Last Tuesday, tens of thousands of Colombians protested across the nation to demand an end to half a century of guerrilla violence and kidnapping. Colombians in the capital dressed in white and marched toward the capital's main square. They held images of the murdered men and chanted "No more war! Yes to life, yes to peace."
President Juan Manuel Santos, who took office a little over a year ago, backed the march. He faces increased pressure from Colombians to seek an end to the conflict that has killed tens of thousands over the decades. Santos has expressed willing to hold peace talks if the Marxist rebels stop kidnapping, cease attacks on civilians and the military, and lay down their weapons.
While this was happening in Bogotá, my 5th grade students and I took a minute of silence as we hiked up a sacred mountain in a nature sanctuary called Iguaque. We were on our 4 day trip that all grade levels participate in called Classroom Without Walls. Back at school in Bogotá, all the students watched a video that was produced by our media department. Featured in the video are teachers, members of our general service department, the student body president, and administrators. If you don't understand the Spanish, just keep with it because the feeling of the message can be understood, no matter what language. Also, there's English speakers at the end :)
CNG's call for peace in Colombia - December 6, 2011 from CNG_VIDEO on Vimeo.
