In Finland, the children of Duunari go to university and succeed, in Colombia it takes 11 generations to rise in class. The newly elected Vice President Francia Márquez is an exception.
When coming from humble circumstances Sanna Marinista (sd.) became Finland’s youngest prime minister, he was considered in the world as an example of the power of the welfare state.
Vice President elected in Colombia on Sunday French Marquez is an example of how “sannamarins” can be made in Catholic, racist, and one of the most unequal countries in Latin America.
However, that is unlikely. Especially if there is a black woman.
Márquez, a 40-year-old Afro-Colombian single parent, feminist and environmental activist, managed to rise to the top of politics in a country where last name, relationships and skin color matter.
A white man, a veteran politician and a former guerrilla candidate for the second time were elected president Gustavo Petro.
However, the face of the campaign belonged to Márquez.
Who is Francia Márquez and what is the significance of the Colombian election for Latin America?
“Let’s go towards peace, without fear, through joy”
Márquez encouraged both minorities and those discriminated against by class society as well as neoliberal politicians and pro-green citizens.
– For the first time in 214 years, we have a government that represents those who have hands, the invisible, who have not had a voice, Márquez declared in his speech after Gustavo Petro’s victory was confirmed.
It was easy for the people to believe Márquez, the daughter of a family of 11, a native of Cauca in southwestern Colombia.
It is known not only for salsa dancing, but also as the most violent region in Colombia. Many have fled elsewhere.
Colombia has the highest number of internally displaced persons in the world. Migration to the United States has also increased.
The pandemic exacerbated its root causes, violence and poverty.
The more than five-decade-long armed conflict between left-wing Farc guerrillas and government forces ended in a peace agreement signed in the country in 2016.
However, the agreement did not bring peace.
Armed groups have broken out of the Farsi ruins and the war on drugs that began in the 1970s has also failed.
– Let’s go towards peace, without fear, through joy, Márquez continued his speech and knew again what he was talking about.
Attempts have been made to silence him with death threats without success. During his campaign, he toured areas where other candidates did not dare to go.
Petro and Márquez’s recipe for peace is to negotiate with the guerrillas, improve the living conditions of the rural population and invest in social programs, that is, redeem the promises of the peace treaty.
An end to the mining industry and the destruction of the rainforest
As a child, Márquez was looking for gold in the rivers of the rich Caucan.
They were also of interest to multinational mining companies and the childhood landscape of Márquez became a concentration of mines destroying the environment.
The Afro-Colombians and indigenous peoples who inhabited the area were driven out of the way of business.
Politicians were not interested in the plight of the locals and Márquez had to flee.
In Latin America, concern for the environment is traditionally less heard by politicians than in Europe.
The campaign between Márquez and Petro was an exception.
Their intention is to limit the activities of mining companies and discuss with the United States the fight against climate change.
International interest in Colombia, which is rich in natural resources, has further increased with the war in Ukraine.
The Amazon rainforest is being destroyed in the country at an annual rate of about 170,000 hectares.
At the same time, Colombia has become the most dangerous country in the world for environmental activists.
“I had to endure humiliation, I was like a slave”
Francia Márquez has also cast his vote for the entire black population in Latin America.
Márquez got his firstborn at the age of 16 and became a single parent. She has told how she ended up as a maid to support her child.
– I had to endure humiliation, I was like a slave, he wrote on Twitter
There has not been a similar movement around black rights in Latin America as in the United States, although colonial structures and racism continue to flourish.
Throughout his campaign, Márquez has heard racist insults. However, they have not stopped him.
She is also an icon of feminists who initially handed out a cautious approach to allowing abortion.
The election of Márquez has raised hopes that change will be possible elsewhere in Latin America.
You can discuss the topic on 22.6. until 11 p.m.