Country: Columbia

Group: Raizals

Date Finalized: 5-2-2020

Team: Sophia Agne (Lead), Giselle Chavez-Lopez, Aracely Esquer

The Raizals are an Afro-Colombian Protestant group who predominantly speak English and Creole (Herrera, 2018). For years, the Raizals were a relatively autonomous group. However, in the 1960s, policies were passed to “Colombianise” them through “educational policies and de-racialization” (Londono and Gonzalez, 2017). In 2012, the Hague issued a ruling that gave Nicaragua water rights in Colombian waters (Londono and Gonzalez, 2017). This adversely affected the Raizals who relied on these waters for fishing. The Colombian government has failed to protect the land and resources of the Raizals (UN, 2019). In 2004, the UN Special Rapporteur on racism, discrimination, and xenophobia specifically requested that the Colombian government, “ take special steps to resolve the special situation of the Raizales peoples” (MRG, n.d). Considering that the international community has condemned the Columbian government’s actions towards the Raizals, it is strongly indicated that ethnocide is occuring. The data quality was determined to be a 3. There was a substantial amount of reputable information.

Sources

  1. U.N Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Colombia Continues to Ignore the Rights of the Raizal Peoples. (2019). https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CERD/Shared%20Documents/COL/INT_CERD_NGO_COL_38613_E.pdf
  2. Herrera, C. (2018, December 20). Colombian foreign policy is excluding with Raizal communities. Universidad Nacional De Colombia. https://unperiodico.unal.edu.co/pages/detail/colombian-foreign-policy-is-excluding-with-raizal-communities/
  3. Londoño, W., & Gonzàlez, P. A. (2017). From plantation to proletariat: Raizals in San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina. https://journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/doi/pdf/10.1177/0306396817701680
  4. Minority Rights Group International (n.d.). Afro-Colombians. Retrieved April 24, 2020, from https://minorityrights.org/minorities/afro-colombians/