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Hiperbarrio Expands To Three New Libraries In Medellin

Categories: Feature, Hiper-Barrio
# HiperBarrio in the  EPM Library Auditorium in Medellin [1]

# HiperBarrio in the EPM Library Auditorium in Medellin

Catalina Restrepo informs [2] that Hiperbarrio [3], a Rising Voices grantee from Colombia has extended its network to three new libraries in Medellin. This was made possible because of a recent partnership between HiperBarrio and the EPM Foundation Network Of Libraries [4] :

Last Thursday (March 18, 2010) the EPM Library from the city of Medellín, received a group of enthusiasts who want to replicate today the HiperBarrio activities in three new city libraries (Villatina, La Esperanza and EPM).

This calls for more hard work and responsibility from the Hiperbarrio members.

Meanwhile many members of the Convergentes group blog [5] continued to publish their stories. Henry El Sucio informs that [6] Diego Gómez Álvarez came to La Loma to improve the look of the Convergentes blog, and introduce to the members topics such as Design, Information Architecture, the Social Web and Education issues.

This led me to interview him on the issue of the Web and its relationship to education. To talk about how HiperBarrio has evolved from a small laboratory digital inclusion to become a new model of learning, and discuss the role played by Universities to face the new technologies.

Diego Gomez Alvarez [7] is a Systems Engineer and is linked to research and educational processes of the web at EAFIT University in Medellin – Colombia. Diego is also one of the initiators of the project HiperBarrio where he is a facilitator and a dedicated Webmaster.

Henry also visited [8] Doña Blanca Tejada and posted a video interview:

Dona Blanca Tejada (85) is a vital character in the cultural development of La Loma, so we decided to interview her in depth. With over 70 years of living in this town she is sole witness of the changes in the territory over time.

The Teresa Liberata History is part of the oral tradition that she has helped to make famous as a popular legend of La Loma.

Realklle depicts the plights of the victim of the war [9]..

..people who have suffered the consequences of an unjust war, seeing the blood of their sons, brothers, fathers and friends. It's a pain that nobody understands and a wound that never close. It makes them feel impotent knowing that loved one will never return.

Several of these victims have taken the place of perpetrators seeking revenge or a way of living. At times they have seen children with a thirst for vengeance in their eyes reflecting the hatred and your lips tell the world that vow to kill anyone.

In many cases the damage done to these people sent them into an abyss of depression (and even begging) in the midst of a reality that is very common in a country where support for them are minimal because the government turns a blind eye knowing that this reality is obvious to everyone.

Camela writes two beautiful poems on winter. Some excerpts:

Poem #1 [10]

No, not that rainy days are gloomy, ominous or melancholic, but … they appear, seem.

Poem #2 [11]

On climate issues, the man prefers to give credit to the song of the frogs.

Lully [12], together with Yesenia [13], Franky and Julian [14] went to make a video on the dump, which is located in the neighborhood of Eduardo Santos in La Loma de San Javier.

The rumor is that:

“The dump is covered with the bones and human remains left by the paramilitaries and then covered it with rocks and debris so that their bodies do not come out and float to the surface.”

Franky watches the dump [15]

Franky watches the dump

Lully notes:

Dust trails of access, proximity to the exploitation of sand and stone, a dying dry water stream, the dryness of the leaves faded, the aridity of the land and the sound of dump trucks, were our companions, while helplessly watching the destruction of the debris that fell on the few green branches gradually die out in their indoor environment. Very near the pines were survivors of this environmental abuse, were gradually being covered by pieces of pavement. In the medium term, they may disappear, it is regrettable.

Lady Saenz writes about the negativity [16] among some of the local people that La Loma has no future. But she has words of hope:

I am convinced that if there are dreams and illusions, there will be future.

Xady writes [17] how he misses the good old days:

I miss the constant talks and learning with fellow Hiperbarrio – Convergentes members, sports every weekend, playing guitar and some other activities that I cannot manage now as I have to give time for my family.

(All translations were done using machine translation)