FARC rebels turn to rap music to rally Colombians behind peace talks

BOGOTA – Colombia’s largest rebel group is trying to rally support for peace talks with a new rap video.

The fast-paced video that began circulating on social media Tuesday is called “Colombians, everybody to the peace talks.” It was produced by negotiators in Havana for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia along with Cuban rappers Cuentas Claras.

Dutch-born guerrilla Tanja Nijmeijer features prominently in the video, which exalts the FARC’s role as a defender of Colombia’s poor farmers.

Interspersed with images of abuses by security forces and U.S.-funded fumigation planes is a message of optimism about the nearly two-year-old talks.

In a statement accompanying the video’s release, the FARC says that “to reach peace, we must learn to speak without fear, without taboos.”