News
Ten years of the Rogerio Velásquez Murillo Afro-Colombian Chair at Unicauca
On May 23rd and 24th, the commemorative event marking the ten years of the Rogerio Velásquez Murillo Afro-Colombian Chair at the University of Cauca took place. This academic initiative has fostered social interaction, allowing over two thousand undergraduate students from various programs to learn about the contributions and lessons from the African heritage in our country
"In 1946, with the aspiration of becoming an ethnologist, the young Chocoan Rogerio Velásquez Murillo arrived in Popayán to study at the Ethnological Institute of the University of Cauca. In homage to Mr. Rogerio, we inaugurated the first Afro-Colombian University Chair in 2014 with the purpose of preserving his work, intellectual legacy, and memory for future generations."
These words were expressed by Professor Elizabeth Castillo from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, who directs the Center for Ethnic Memories and leads this significant academic initiative at the University of Cauca. "From the Center for Ethnic Memories, the Department of Intercultural Studies, and the Socio-Humanist Integral Training Component (FISH), we have nurtured this process in two modalities—community-based and curricular—to acknowledge the historical, political, and cultural legacy of Afro-descendant communities in Colombia and to promote an open and pluralistic dialogue."
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Over these ten years, more than two thousand undergraduate students from various programs have participated in the Afro-Colombian Chair, learning about the contributions and lessons from African heritage in our country. Additionally, over fifteen hundred individuals from diverse communities across the region, country, and continent have been involved in the annual event organized in Popayán, Santander de Quilichao, Suárez, and Timbiquí.
Each year, they drive a community event during Afro-Colombian Week, featuring leaders, educators, artists, and scholars who enrich us with their insights on the thought, art, cultures, and political history of Afro-descendants. Furthermore, every academic term includes Afro-Colombian Chair FISH courses as part of the curriculum offerings for undergraduate students at the University of Cauca campuses in Popayán and Santander de Quilichao.
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The Afro-Colombian Chair has traced the paths of Afro-Caucan history in locations such as Popayán, Santander de Quilichao, Suárez, and Timbiquí. In its tenth community-focused edition held on May 23rd and 24th, the theme was "Collective Claims, Knowledge Production, and Peace Building." The event attracted an audience of 230 people from the Alma Mater (University of Cauca) and the region.
The significant work of the organizing team is highlighted, consisting of José Antonio Caicedo, Jaidiver Ojeda, Diana Pito, Elizabeth Castillo, Ginna Lizeth Ramos, María Elena Anchico, Yadi Carolina Gómez, and Eliana Guerrero. They acknowledge that commemorating the first ten years of this emblematic initiative was also an opportunity to recognize the immense contribution of Afro-Colombian communities to the University of Cauca.
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Similarly, they provide a very positive assessment of this 2024 edition, where voices from various experiences committed to cultural rights and peace-building for Afro-descendant communities in Colombia were heard.
In this regard, the event's inauguration included participation from Rafael Alfonso Buelvas Garay, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; Sor Inés Larrahondo, Secretary of Education for the Department; and Edgar Camacho, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Political Science.
The academic session featured four panels with the following participants:Carlos Alberto Valderrama Rentería, Coordinator of the Technical Secretariat of the Intersectoral Commission for Historical Reparations-;Fanny Milena Quiñonez, President of the Pedagogical Commission of Black Communities;Harold Servio Mora, from the Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria Ana María Otero Educational Institution - Territorial Management Advisory Office - JEP Executive Secretariat Sara Milena Ferrer Valencia, Ethnic Commission of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace;Julio César Uribe, from the Salesian University of Chocó,Tania Duarte, Advisor for Sexual Diversities and LGBTIQ+ Social Sectors, ICBF Headquarters, ICBF General Directorate;Juan David Quiñones Quiñones, Coordination of the Paulo Freire Community Pre-ICFES, Casa Cultural el Chontaduro Association,Caridad Estefany Brito Ballesteros, from the University of Magdalena,Angie Benavides, from the National Pedagogical University,Oscar Larrahondo Ramos, from the University of the Pacific,Berto Elisio Martínez Martínez, from the University of Antioquia,Américo Portocarrero, from the Technological University of Pereira,Lorena Campaz Minota, from the Northern Health Network ESE.
"In the past ten years, over two thousand undergraduate students from various programs have participated in the Afro-Colombian Chair, educating themselves and documenting the contributions and lessons of African heritage in our country. They have also heightened their awareness of issues related to racism and discrimination. Moreover, more than fifteen hundred individuals from the region have been exposed to the experiences shared by guests from Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, the United States, Uruguay, and the sister nation of Gabon in Africa," Professor Elizabeth concludes about the decade-long impact of this chair, which enhances the holistic education of students at the University of Cauca.
For further information:
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences