Lightening Kills 11 Wiwa People in Colombia
Indigenous village in the Sierra Nevada, image on Flickr from user Sailing Nomad (CC by 2.0).
Nearly a dozen Wiwa people perished when a bolt of lightening struck the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta earlier this week, on October 6, 2014. More than a dozen more were injured. Twitter users have responded to the tragedy with a mix of solidarity and political commentary.
Karina Beatriz remembered it had been raining copiously there on the night of Sunday, October 5, and expressed her condolences for the loss:
Con razón el zipote aguacero de ayer, Dios tenga misericordia de nosotros y de consuelo a las familias del pueblo Wiwa en la Sierra Nevada.
— Karina Beatriz (@karyt) octubre 7, 2014
Well of course, with that terrible downpour yesterday, may God have mercy on us and may the Wiwa families in the Sierra Nevada be consoled.
On the other hand, SuperGirlDidi took the opportunity to satirize critics of former-President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, whose detractors, she implies, blamed him for problems beyond his control:
Traditional landscape of the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, photo on Flickr from user Sailing Nomad (BY-NC-ND 2.0).
Tal vez Uribe provocó el rayo en la Sierra Nevada q mató a los indigenas.Pues como de todo le echan la culpa a Uribe http://t.co/74osjEQk50
— @DidiSupergirl ✡ (@SupergirlDidi) octubre 7, 2014
Maybe Uribe caused the lightening to kill the indigenous people in the Sierra Nevada, seeing as how the people blame him for everything.
Colores Mari questioned the media's coverage of the tragedy:
Sobre indígenas fallecidos en Sierra Nevada un periodista dice en @NoticiasCaracol “les darán cristiana sepultura”. Un poquito inapropiado.
— Colores Mari (@ColoresMari) octubre 7, 2014
Regarding the deceased indigenous people in the Sierra Nevada, a journalist says via @NoticiasCaracol that “they will receive a Christian burial.” A tad inappropriate.
Diana Montoya, meanwhile, honored the wisdom of the Wiwa community:
Qué historia más triste la de los Indígenas Wiwa en la Sierra Nevada. Pérdida de vidas y de sabiduría.
— Diana Montoya (@dianaeme) octubre 7, 2014
What sadder story is there than that of the Wiwa in the Sierra Nevada. A loss of life and wisdom.
Situated on the Caribbean Sea, the Wiwa community inhabits the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, known locally as the “Heart of the World.” There are another four neighboring villages according to the Pueblo Wiwa (Wiwa People) blog, which publishes articles about the community, whose human rights have reportedly come under pressure during the Colombian conflict.
