Peace in Moravia Comuna, June 14, 2001

Built by invasion on what was once the Medellín City garbage dump, Moravia is proud home to the city's recycling industry. Perhaps because it was a garbage dump and not the most desirable real estate, it has also been a traditional haven for Afro-Colombians and war refugees escaping the violence in Choco and Uraba. What I find most appealing about Moravia is that despite the very obvious and devastating poverty that one clearly sees here, and the number of homicides reported annually, it is also a community brimming with activity and life.

Located near the city center at the base of a mountain, Moravia is the gateway to the Northeastern comuna. Like Medellín's other poor neighborhoods, it is violent, enjoys little state presence, and is under the control of an armed group. The milicianos who police the streets also extort money from residents in the form of a security tax. Though there are complaints that the 15 and 16-year-old rulers of today aren’t as wise or ethical as their predecessors and are asking for too much money, Moravia enjoys relative stability.

For three generations the same armed group has ruled the comuna. A 1994 government peace negotiation process enabled some armed milicianos and combatants from one of the guerrilla groups to reinsert themselves into civilian life, opening greater democratic participation throughout the country. In neighborhoods like Moravia, this reinsertion fostered the development of some important social institutions.

Moravia's tiny Salón Comunal is the provisional seat for the Community Center of Conflict Resolution--a temporary joining of resources until the group can finance completion of their own offices. Each morning and afternoon residents come by appointment to see one of three community members trained as counselors. People come with domestic disputes, late rent payments, unpaid loans--a whole host of problems which, unaddressed, could easily lead to violence. It often seems that just getting a hearing is as important as the actual resolution.