Francia Mrquez: Who be Colombia first black vice president?
20 June 2022
Dis be di first time for Colombia history wey Black woman go dey close to di top of di executive branch.
Francia Márquez, be environmental activist from di mountainous department of Cauca for southwestern Colombia.
She become national talking point wen she gather decades of voter frustration, and become di kontri first Black vice president afta Sunday votes.
She don become di running mate of Gustavo Petro.
Ms. Márquez rise dey significant no be only sake of say she be Black for kontri wia Afro-Colombians dey face racism.
And she gatz align wit di structural barriers, but sake of say she come from poverty for kontri.
Columbia na wia e be say na pesin level of wealth dey define dia place for di society.
Di most recent former presidents bin go school abroad and get connect wit di kontri powerful families and kingmakers.
40 years old Ms. Márquez, , bin decide to run for office, she tok , “sake of say goment don turn dia back to di pipo, on justice and on peace.”
Ms. Márquez bin grow up sleeping for dirty floor for one region wey dey suffer violence wey relate to di kontri long internal gbege.
She bin dey pregnant for age 16, and work for local gold mines to support her pikin. She later work as live-in maid.
Some Colombians wey dey ask for change and for more diverse representation, dey see Ms. Márquez as dia champion.
But e no clear wether di rest of di kontri dey ready for her.
No be everybody like her style
Some critics don call her divisive, say she say she be part of one leftist coalition wey dey try tear apart, instead make dem build on, past norms.
Francia Márquez never hold any political office, one Sergio Guzmán, wey be director of Colombia Risk Analysis, consulting company, say:
“E get plenti questions whether Francia go dey abale to be commander in chief, if shego fit manage economic policy, or foreign policy, for way wey go provide continuity to di kontri .
”Her more extreme opponents don throw her direct yarb wit racist tok tok, and criticize her class and political legitimacy.
But for di campaign trail, Ms. Márquez determination, frank and biting analysis of di social difference for Colombia bin open one tok tok about race and class.
E happun for for way wey dem no dey too hear for di kontri most public and powerful political circles.
Colombia elect first leftist and former house keeper as president and Vice president.
Meanwhile one former member of M-19 guerrilla movement Leftist, Gustavo Petro, wey bin vow ogbonge social and economic change, win Colombia president seat on Sunday.
Gustavo Petro go be di first progressive to win di seat for di kontri history.
Im Vice, Francia Márquez, one environmental activist from di mountainous department of Cauca for southwestern Colombia, don become one national tok tok.
Marquez ginger decades of voter frustration, and become di kontri first Black vice president on Sunday.
Petro and Márquez ticket bin win Sunday runoff election, according to early results.
Oga Petro, wey be former rebel and longtime legislator, go become di kontri first leftist president.
Wit more dan 11.2 million votes, di result make Petro di most-voted-for president for di history of di kontri.
Petro win 50.44% of di votes compared to 47.31% for im rival Rodolfo Hernández.
Despite economic gains in recent decades, Colombia still dey starkly unequal, one trend wey don go worse during di pandemic.
Black, Indigenous and rural communities fall di farthest behind. Forty percent of di kontritr dey live for poverty.
Who be Gustavo Petro, di former guerilla wey go be Colombia first ever left-wing leader?
Dem born Gustavo Petro Urrego for one lower middle class familyfor one small town for di Caribbean savannah, one land of cattle and cotton.
Im papa be school teacher and im mama be member of one nationalist party.
E be di eldest of three brothers, dem describe Petro as one shy young man wey dey wear dark colours and devote imself to books.
E be from di coast, but Petro character dey more typical of pipo from di Andean highlands: serious, introvert, distrustful.
Wen e e still be pikin , im parents move to Zipaquirá, one town north of di Colombian capital, Bogotá.
Petro study for one public school run by priests, wey also dey attended by di renowned writer Gabriel García Márquez, one of im great influences.
Petro's alias as insurgent be "Aureliano", in honour of di colonel wey star for García Márquez famous novel "100 years of solitude". Petro quote di novelfor each closing speech.
As one curious teenager, Petro bin go to union meetings and, for di age of 17, join one urban, nationalist and social democratic guerrilla group: di April 19 Movement (M19).
E dey travel wella to Bogotá, wia e bin get scholarship for one private university, di Externado, to study Economics.
For 1985 - wen di M19 dey prepare to storm di Palace of Justice, one event wey at least 101 pipo die - Petro bin chop arrest and dem take am to one army camp, wia e say e dey tortured.
Two years later e dey released and continue im militancy for different regions of di kontri until e dey arrested again.
But, for 1990, di M19 demobilise. At di time, Petro be elected representative to di House of Representatives for Cundinamarca, wia Zipaquirá dey located.
Im life bin dey threatened and, for age of 34, e comot for di kontri for di first time.
Today e be president-elect of Colombia, but when e be congressman Gustavo Petro bin once attend meeting wit Carlos Castaño, di much-feared head of di paramilitaries, to convince Castaño not to kill am.
"Dem say make i speak firmly to am, sake of say e go shrink bifo pipo wit strong convictions," Petro write for im memoirs.
E be year 2000 and Petro, demobilise from di guerrilla forces ten years earlier, bin denounce say di paramilitaries, illegal armed groups wey bin fight di guerillas, get influence within di Attorney General Office. Wey earn am death warrant.
"I answer am firmly again," Petro bin recall. "And afta few minutes e dey stutter and twist and turn"
No be only say di paramilitaries no kill am, but, according to Petro, dem dey convinced of di benefit to make peace wit di State, as e happun five years later.
Di episode, according to José Cuesta, one old friend and fellow militant, give good picture of di pesin wey go be di president of Colombia between 2022 and 2026:
"Sake of belief say di only way to solve problems be to take di bull by di horns."
62 year old Petro, bin shake Colombia political history as e become di first left-wing leader to gbab power.
One man wey dey critical to conquer economic model and trun away from di traditional political class.
For im campaign, Petro bin promise to carry out ogbonge political, economic and social reform wey go lead Colombia, violent and unequal kontri, to peace and equality. "To di path of life and love," as e often puts am.
Rebellious, studious and introverted, di president-elect bin spend 12 years as one guerrilla and build im political profile wit courageous critical statements for Congress.
Many pipo dey fear say im authoritarian and controversial personality ( e imself bin admit saye dey authoritarian) go generate political gbegewey go bring chaos and make di kontri ungovernable.
Or say im ideological closeness to former Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez (wey e deny) go create economic wahala like di one for di neighbouring kontri.
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