Friends,
In a rare visit to this area, Colombian peace community leader Jesús Emilio Tuberquia will speak Sunday in Raleigh, and Monday in Chapel Hill, about the experience of community and nonviolence in the midst of war.
Sunday, April 3, 7:00 PM -- Free!
The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi, Clare Hall
11401 Leesville Road, Raleigh, NC
View map and directions, or view on Facebook
Monday, April 4, 5:30 PM -- Free!
Global Education Center, Room 1005
301 Pittsboro Street, Chapel Hill, NC
View map and directions, or view on Facebook
For more information about either event, contact Chris Courtheyn, courtheyn@gmail.com or (831) 325-3925.
Jesús Emilio has far too much first-hand knowledge of just how dangerous it is to work for peace in the middle of a war zone. He is a founding member of the San José de Apartadó Peace Community located in northwest Colombia.
In 1997, he and 800 other small farmers claimed their territory as a neutral civilian community, refusing to cooperate with any armed group. The community has survived threats, killings, massacres, disappearances and food blockades by armed groups, including the U.S.-funded Colombian army.
Earlier this month, a man entered the peace community, went to Jesús Emilio's house and asked where he was, then walked around the settlement and asked others. On Wednesday, after threatening peace community members together with paramilitaries, the man was picked up by the army and taken to the nearby army base.
Despite the threats and violence, Jesús Emilio and the peace community have succeeded in building a nonviolent community in resistance as an alternative to the war around them. Come hear their story!
The Fellowship of Reconciliation and Peace Brigades International, co-sponsors of the Jesús Emilio's speaking tour, maintain human rights observers in San José de Apartadó.
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