Raizal

Raizals
Total population
	30 565 (2015)
Regions with significant populations
	Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina
Languages
	San Andrés–Providencia Creole,English,Spanish
Religion
	Protestant,Roman Catholic
Related ethnic groups
	Afro-Colombians,Afro-Jamaicans,Miskito,English people

TheRaizalare an ethnic group from theArchipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina,off ofColombia's Caribbean coast.They are not defined by race but are labeled by the Colombian authorities as one of theAfro-Colombianethnic groups under the multicultural policy pursued since 1991. They are speakers of theSan Andrés-Providencia Creole,one of manyEnglish Creolesused in theCaribbean.

Demographics

In 2005, the Raizal were 57% of the 60,000 inhabitants of theSan Andrés y Providencia Department,according to official statistics,^[1]but based on the 2015 census, they are now only 39.4% of the population^[2]in the archipelago because of migration from and to mainland Colombia. Raizals are mostly multi-racial, with a majority being of West African and Northern European descent. The Raizal community in the mainland is represented by theOrganización de la comunidad raizal con residencia fuera del archipiélago de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina(Orfa, based inBogotá).^[3]

Self-determination

In 1903, the local Raizal population of theProvidencia and Santa Catalina Islandsrejected an offer from the United States to separate from Colombia and to imitatePanama.

Towards the late 1960s,separatistmovements became active in thearchipelago.The first separatists, an underground movement, were led by Marcos Archbold Britton, who addressed a memorandum to theUnited Nationsasking for the inclusion of the archipelago in the list of colonized territories. TheUN High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) paid a private visit to the archipelago shortly afterwards, arousing suspicion in mainland Colombia.^[4]

The second movement, which started in the late 1970s, grew stronger in the following decade, and culminated in the creation in March 1984 of theSons of the Soil Movement(S.O.S.), openly claiming the right toself-determination.

Since 1999, another organization, theArchipelago Movement for Ethnic Native Self-Determination for the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providence and Santa Catalina(AMEN-SD),^[5]a radical separatist movement led by Rev. Raymond Howard Britton, has demanded the creation of an independent state.^[6]

There are now, according to a document from the Colombian government, two trends among the Raizals: a radical one, thePueblo Indígena Raizal,represented by theIndigenous Native Organizations,among whom Amen, Barraca New Face, Infaunas (aRastafarian-inspired group of farmers and fishermen), Ketna (Ketlënan National Association) and the SOS Foundation, and a more moderate one,Comunidad Raizal(Native Foundation and Integración Básica) led by former governors who are friends of the Colombian establishment, mainly Felix Palacios, Carlos Archbold and Alvaro Archbold N. The latter group is understandably more ready to participate in bipartite institutions set up by the Colombian authorities.^[7]

On April 28, 2002, the Raizal people signed a declaration of self-determination^[8]and asked the Colombian government and theInternational Court of Justicefor a major recognition of their autonomy and for appropriate resources to improve the quality of life in the island.

References

^Fernando Urrea Giraldo (October 12, 2007)."La visibilidad estadística de la población negra o afrodescendiente en Colombia, 1993-2005: entre lo étnico y lo racial"(PDF)(in Spanish). 12º Congreso de Antropología, Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2008-02-27.Retrieved2007-12-29.
^Kolumbien, ed. (2012).Caracterización de la población con limitaciones permanentes en Colombia, 2005.Estudios poscensales. Bogotá: DANE.ISBN 978-958-624-078-9.
^website:Organización de la Comunidad Raizal con Residencia Fuera del Archipiélago
^Adriana Matamoros Insignares (January 15, 2007)."Recordando a Marcos Archbold Britton, líder independentista raizal"(PDF)(in Spanish). Fundación Hemera. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on November 22, 2021.Retrieved2007-12-29.
^website:Archipelago Movement for Ethnic Native Self-Determination for the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providence and KethlenaArchived2007-12-13 at theWayback Machine
^Actualidad Étnica (June 4, 2007)."Raizales de San Andrés reclaman autonomía"(in Spanish). Fundación Hemera. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-06-10.Retrieved2007-12-29.
^Programa Presidencial de Derechos Humanos y Derecho Internacional Humanitario (November 23, 2007)."Diagnóstico Archipiélago de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina"(PDF)(in Spanish). Archived fromthe original(PDF)on November 22, 2021.Retrieved2007-12-29.
^https:// urosario.edu.co/jurisprudencia/catedra-viva-intercultural/Documentos/DeclaracionAutodeterminacionRaizal.pdf Archived2022-02-21 at theWayback Machine^{[bare URL PDF]}

Raizal

Demographics

Self-determination

See also

References

Further reading