In “Ingrid BETANCOURT: The Face of Colombia”, Joseph Giudi offers a magnificent portrait of the novelistic personality of Ingrid Betancourt and provides a geopolitical analysis of Colombia. Joseph Giudi is a writer of Italian origin, president of the Circle of Writers of the Côte d’Azur. He is the author of novels, poems, a biography of Katherine Mansfield, and an essay on Arthur Rimbaud, for which he is currently working on the sequel.
Ingrid Betancourt was born in Bogota in 1961 and is French through her first marriage. The daughter of the former minister of education and a former senator, she advocates for Human Rights and against injustice, corruption, and drug traffickers until her abduction by the F.A.R.C. on February 23, 2002, along with her campaign manager, Clara Rojas.
Nice-Première: How did you come to write about Ingrid Betancourt?
Joseph Giudi: I am fascinated by her brilliance. Ingrid Betancourt is a heroine of modern times. She demonstrates extreme courage proven by her sacrifice, in service of her deeply humanistic ideology. I consider her to be someone of great beauty, both physical and spiritual.
I was put in touch with Renaud, who sang the song “Dans la jungle” for her. I also worked with Latin Reporter, a press agency based in South America. For security reasons, I will not delve further into this question.
Nice-Première: What is the situation today in Colombia?
Joseph Giudi: Colombia is a country rich in natural resources. On one side, there is the oligarchy, composed of a number of families with wealth and power. Then, there are the drug cartels who use corrupt parliamentarians to achieve their goals, as Ingrid denounced. They plunder the country’s wealth. They extort the economy. The A.U.C. (United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia), a far-right group, receive secret funding. They oppose the F.A.R.C., a far-left and Marxist-inspired group. The latter, boasting 20,000 men and heavily armed, control a very large territory where they enforce their law. Add to this picture small groups developed within areas outside the law. It is a world of corruption and barbarism, where human life holds no importance. Despite everything, we must pay tribute to a people, stripped and martyred but still possessing an impressive thirst for life. Ingrid wrote, “The black must become white, for the dark gaze of Colombians is more turned towards death than towards life.” I believe she was referring to the courage of this strong and generous people.
Nice-Première: What is the government’s position?
Joseph Giudi: Power has always been subordinated under the pressure of corruption. In this context, Alvaro Uribe, the Colombian President, is undoubtedly cleaner and more uncompromising towards the F.A.R.C. than his predecessors.
He wants to reclaim areas outside the law. It is estimated that 4,000 people are currently in the hands of the militia. To obtain their release, he chooses force. The problem is that his attitude is as dangerous as the enemies he fights because, with each military intervention attempt, innocents risk their lives.
Nice-Première: From an ideological standpoint, Ingrid Betancourt and the F.A.R.C. are aligned in their quest for freedom for Colombia. Then why abduct her?
Joseph Giudi: I don’t believe that the F.A.R.C., who claim to be left-wing, are truly what they pretend to be. By that, I mean that the abductions don’t adhere to democratic rules or parliamentary institutions.
Nice-Première: In your book, you write: “When one tries to clip its wings, the dove flies higher, more majestically. When it is afraid, it fixes its gaze on itself, it questions itself.” Has the dove extinguished after all these years of detention?
Joseph Giudi: Ingrid lives to free others. In her mind, it required a spectacular act, at the risk of her life, to leave an impression. One might think she was prepared for it. According to some information sources, she is ill and weakened. However, she is a symbol of changing mentalities against the yoke of the oppressor. Ingrid being martyred is the whole nation being martyred. There is no doubt that her fight will leave a mark on people’s minds.
Nice-Première: Is there still hope for negotiation for Ingrid Betancourt’s release?
Joseph Giudi: The F.A.R.C. demand the release of 520 prisoners belonging to the militia. Alvaro Uribe has finally agreed to negotiations with the agreement of the F.A.R.C. But the terms of this negotiation have yet to be determined.
