My new favorite piece of graffiti, located in Bogotá (Cll. 50 & Kra. 7a). The mural, so far as I can tell, is called "LlamaDAS ChuzaDAS, Libertades ViolaDAS". Now, to give a bit of background, Colombia's Administrative Department of Security (DAS) has been plagued by scandals throughout its history.
This may very well owe to a conflict of identity; on the one hand, it's essentially Colombia's secret police. They're in charge of all sorts of stuff, like the quotidian issuing of national ID cards and immigration control, to electronic surveillance and cloak-and-dagger stuff. DAS personnel cop an attitude somewhere between J. Edgar Hoover and Judge Dredd. In fact, my sister was kind of freaked out when she came to visit me here in Colombia. The DAS agents in immigration at El Dorado International Airport wear polo shirts with "DAS" emblazoned on the breast, and on the back, just under the collar, there's an image of a little DAS commando guy with ski mask and body armor pointing a pistol. Remember, Citizen, this is For Your Protection.
The most recent firestorm of controversy has centered around "chuzadas," short for "llamadas chuzadas" or "tapped phone calls." To make a long story short, a special unit of DAS existed whose sole purpose was to monitor the activity of judges, magistrates, opposition politicians, journalists, and anyone else who might make trouble for the Uribe government. In testimony that came as a complete shock to no one, President Uribe denied knowing anything about it.
LlamaDAS ChuzaDAS, Libertades ViolaDAS: "Tapped calls, violated liberties." Trust me, it sounds far better in Spanish.
Robo-Uribe listening in, with Madame Justice standing for eavesdropping on judges and magistrates
"DAS Studio: Professional Recording"
Around the woman with the camera, it reads "Don't keep silent!" Done in the style of the Colombian military ads.... Soldier looking down the iron sights of his rifle, finger on the trigger. (I'll try to find an example of the ads and post one for reference.)
Porque Tenemos Memoria, Seguimos en Contravia: "Because we have our memories, we'll stay in opposition." Doesn't translate very well at all, unfortunately, and again, much more lyrical in Spanish.
School children, with the inscription "Yo no quiero ser un Falso Positivo": "I don't want to be a False Positive." In yet another case about which no one in the administration knew anything, rural peasants and urban poor were murdered by military personnel, dressed in FARC uniforms, and turned in as guerrilla fighters killed in action. Why? Because the Colombian armed forces, in all their wisdom, decided to reward their servicemen and -women with things like extra leave for combat kills. You know, just like redeeming your Skee-Ball tickets for that teddy bear. Except no one has ever been murdered over a teddy bear.
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