Dancing for Peace
Dancing for Peace in Sincé and San Onofre
These children from Sincé and San Onofre have taken up dance to bring peace to their communities. Music and dance are essential aspects of Sucre's culture. With their dance groups ¨the real face of Villa Coral¨ and "Latin Friends America", the children are preserving Sucre's cultural expressions that have been lost in the years of violence. With violence, drugs, and crime tainting the image of their communities, these dance groups show their real face. The children have decided what they want their future to look like: no more violence, and more dancing!
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Sincé and San Onofre: places of dreams, desires and hope
By Catalina Barragán Hinestroza, Juan Felipe Hernández & Casper te Riele
Located in the Sucre savanna, just 30 kilometers from Sincelejo is the municipality of San Luis de Sincé. Villa de Coral is a district of Sincé where violence and state neglect are evident in its streets, its schools, its parks, in every corner you can see the absolute lack of basic human rights. Drinking water and electricity are scarce. The streets are unpaved and the soccer fields consist of just two sticks where kids play in between pigs and roosters. A town that lacks everything, except for beautiful, friendly and hopeful people who seek a better future for their town.
This town has experienced violence as a result of the war between the paramilitaries, the government and the guerrillas. As well as problems such as high levels of gang violence, micro-trafficking, teenage pregnancies and problematic consumption of drugs.
In recent years the awakening of its people has led to a call for change, for government intervention. While they wait for an answer, the Sincences are not standing still and so they have created several community projects that seek to unite the community to work together for a better Sincé.
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The Montes de María region has been portrayed very negatively. The AUC (United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia) have been in charge of the region, bringing violence and struggles with other armed actors. However, once we arrived in San Onofre, its unique smells and flavours permeated our beings. The fried foods, the corozo, loquat juice and the serum made us feel at home.
However, treats of violence, drug consumption, gang rivalries, are still the truth of the day. And the lack of opportunities leaves the youth an easy pray to hands of gangs, armed groups and drug dealers. Torn apart, broken up and turned against each other, the people of Porvenir and Palito have now found ways come together again, to build friendships, and to become a community once again. The gangs have replaced their guns for a football, the kids dance with a smile on their face, and the healing chefs cook to heal the soul of their community.
