Peasants, victims of the conflict and peace signatories work with the mayor’s office to promote the tourist and productive development of Vegalarga.
By: Gisela Hurtado Celis – @giselahcelis
Four years ago, a group of inhabitants of the town of Vegalarga began a commitment to rural tourism called ‘Sendero Villamil’, a proposal that today, after years of ups and downs, has 19 partners who, through muralism to encourage value cultural life and works of maestro Jorge Villamil Cordovez.
The visit
The day led by the Mayor’s Office of Neiva through the Secretariat of Peace and Human Rights and the Secretariat of Competitiveness, was accompanied by delegates from the Vice Ministry of Tourism and the Agency for Reincorporation and Normalization, ARN, with the aim of learning more thoroughly examine this initiative and look for alternatives to strengthen it.
“We are doing this special route with the people who have had this initiative years ago, those who make up the Civic Association of Rural Tourism of eastern Neiva, ASOCITURN, from the Mayor’s Office we are going to strengthen it because we consider that it is a project that not only generates income in the region, but also because it is a pilot model for building peace in this region that has been suffering so much from the scourge of violence within the framework of the armed conflict.“said Jorge Lozano Mestre, Secretary of Peace and Human Rights.
For his part, Edwin Renier Valencia Rodríguez, Secretary of Competitiveness of Neiva, highlighted: “We took a tour to see what those specific needs are and how we can enhance this diamond in the rough that we have as tourism in Neiva, we are going to show the people of Neiva what we have, and then we are going to show the country. Here there are only people who are, with their own efforts, helping to show Neiva as a tourist destination with all its wonders.”.
Vegalarga, territory of peace
The ‘Villamil Trail’ as a tourism project begins in the Platanillal village and ends in the Cedral village, where Jorge Villamil was born. Each farm has a station alluding to the music of Villamil Cordovez, represented in a song by the Huila maestro. During the tour of the 40 murals, you can see a ground-level art gallery that also integrates themed stations that provide unique agritourism experiences.
“The objective was to determine how we can work from the territory in tourism, culture and peace. Vegalarga has been stigmatized, we, a group of farmers, are betting on it being culturally recognized as a territory of peace, that is why we are inviting you to visit us”, Nuby Carvajal Olaya, president of Asociturn.
For his part, Bercelio Lozada, who is part of the ‘Los ocasos’ station, also called ‘El parador del cyclist’, highlighted “we are pleased with the presence of the people who are accompanying us here. The abandonment of governments is the problem, adding to the paving of roads, if the government wants the peasant to continue in the countryside, it has to think about fixing the roads. The invitation is to continue visiting us, public order is very healthy and progress has been seen.”
‘Colombia destinations of peace’
The National Government has promoted the ‘Colombia destinations of peace’ seal, a strategy that is aimed at building a culture of peace and thereby boosting the economies of the regions.
“We have our tourism sector plan called ‘Tourism in harmony with life’, and it is where we are beginning to strengthen the entire tourism value chain. The objective is to begin to articulate the development of rural tourism, strengthening all these associations with the ‘Colombia destination of peace’ seal, with which we seek to strengthen and seek to break those barriers in front of these municipalities or areas affected by the armed conflict.“, explained José Zaid Ávila López, manager of the ‘Huila-Tolima Central Corridor’ of the Vice Ministry of Tourism.
“In coordination with other agencies, we want to promote support and accompaniment to strengthen these initiatives. It is very important that the peace signatories are accompanying these associations, they relate and are part of the change, the peace process and that they demonstrate to the community that it is possible to work, live together and manage things in which they have benefits.“, emphasized Leonardo Alvear, facilitator and member of the ARN’s ‘Economic Sustainability’ program.
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