The Healing Soup
The soup that heals souls, families and communities
After years of violence, fear and loss, a group of women was once again mourning the death of one of their husbands, children or parents. The came together because they didn’t have enough individually to cook a full meal. But if they cooked together, each bringing something, they could cook a traditional sancocho (soup). While silently adding ingredients, one remembered a story that makes her cry and she starts talking. The talking turned to laughter. After being in so much pain they finally laughed for a moment. It was then when they realised that the soup was healing them. One of them started to sing along to their cooking. "I am adding some plantain, I am adding some potatoes", she sung. Not long after everybody sang along and they burst out in laughter. Then they realised: for a moment, they forgot about their pain all together. The soup had brought them a pinch of happiness in those dark times. Since then, the soup is known as "el sancocho sanador" (the healing soup). And every time there's some kind of suffering in the community they will prepare the soup. To heal their souls, to heal their families and to heal the community.
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Replacing Guns and Drugs With Football and Food in San Onofre, Colombia
San Onofre lies at the foot of the Montes de Maria mountain range in the department of Sucre. Montes de Maria has developed a negative stigma over the years caused by violence, massacres and drug trafficking. 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, we realised very soon that its negative stigma doesn't reflect on the people that live here. Warm smiles of young and old, delicious smells of food and fruits, and the happy sounds of the traditional Gaitas (flutes) mixed up with modern Champeta, immediately showed us what San Onofre is really about.
However, threats of violence, drug consumption, gang rivalries, are still the truth of the day. And the lack of opportunities leaves the youth an easy prey to the hands of gangs, armed groups and drug dealers. Torn apart, broken up and turned against each other, the people of neighbourhoods Porvenir and Palito have now found ways to unite, 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 chefs cook to heal the soul of their community.
And while we think it's important to emphasise the beauty that San Onofre has to offer, it's equally important to acknowledge the remaining problems. Paramilitaries are still active in the region. They still attack the population and sometimes even engage in social cleansing, killing those they consider a menace for society. Gangs are still quick to recruit kids from the streets. And basic human rights are still lacking in many communities, such as
Mampuján. As we can see in the videos that we published about football,
music,
dance,
the little defenders,
food, etc. the communities are working extremely hard to bring change to their environments. But top-down structural change is also required. As Susana Fergusson says in the song
Tendrá Un Final: "we cannot just take all these video's, art, and photo's and call that development. It doesn't work like that". It requires government intervention, it requires a relocation of resources and it requires equal rights and opportunities for everybody. Violent groups have to be put to justice, the rights to education, healthcare and basic public services have to be implemented
everywhere,
and kids no matter where they are from should be given the opportunity to become whatever they want.
