Presentation of the People’s Congress (Colombia) in the panel “The question of bottom-up organization and internationalism”, part of the conference of the Academy of Democratic Modernity “The Art of Freedom”.
Part I – Introduction to the Political Struggle of the People’s Congress:
The Colombian government is highly militarized within the region of Abya Yala, but its authority does not extend uniformly across the country. In many areas, its presence is primarily military and focused on resource extraction. Consequently, the State has dispossessed the people by granting control of natural resources to national and international elites. This, coupled with the establishment of U.S. military bases, has facilitated a form of neo-colonization.
On the global stage, Colombia has been relegated to the role of raw material exporter, leading to an economy centered on primary goods and a lack of industrial progress. Simultaneously, U.S. influence has permeated various aspects of Colombian society, including politics, economics, and culture.
Throughout history, Colombia has been embroiled in ongoing conflicts since gaining independence in 1824. Starting in the 1960s, social and armed uprisings have emerged in response to exclusionary policies, oppression, and the suppression of dissent. The future seems to hold the continuation of warfare and exploitation of the country’s resources, such as gold, oil, coltan, and biodiversity, perpetuating a cycle of plunder.
Recent years have seen communities within Colombia mobilizing to push the government for infrastructure investments. Some have even formed leftist political parties to engage with the State, exemplified by the current administration, the first progressive government elected in 2022 following a six-month popular uprising. This coalition government operates amidst ongoing tensions, offering a glimpse of a potentially transformative period for Colombia.
Following the 2008 crisis and eight years of authoritarian right-wing rule, a resurgence of popular mobilization involving indigenous groups, peasants, and other sectors has occurred. Building on decades of grassroots struggles and self-organization, this renewed movement bolstered the People’s Congress established in 2010. The People’s Congress serves as a platform for grassroots legislation, where communities craft their mandates and converge on local development plans tailored to their specific needs and territories.
Our aim: The popular power.
Popular power within the Latin American left is a fundamental concept that emphasizes the active and direct involvement of the people in shaping political and social decisions.This concept has been promoted mainly by Marxism, a guiding ideology for various revolutionary movements in the region. Rather than a rigid doctrine, it serves as an adaptable framework for movements, guiding their revolutionary strategies. In recent times, some factions of the left have shifted focus from seizing power to exercising power, emphasizing the construction of popular power.
Central to this strategy is the belief that the working class and grassroots communities should unite and mobilize to reshape society and establish a fairer and more egalitarian system, often aiming towards socialism. This transformation is envisioned through gradual control of the means of production, enabling the working class to oversee economic, cultural, and social initiatives. By identifying communal needs and responding collectively within their local contexts, communities strengthen their social fabric and enhance their transformative capabilities through productivity and collaboration.
“Experience teaches us that the activities and projects we develop must embody what the new society should be like.”
The goal is to proliferate these experiences across diverse social and geographical settings, fostering the emergence and growth of new initiatives. This process leads to the development of a new economy, with numerous partnerships evolving into socio-productive community ventures. The interconnection of these initiatives is facilitated by the political movement’s advancement, enabling the coordination of various projects under a unified vision.
To determine necessary actions, methodologies, and anticipated outcomes, communities engage in collective planning. However, external “objective” conditions often present challenges to these collective plans. This continuous process of bottom-up and top-down interaction fosters collective learning and transformation within different levels of organization.
The strategy of popular power seeks to transcend conventional representative democracy, deemed inadequate in safeguarding the interests and rights of the majority. Instead, it advocates for participatory democracy, placing communities and social movements at the forefront of decision-making processes. Popular democracy entails establishing platforms for participation, such as popular assemblies and community councils, where individuals can deliberate and decide on policies and projects affecting their lives. People’s power also involves nurturing a collective consciousness and mobilizing individuals as agents of social change through tangible actions like cooperative infrastructures to sustain life. Through these efforts, a new cultural ethos emerges, paving the way for the emergence of a new society.
Our practices of popular power: Autonomy.
Autonomy is a practical manifestation of popular power, intertwining various aspects of life and tasks.
We develop our own economies, reclaiming agricultural and peasant traditions over extractivism. This involves establishing cooperatives and community enterprises managing water, sewage, waste, and food production. Digital sovereignty and the creation of popular and/or alternative communication networks, such as community radios. Artistic-cultural networks. Political education and historical awareness: to free our consciences and our organizations from centralist and patriarchal dynamics and structures, creating popular universities as centers of their own thoughts.
Belief in and use of direct action. Our peoples and our bodies were historically dispossessed, therefore we continue to liberate mother earth, our rivers, our territories. Based on land recovery processes and collective titling, we develop projects for the constitution of New Agri-food Territories for a Dignified Life.
As a network and community, we safeguard and cultivate knowledge outside the confines of capitalist modernity. This includes implementing comprehensive self-defense strategies such as seed banks and ancestral medicinal practices. Additionally, within the autonomous peasant territory strategy, unarmed guards comprising representatives from local associations are formed. These volunteers, of all genders, symbolically wield a baton representing the collective authority granted by communities, serving to protect against repression and uphold collective agreements.
We establish our organizational structures, spanning from local to regional and national levels: the National Agrarian Coordinator and various youth, women, student, and worker initiatives. Beginning at the grassroots level, we organize through Mingas, assemblies, popular Cabildos, community councils, and associations.
In our process of construction we find different foundations of dispute, bases of contradictions for the struggle. These include land access, the liberation of mother earth, collective property titling against land concentration, territorial permanence, self-determination, and sovereignty on a localized scale, as well as collective survival, sustainability, and the creation of a new societal reference for collectivity.
The institutional dispute is one more scenario of struggle, but for this, we must have a social fabric in place, know how to combine in all public and private spaces a pulse to the existing power. This option also made it possible to shield the possibility of survival after a time of strong repression and almost annihilation of our social and political leadership and our organizational fabric. Our slogan “One foot in the institution, thousands in the Mobilization”
Envisioning a new social order entails engaging in a struggle to contest the state, advance our interests, and propel our proposals forward, with the streets serving as a pivotal arena.
“In the world we inhabit, revolutionary politics cannot thrive without advocating for internationalism; the two are inseparable.”
In Abya Yala, we share a history of economic exploitation, political subjugation, social oppression, and cultural exclusion, alongside a legacy of resistance. Constructing an alternative future necessitates grounding ourselves in the history of our peoples, acknowledging the extermination of indigenous communities, recognizing their rights, and critiquing the nation-state.
Abya Yala is home to 5.7 million indigenous individuals from 800 native peoples, as well as Afro-descendant communities. We grapple with nation-state policies that homogenize societies, perpetuating a struggle against multi-ethnic and multicultural coexistence. Hence, it is crucial to embrace and comprehend the cosmogonies of communities, their modes of self-production, organization, and protection, while honoring their plurinational commitments.
In the southern continent, the relationship between emancipatory projects and the State has a complex history. The independence movement against Spanish colonization instilled the belief in constructing robust, independent states to liberate peoples from oppression. The concept of People’s Power has been embraced in Latin America by anarchists opposing the State and by Marxists advocating for state control as integral to achieving socialism. Instances like the Cuban revolution underscore the role of the state in supporting popular power.
And how we have developed political articulation.
“An international revolution… In a single country it is impossible to accomplish the task of a socialist revolution.” – V.I. Lenin
Our journey of political articulation has been shaped by diverse influences and experiences, emphasizing the philosophy of “Being with others” to foster mutual recognition and understanding, a crucial step towards global solidarity.
In Colombia, we recognize the power of collaboration and coordination with like-minded platforms sharing a global vision. Engaging with initiatives such as the Agrarian, Ethnic, Peasant, and Popular Summit, and aligning with strategic partners like TELAR – Territories of Latin America in Resistance, we contribute to a broader movement for change. Our connections extend to ALBA of the Social Movements, facilitating engagement with the International People’s Assembly and other global movements like La Via Campesina, the Progressive International, and the ILPS.
Part II – Answers to the questions of the panel and the seminar
I) How can we connect the idea of democratic socialism with the concrete reality of life today? Between 2013 and 2021, numerous strikes, protests, and mass demonstrations culminated in a popular uprising, uniting not only traditionally organized sectors but also marginalized groups impacted by capitalism. The harsh realities exacerbated by the pandemic rendered living conditions unsustainable. Concurrently, a progressive government emerged as an alternative to traditional parties, highlighting the distinction between government and state. The primary challenge lies in the limited capacity of the coalition government, undermining the populace’s belief in transformative change and falling short of numerous expectations. Despite maintaining existing power structures…
Nevertheless, avenues for progress are emerging, exemplified by ongoing peace talks between the current government and the National Liberation Army, a socialist guerrilla group active in Latin America. This dialogue advocates for participation as a means to foster direct democracy and presents an opportunity to elevate discussions on the structural reforms essential for the country: economic models, political frameworks, cultural paradigms…
II) What is the role of intellectual struggle, historical consciousness, ecology, women’s liberation, class struggle, etc.? The pivotal role is to instill hope and legitimize structural transformations, as contemporary society finds it easier to envision collapse than socialism. While remaining grounded in practical initiatives, we must approach situations holistically, integrating real-world scenarios with everyday details.
Global challenges necessitate global solutions. Given the interconnected nature of our global system and the emergence of global issues, solidarity and inclusivity are vital in proposing comprehensive solutions. It is imperative to bridge diverse movements such as ecology, anti-patriarchal feminism, anti-racism, and anti-colonialism, dispelling the notion that these struggles are disparate. Upholding universal values and rights like democracy, humanism, solidarity, and peace is crucial.
Simultaneously, we must embrace additional demands, recognizing that the struggle for emancipation intersects with various concerns and seeks alliances across different movements. For instance, ecological and social causes are intertwined, as highlighted by Marx’s concept of the metabolic rift induced by capitalism. Understanding the ecological crisis as exacerbating class disparities and impoverishment is essential. Revisiting the concept of Buen Vivir – Vivir Bien, Vivir Sabroso, Suma Kausay, Suma Kamaña is imperative. Challenging the notion that individual possession equates to freedom, we must advocate for demands such as reduced working hours, equitable wealth distribution, and prioritizing social relationships.
III) How to organize the future society? Capitalism breeds alienation and colonization. The imperative to accumulate capital drives capitalism to commodify all aspects of life, eroding social bonds and traditional ways of living. The socialist model must counter this trend by limiting commodification, prioritizing life, and emphasizing care, insights gleaned primarily from the feminist movement.
Emphasizing the significance of common goods and ensuring their communal ownership, democratic management, and equitable access is crucial. These forms of common property and democratic economies counteract commodification and inequality, laying the groundwork for democratic and ecological solutions, albeit not without challenges.
Advocating for diverse forms of ownership and access to common resources is essential. Organizational diversity is key, as articulated by David Harvey, who envisions transcending capitalism through a convergence of social processes. Gramsci’s notion of change underscores the importance of constructing alternative hegemonies and building counter-power, necessitating a multifaceted approach.
Hence, the ongoing efforts to establish agricultural cooperatives, foster new realism through cinema, culture, historical memory processes, and cultivate new narratives, concepts, and debates are vital. Our perspective spans from local to global, characterized by a dynamic, non-linear progression akin to life itself, requiring time, care, humility, and solidarity. Above all, fostering sisterhood, mutual understanding, shared learning, and presenting a compelling alternative to existing power structures with potent ideas are paramount.
In conclusion:
People’s Power and Democratic Confederalism: A Necessary Dialogue While Democratic Confederalism and People’s Power may diverge in their analysis of the State, they share common practices aimed at enabling self-governance and empowering society to collectively address its needs. Despite differences, a dialogue of practices can fortify the global struggle for freedom, underpinned by the unifying force of internationalism. International solidarity is pivotal for the liberation of our communities.
As a collective basic agenda: Rejection of wars. Cultivation of courageous and committed democracy. Advocacy for the rights of peoples and specific groups, including women’s liberation, migrant rights, indigenous rights, and peasant land rights. Defense of popular sovereignty and the right to self-determination. Establishment of a bulwark against the rise of far-right ideologies globally.
To achieve these goals, fostering fraternal, respectful, and caring relationships is essential. Embracing unity and collaboration is not about a singular organization dictating the path but about coming together to exchange ideas, collectively deliberate, and chart common courses. Being part of a popular and internationalist bloc is about mutual support and shared aspirations.
The contributions of social movements towards forging a new internationalism are manifold, reflecting a complex process of accumulating socio-political forces in opposition to neoliberal policies and the capitalist system. If we rise to the challenge, our shared ideals will pave the way forward.
