CFF at Universidad del Rosario was the first OFF event held in South America. The event was hosted by Universidad del Rosario, financed by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and media support was provided by El Tiempo, one of the largest newspapers in the country.
Universidad del Rosario is the oldest university in Colombia, and one of the oldest in all of Latin America. In Colombia, human rights are often only discussed in a national context, focused on the recently ended conflict and peace process. The five speakers at CFF helped to broaden this conversation and teach students about human rights issues around the world.
Students heard presentations by Ukrainian anti-corruption activist Yulia Marushevska, American lawyer and international litigator Kimberley Motley, Syrian activist and co-founder of Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently Abdalaziz Alhamza, Cuban democracy activist Rosa María Payá, and Mexican drug policy advocate Lisa Sánchez, followed by moderated Q&A sessions on stage. 300 students attended this morning programming, which was also streamed live to various other points on campus and online thanks to El Tiempo. In the afternoon, another 300 students joined us for one-on-one workshops with the speakers.