“PUTTING THE CORPSE ON THE TABLE....”

Interview with Carlos Rosero of the Proceso de Comunidades Negras – Colombia

Abstract

Carlos Rosero provides an overview of the situation of rights and justice for the Afro-Colombian population. His thinking on how the Colombian case is a good example in terms of achieving the recognition of rights for its black populations is very revealing. But he also shows us how Colombia is a bad example in terms of the implementation of those recognized rights.  Rosero illustrates this paradox through concrete examples. One of the elements he highlights is the impact of the worsening of violence since the late 1990s in regions such as the Colombian Pacific, populated mainly by Afro-descendants. It also speaks of the use of justice instruments at both national and international levels, recognizing the importance of strengthening this resource as a tool that can contribute to improving the situation of Afro-Colombians. In the context of the multiple factors of vulnerability shown by Rosero and with the arrival of the pandemic of COVID 19, he suggests that given the critical panorama of the situation of the black people in Colombia "with the corpse on the table", the worsening of the already critical situation for these populations is yet to come.