Francia Marquez survived an attempted assassination by men wielding firearms or grenades in 2019. This attack came on the heels a string death threats against the award-winning Colombian environmentalist.
Marquez could be the first Afro-Colombian vice-president three years later. This is a significant development in a country where politics have been dominated by white men of high wealth. Gustavo Petro leftist presidential candidate, widely regarded as the frontrunner in May’s election, chose Marquez to fill the position.
Marquez said that this is an important moment in the history of the country’s nobodies, who have never had a voice. This is a moment for racial, gender, and ecological justice. It’s also a moment for social justice.
Marquez was elected president of Colombia as supporters pointed out the momentum of the new left movement in Colombia. Marquez received over 700,000 votes in a presidential primary earlier this month. Her appointment is seen as a boost for the representation of regions that have been neglected in Bogota’s policies.
Petro, a senator who was also a former mayor of Bogota, will be running for vice president. Petro was a rebel group M-19 member who once took up arms against Colombian government. In recent polls, Petro is still ahead by two-digits of his closest presidential rival Federico Gutierrez (right-wing politician).
Marquez has emphasized the importance of economic investment in conflict zones, environmentalalism, and the implementation of Colombia’s 2016 peace agreement. Marquez has criticized Colombia’s drug wars, which are considered the most dangerous country for environmental defenders.
We are living in a historic moment, Cha Dorina Hernandez (the first Black congresswoman from San Basilio de Palenque), a historic district that is known for being the first free American town, told Al Jazeera. She said that historically, Black communities were excluded from economic opportunity and decision-making in Colombia.
We have never had any real control over our lives or our future. She is now able to make what we’ve been fighting for a reality.
Cemeteries and mass graves
Marquez is a lawyer and mother to two. She was born in Yolombo in Cauca, a conflict – prone region in southwestern Colombia.
She is a long-standing activist and was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2018 to recognize her efforts in mobilizing against illegal gold mining. Marquez led dozens women in a 10-day 563km (350-mile) march from La Toma, Cauca to Bogota to demand an end to illegal mining operations.
Marquez wrote Kamala Harris last year an open letter congratulating Harris on her appointment as the first African American vice president. She expressed hope that the United States would pay closer attention to Colombias turmoil: Afro-Colombians and Indigenous people have had enough of violent confrontations and seeing our rivers and lands turn into cemeteries and mass graves.
Marquez’s focal point, Cauca, has struggled in recent years against armed group and rampant lawlessness.
Social activists are often in the crosshairs. In Colombia, 138 human rights defenders were murdered in 2021. This accounts for more than a third global death toll.
Marquez, through her own work, has led sustainable farming programs, advocated for Indigenous peoples in territorial battles against international firms, as well as helped to build alliances between Afro-Colombian communities along the Pacific coast.
Hernandez stated that she is a disciplined member of the movement. She has always been at our front lines of activism and marches. She [makes visible]The issues that so many of us would prefer to ignore.
Brigitte Baptiste, who was the former director at Colombia’s Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Research on Biological Resources (now Al Jazeera), said that Marquez is a radical departure from the established political system in which voices like her are often excluded. She is a symbol for a new generation that demands that things be done differently.
Angela Maria Robledo, a politicaltician, stated that Marquez could prove to be a decisive element in the May election. Robledo said that Francia is not only a significant figure in symbolic terms but also a politician who brings hope because of her struggle for environmental protections and human rights.
Marquez recently announced her plans to base her campaign at Medellin, Colombia’s power base for right-wing parties. She hopes that this will be a powerful emblem, since her attempts to draw attention towards historically marginalised populations are launched directly from the heart conservative power.
Marquez explained that this is only the beginning of a long road. Colombians now have the chance to choose their course. It is now time to start a new story in Colombia.
Daniela Diaz contributed additional reporting.
