PASSPORT PRIVILEDGES

Last summer, 2009, I traveled to Barrancabermeja, Colombia. When I arrived at the international airport in Bogota, I presented my passport and visa. It was inspected, stamped, and I was on my way. In Barrancabermeja, I visited a settlement of displaced Colombian citizens. The group of about 80 persons consisted of women and children. All of those persons had been forced off land they farmed and resettled in the city by actions of the Colombian government. They were now living in houses which offered little shelter from the wind and the rain. The United Nations calls displacement in Colombia the worst humanitarian crisis in the Western hemisphere. There are 4 million internally displaced persons in Colombia. As a visitor, I realized what a privileged position I was in. The people seem genuinely glad that we had stopped by, and that we would add our voices to a growing chorus of voices which has joined their cause. My passport is a privilege. I am finding out that it is also a responsibility.