A Ray of Hope in the Berlin Gray: Colombian Duo Velandia and Lizcano on Tour
(Berlin, December 16, 2025, poonal).- The Colombian musician duo Edson Velandia and Adriana Lizcano are on tour in Europe for the first time. in Berlin they play on a cold, wet Sunday evening in the Panke in Wedding. The room is full,it seems like a large part of the city’s Colombian community has come together. The songs are sung along loudly and happily, the mood is relaxed – a ray of hope in the gray late autumn of Berlin.
With humor and satire, Velandia and Lizcano use their songs to talk about the realities of life of those who are socially excluded: small farmers, students, guerrilla fighters. Their music is decidedly left-wing,permeated by sharp criticism of capitalism and a clear stance against Colombia‘s political and social elites.
Both agree on the roots of the problems in Colombia and Latin America. “It’s important to me to name those who are really responsible,” says Adriana Lizcano at an event in Berlin the day after the concert. “From the moment the colonial powers invaded our territories, they began to destroy everything we had.” Colonialism and its continuities up to the present are central points of reference in her work. During the European tour, she was impressed by the enormous energy consumption in cities and households – especially against the background of the destruction that multinational and extractivist companies are causing in countries like Colombia. Their appeal to the Global North is clear: “Don’t try to save us or represent us. Stop devouring everything,exploiting everything and blaming us for it.”
Colonial Continuities and the Roots of Resistance
Velandia and Lizcano come from piedecuesta in the Santander department in northeastern Colombia. The rural,mountainous region still shapes their music today. Adriana Lizcano says she grew up with liberation theology and found her access to music there. “I learned about music and art as a means of building social structure,” she says. Claretian priests who practiced liberation theology and carried out charitable educational and cultural work worked in their district. There she saw music as a form of resistance: songs about overthrowing the oppressors, about fairer treatment of women, about the end of racism. Art, according to Lizcano, has always been part of a collective ritual.
Edson Velandia was also influenced musically by his origins. “I was influenced by a movement that was very much alive at the time,” he says. He played in the brass band of Piedecuesta, began
## “The Community Protests”: Colombia’s Music as Resistance – Updated December 16, 2023
for decades, Colombia has been marked by internal conflict, leaving deep scars on its communities.Now, a new generation of artists is using music not just to lament the past, but to envision a different future. Adriana Lizcano and Edson velandia, a musical duo, are at the forefront of this movement, channeling the voices of those historically marginalized into their work. Their recent album, *Panfletos* [https://edsonvelandia.bandcamp.com/album/panfletos-adriana-lizcano-edson-velandia](https://edsonvelandia.bandcamp.com/album/panfletos-adriana-lizcano-edson-velandia), is a testament to this resistance and a call for continued progress.
Lizcano and Velandia’s music emerges from the communities impacted by Colombia’s long-running conflict, particularly those who have rarely had a platform to share their experiences. They focus on the stories of those affected by violence and displacement, offering a viewpoint frequently enough absent from mainstream narratives. This is particularly significant given Colombia’s complex history of armed conflict involving guerilla groups like the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia),paramilitary organizations,and state forces.
The current Colombian government, led by President Gustavo Petro, elected in 2022, represents a historic shift in the country’s politics. Petro is the first leftist president in Colombia’s history [https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/colombia-swears-in-gustavo-petro-first-leftist-president-2022-08-07/](https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/colombia-swears-in-gustavo-petro-first-leftist-president-2022-08-07/). His management has prioritized peace talks with remaining armed groups, land reform, and social justice initiatives.
While facing significant challenges and criticism, supporters beleive the government is initiating crucial changes. These include efforts towards land redistribution to address historical inequalities, increased focus on combating corruption – a long-standing issue in colombia [https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/colombia](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/colombia) – and a shift in the military’s approach to civilian populations, emphasizing community engagement and human rights.
Lizcano and Velandia are vocal supporters of Iván Cepeda, a progressive presidential candidate. They see his candidacy as vital to continuing the current administration’s policies. “Hope is not a choice, but an attitude,” Lizcano states, reflecting a widespread sentiment among those striving for a more peaceful and equitable colombia. Velandia adds, “we have to fight to ensure that those in power are not corrupt or criminal. And we have to continue to work where we can actually make a difference: in the communities, in the neighborhoods. we believe in that.”
Their music, and the stories it carries, serves as a powerful reminder that lasting peace requires not only political negotiations but also a commitment to addressing the root causes of conflict and amplifying the voices of those most affected.
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“The Community Protests” – Colombia’s music as resistance by Newspool Latin America is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0
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