Jeihhco Castaño

Medellin is one of the most economically unequal cities in Colombia.[1] According to the most recent report from Medellin’s Human Rights Ombudsman, 77% of people in Medellin pertain to the lowest two economic groups, while only 21% pertain to the middle class and wealthiest groups.[2] As the sixth poorest neighbourhood in the city,[3] but also one that benefits from many public investments, such as the Metrocable and a library park, District 13 typifies Medellin’s inequality.

Several high profile personalities have visited the District in the past few months, bringing with them a lot of media attention. On September 8, President Santos visited,[4] and was followed by the singer Juanes on the 17th and 21st of that same month.[5] In October it was the US Sub Secretary of State, James Steinberg’s turn, accompanied by the press headline “Colombia is a leader in conflict management.”[6] At the same time, the Metrocable was closed in August and December because of gang fighting[7] and District 13 continues to be the biggest “expeller” of people in Medellin.[8] This all begs the question, what is the real story in District 13?

“If someone wants to get to know a neighbourhood’s true history, he should listen to hip hop because the media isn’t going to tell it.” That is how Jeihhco Castaño, member of the rap group C15[9] and District 13’s cultural ambassador puts it. “Other genres of music tell stories, but not in a way as raw and explicit as hip hop does.”[10] And to understand his vision of the community, suffice it to say that he is currently working on a new track that is called “There is love here.”[11] Castaño explains that it talks about the good things in District 13, the neighbourhood where he grew up and proudly continues to call home.

When Jeihhco Castaño and other rappers from District 13 got together and realised that everyone was talking about Operations Orion and Mariscal in their lyrics, they decided to form the network Elite Hip Hop. Ex-paramilitary members have reported that in these 2002 operations, the Military and National Police worked with paramilitary groups to take control of District 13.[12]

Now, Elite Hip Hop is made up of 17 groups and 4 soloists that sing, dance, graffiti and organise workshops, festivals and events. Hip Hop has always been District 13’s strongest form of artistic expression.[13]

When asked about the risk that he runs as a rapper and cultural icon in the community, Jeihhco Castano responds saying, “There is definitely risk involved. For example, on 25 October 2009 we lost our colleague, friend and long-time C15 member, Hector Enrique Pacheco, aka ‘Kolacho.’ He was murdered by two people on a motorcycle.” 'Kolacho’ and the Elite had launched a campaign supporting hip hop. Speaking of his death, the principal of Eduardo Santos High school, Manual Lopez, says “Unfortunately anyone who expresses any sort of affiliation with peace, more active social movements and a more youth-inclusive community is often silenced.”[14]

‘Kolacho’ isn’t the only rapper to be murdered in District 13. On 4 July 2010, the armed group known as “La Curvita” killed Andres Felipe Medina, member of the group “Son Bata” and leader of District 13’s Afro-Colombian community.[15] On August 5, Marcelo Pimienta Sanches, aka ‘Chelo’ and member of the group ESK/LONES was also killed.[16] While the news did report these cases, Castaño tells us that there are others which do not appear in the news. For example Sebastian Calle, aka ‘Sebiche,’ was murdered in the Belen Rincon neighbourhood on 9 August 2010 by three armed men[17].

Nevertheless, he asserts that for him the biggest risk would be to stop doing what he loves: telling District 13’s story through his own rap music, as well as organising events to support other people’s attempts to do the same. “That is the risk I don’t even want to think about.”

Did you know that Medellin is still one of the most violent cities in Colombia?

According to Medellin’s Human Rights Ombudsman,[18] since mid 2007, armed groups fighting for control of land and resources continue to fight in the city. According to the Legal Medical Institute, between January and October of 2010, there were 1,736 murders in Medellin, an average of 43 per week. Of those 1736 murders, 1174, or 64% of the victims were between the ages of 18 and 35.

The document also reports that Medellin, with a displaced population of 181,058 people, is the city that receives the 2^nd highest number of displaced persons, after Bogota. Between January and October 2010, a total of 26,919 people registered their status as forcibly displaced with Medellin’s Human Rights Ombudsman.

An example of invisible violence is the increasing rate of forced displacement that occurs within the city limits. Between January and October 2010, Medellin’s Human Rights Ombudsman registered 5,098 people as victims of intra-urban forced displaced. District 13 is the community from which the largest number or people flee. According to the report from the Human Rights Ombudsman, the increase in intra-urban displacement is also caused in large part by the social, economic and territorial control that the illegal armed groups exercise over the most affected neighbourhoods, and which has increased due to conflicts and territorial expansion.