Global Rights, AFRODES USA, the U.S. Office on Colombia and the Washington Office on Latin America cordially invite you to the film screening
UPROOTED
Featuring guest speakers
Geiler Romaña
President
Association of Internally Displaced Afro-Colombians (AFRODES)
Luz Marina Becerra
Secretary of the Board
AFRODES
and
Pedro Cortes
Researcher
AFRODES
Thursday, May 21, 2009
5:45pm – 8:00pm
Film showing will begin at 6pm
Washington Office on Latin America
1666 Connecticut Ave, 4th Floor conference room, Washington, DC
Uprooted is a film that explores the plight of Noris Mosquera, one of the more than 1 million Afro Colombians violently displaced since 1990. Her son dreams of leaving the refugee shelter for a burgeoning soccer academy in the capital city of Bogotá, and Noris will do all he can to make his dream a reality. Through his day-to-day plight, we delve into the tragedy of uprooting and discover the power of resilience.
Geiler Romaña, President of AFRODES since 2003, works to strengthen the Afro-Colombian human rights movement and responds to the needs of those affected by internal displacement. He regularly participates in events designed to add visibility to the problems of racial discrimination in Colombia. Previously, he worked in the Fundación Cultural Tigritudes, an organization that promotes and supports actions to strengthen the cultural identity of Afro-Colombians. He was also a founder of the Fundación Colombia Integra America. Mr. Romaña is currently a student of Economics in the Universidad la Gran Colombia, Bogota.
Luz Marina Becerra, Secretary of the Board, AFRODES, became an internally displaced person in 1998 and joined AFRODES in 1999. In 1999, AFRODES began to focus on issues related to gender and women’s rights, and Luz Marina now spearheads this work. In 2002, she also began to focus on youth issues. She conducts workshops nationwide on women and youth, with a specific focus on the Pacific Basin region. Ms. Becerra has a certificate in administration in health services for women and has become a trainer by practice in the past nine years.
Pedro Cortes, Researcher, AFRODES, writes proposals and reports on the human rights situation of Afro-Colombians and has significant experience working with civil society on projects focusing on the socio-economic conditions of vulnerable people. Over the past five years, he has worked exclusively on the situation of Afro-Colombians. Mr. Cortes holds a M.A. in international cooperation from the National University of Colombia. He also has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from The Andes University, Colombia.
* Space is limited please RSVP by COB May 20th by e-mailing Rachel Robb at rrobb@wola.org or calling (202) 797-2171