For the first time in its history, Colombia could be led by a leftist president. Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla and veteran of Colombian politics is the favorite in the polls. But the real star of this Colombian electoral campaign is the woman he chose as vice-president: Francia Marquez.
From our special correspondents in Cali, Stefanie Schuler and Damien Fellous
Francia Marquez, 40, is an Afro-Colombian activist from a rural background. In a country torn by social inequalities, she has become in a few months the idol of an entire generation, even if she has never exercised an elective mandate.
Tuesday morning in Siloé, a poor district of Cali and a hotbed of social protest that rocked Colombia last year. In the small community hall, Francia Marquez knows she is on conquered ground. This neighborhood is mainly inhabited by the excluded, by the marginalized. I am like you. I come from a disadvantaged hamlet. I come from popular struggles. And I decided to enter politics because I believe it’s the only way to change this country. she says.
former housekeeper
Single mother of two children, Francia Marquez has been a housekeeper. Her fight to defend her native village in Cauca against illegal mines earned this environmental activist and feminist the Goldman Prize in 2018. She decided to become a lawyer. A year later, she escaped an attack.
Today, his candidacy for the vice-presidency forces Colombia to confront its old demons… of color, class and sexism. ” She represents change. In Colombian society until now, this woman would have been only a domestic worker. And there, she will be our vice-president. It’s huge ! In Colombia, an Afro-descendant woman is about to come to power! explains a young nurse who came to listen to her.
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