Representación y autonomía: el desafío de la circunscripción afro

Abstract

José Fernando Tapia, a candidate representing the SENAFRO organization, outlines the need for authentic political representation for Colombia's Black, Raizal, and Palenquero communities. His proposal focuses on democratizing access to information in remote areas and ensuring that legal resources reach community councils directly, bypassing the bureaucratic intermediation of mayors' and governors' offices. Tapia strongly criticizes the phenomenon of non-Afro-descendant candidates usurping these seats, pointing out that the Black population—which represents approximately 9.34% of the national population according to DANE projections (nearly 4.7 million people)—requires leaders who do not compromise their autonomy through alliances with traditional parties or presidential coalitions