environment in line with poverty, micro drug dealing, and addiction, Siloe received further infamous notoriety for the highest number of police led summary killings during the anti-poverty demonstrations in 2020.
Over recent years a number of civic led initiatives have started to make way in an attempt to pacify and improving the climate while also connecting the “outcasted” to the rest of society. Intra-neighborhood negotiations took place led by local civic leaders. One of them is run by Jimena Cangejo and her Foundation Momentos Magicos Colombia. (“Magical Moments Colombia”). Jimena herself victim of parental violence due to her mother’s addiction has lived most of her life surrounded by verbal and physical abuse witnessing regular murders of friends in the local gangs warfare.
At the same time, she has led a civic struggle of over 20 years to negotiate among criminal factions and the police for the pacification and opening of an eco-tourist route in Siloe named la Ruta Isabela Perez. I was lucky to be part of her carefully run tour immersed in heart touching stories of grief and hope.
Amongst beautiful hilly landscapes, sculptures, and street art work, the tour brought a very personal touch of the community's old and recent stories of trauma, resilience, love and hope. The two elements which stroke me most where the writings and drawings on a wall of the very first moments of local's witnessing of violence. where one respondent drew herself as a fetus in her mother’s womb showcasing through symbols the violence witnessed by her mum's addiction. Another powerful symbol were the numerous butterflies graphitized on house walls showcasing the memory of a local been murdered on the scene.
领英推荐
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Jimena will be our partner for our EcoManka pilot launching in Siloe alongside the Fundacion ProPacifico, the Somos Pacifico Technocultural Centre, and la Allianza 4U led by CESA University Bogota in Colombia. We will provide the self-exploratory tools for the opening up of the neighbourhood further via a self-created gamified Augmented Reality eco-trail run through interactive artistic story telling by 25 local youngsters from the hood. We will run a Human Centred Design educational journey based on self and collective awareness, (re)connection to nature via empathy driven exercises leading to social entrepreneurship and a tour taken to Trip Advisor in the aftermath.
I have asked Jimena why we could not go further up for a better view of the sunset lighting gently across the whole city of Cali. She answered that she is currently negotiating further access with the bands running the higher areas. It is still too dangerous to venture further.
Hopefully the eco-tour will lead to new places unseen by tourists yet and to a long term sustainable revenue for the community.
This is our soul dream!
P.S.: We are currently fundraising for our MVP Curriculum in Cali with the goal of replicating the eco-educational self and collective exploratory journey to many more communities across the globe.
If you want to learn more, connect, support, donate or help us fundraise, get in touch at [email protected] .
If you want to book a local authentic tour or eco-retreat in Colombia, do get in touch. We have numerous events running across the year.
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Beautiful things are about to happen. Life is magical and constantly surprising. Remember to breathe, and remember to laugh.