Record: 1

Title: Transforming soccer to achieve solidarity: ‘Golombiao’ in Colombia.

Authors: Duarte Bajaña, Ricardo1 (AUTHOR) ridubaco@gmail.com
Source: Soccer & Society. Mar-May2017, Vol. 18 Issue 2/3, p368-373. 6p.
Document Type: Case Study
Subject Terms: *SOCCER
*SOCIAL participation
*GENDER inequality
*RECREATION
*PREVENTION
*INTERNATIONAL relations
Geographic Terms: COLOMBIA
NAICS/Industry Codes: 911410 Foreign affairs
928120 International Affairs
713990 All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries
Abstract: This essay takes as a case study ‘the Golombiao’: a government
strategy of the Colombian state (South America), which aims to
transform the practice of recreational soccer to promote
coexistence, social participation and gender equity in armed conflict
zones. The practice of ‘Golombiao’ is similar to soccer but some of
its rules are formulated by the people who play it. Winning depends
on several factors, among them, the respect for the collective rules.
I propose to compare this government strategy with the conceptual
apparatus of bioethics. Bioethics is a bridge between the sciences
and other disciplines used to understand and propose alternatives
to specific cases where life is threatened. Bioethics has some
relations with the objectives proposed by the Golombiao. This
government strategy defines life as a process of reflection and of
collective action, and also seeks the construction of community
solidarity using the transformation of sport as a tool. [ABSTRACT
FROM AUTHOR]
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1
 1Social
Author Affiliations: Anthropology, Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City,
Mexico
ISSN: 1466-0970
DOI: 10.1080/14660970.2016.1166763
Accession Number: 121044355
Database: Academic Search Premier
Transforming soccer to achieve solidarity: ‘Golombiao’ in Colombia. 

Golombiao in armed conflict zones in Colombia

This essay takes as a case study 'the Golombiao': a government strategy of the Colombian state (South
America), which aims to transform the practice of recreational soccer to promote coexistence, social
participation and gender equity in armed conflict zones. The practice of 'Golombiao' is similar to soccer
but some of its rules are formulated by the people who play it. Winning depends on several factors,
among them, the respect for the collective rules. I propose to compare this government strategy with the
conceptual apparatus of bioethics. Bioethics is a bridge between the sciences and other disciplines used
to understand and propose alternatives to specific cases where life is threatened. Bioethics has some
relations with the objectives proposed by the Golombiao. This government strategy defines life as a
process of reflection and of collective action, and also seeks the construction of community solidarity
using the transformation of sport as a tool.

Colombia is located in the North Western tip of South America. This is a country of countless assets;
however, her citizens have endured several decades of violence. Trying to assess the actual scope of the
violence brought on by the armed conflicts with the participation of the guerrilla, paramilitarism, drug
trafficking and the army will be an arduous task. According to the Informe General del Grupo de Memoria
Histórica (General Report of the Historical Memory Group) published in 2013, the collection and
processing of the information pertaining to this armed conflict started out late in time. There are many
factors to this delay: in essence, the armed conflict was underestimated, and there was no political will to
acknowledge and deal with the issue. The armed conflict in Colombia accounts for approximately
220.000 casualties. 81.5% of the dead were civilians and 18.5% soldiers; this means that nearly eight out
of ten victims were civilians.

'Golombiao' is a national strategy, as it is part of the Presidential Programme entitled Colombia Joven
(Youth Colombia). This strategy was launched in 2003. It is based on the use of sports, play and
recreation, aimed at 'bolstering protective environments for girls, boys, teenagers and young adults, to
secure their development through the promotion of coexistence, social participation and gender equity'
(Golombiao official website). This programme has been supported both technically and financially by
UNICEF, the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Canadian International
Development Agency (ACDI) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), in
addition to other Colombian entities and organizations which have joined in as partners.

Golombiao is played like soccer, although there are some variables. The Golombiao game is divided into
four periods[ 1]:

Period 1: two mixed teams and the game advisors meet in a large venue. They set the rules of the game.
The rules of the game comprise technical agreements and coexistence agreements, such as: 'Every time
a player from one team scores a goal, all the players from the opposing team will praise him/her'.[ 2]

Period 2: Both teams play the game, seeking to put into practice the rules agreed on in Period 1. The first
goal scored by each team at every period must be scored by a girl[ 3]; after that, all goals must be scored
by taking turns: boy–girl–boy and all the players in both teams play; there is no Game Referee, but rather
a Game Advisor. Since there is no referee, the players themselves must oversee that the rules are
observed. In case a conflict arises, the advisors intervene. Meanwhile, one of the advisors writes a report
detailing every event, inside and outside the field.

Period 3: When the game is over, the players from both teams get together with the advisors, in order to
evaluate both their performance in the field, and the interaction with their supporters. The coexistence
agreements are evaluated, since the rating process is a collective exercise, based on self-evaluation.
Having complied with the established rules a score will be given to each team; the most outstanding team
will then be recognized. There are no winners, no losers; only teams with an outstanding coexistence and
social participation score.

Period 4: When the game is over, the participants lead complementary activities to deepen the dialogue
and the reflection regarding the possible issues that convened the game, such as workshops, movie
forums, training and encounter seminars on coexistence, social participation and gender equity.

Conceptual apparatus of bioethics

My idea is to analyse the Golombiao through the conceptual apparatus of bioethics. Bioethics is a bridge
between the sciences and other disciplines used to understand and propose alternatives to specific
cases where life is threatened.

Bioethics takes into account the fact that every bioethical dilemma is unique and reacts to a particular
context, or characteristics, needs and specific issues, which differ from the context of other population
groups. Along the same lines, the theoretical constitution and the practice of Bioethics are viewed as an
interdisciplinary field, meaning that multiple dilemmas are dealt with from the perspective of different
disciplines, when life and the quality of life are at risk. The scope of Bioethics surpasses all particular
professional barriers.[ 4]

Pluralism is yet another Bioethics watershed, where issues and alternatives are not intended to be
framed within any specific tradition; instead, it formulates problems and answers in an open-ended
manner, to be rationally analysed by individuals with divergent viewpoints about reality, and the different
value systems.[ 5] From this stance, it is possible to acknowledge the different conflicting perspectives
and present several alternatives to the same dilemma.

In the Bioethics context, the deliberation process empowers individuals to bring forth their proposals, and
build the tools to open communication channels which will facilitate both the negotiation and the dialogue,
in the understanding that this communication channel is a dialectical synthesis of the ideas and criteria
which will derive into joint proposals, enabling the production of coexistence and social participation
elements.

Furthermore, Bioethics takes root in the principle of the autonomy[ 6] of human beings, their decision-
making abilities, and their skills to become organized and take action. In this regard and although
individuals become organized with a sense of solidarity, they still are greatly responsible for building the
freedoms and opportunities to improve their quality of life. Quality of life cannot be narrowed down to a
mere evaluation of economic conditions; on the other hand, it enhances the possibilities human beings
have to work, improve and develop their capacities according to their needs, within a framework of
freedom,[ 7] opportunities and participation.[ 8],[ 9]

Explaining Golombiao from the conceptual apparatus of bioethics

Bioethics as a conceptual device to explain the community sport has been used in previous papers.[10]
The explanation of Bioethics suggests that soccer played as Golombiao promotes a process of social
development that dovetails from the philosophy of modern sports. Modern sports focus on performance,
production and achievement[11],[12]; in fact, some social sports projects turn into championships and
sports competitions, and we see time and again the high-performance sports scheme, though at a
smaller scale. While Golombiao defines life as a process of reflection and collective action, it also aims at
building community solidarity, using the transformation power of sports as a tool.

Unlike modern sports, Golombiao is not a standardized sports activity in the venues where it is practised.
In bioethical terms, it is contextual for it recognizes the problems that beset many population groups.
Golombiao targets specific issues which threaten coexistence, social participation and gender equity in
armed conflict zones in Colombia.

Golombiao is an interdisciplinary process whose development depends on its relations with institutions
such as UNICEF, the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Canadian International
Development Agency (ACDI), and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
Colombian Professionals from different disciplines (social sciences, pedagogy and management, among
others) share their expertise so that Golombiao may become a strategy to achieve long-lasting and
rewarding community progress and transformations, in some areas where life and the quality of life are at
risk.

The players agree to the rules by which Golombiao will be played. These rules must comprise technical
and coexistence agreements. In this regard, Golombiao operates within the context of pluralism as
defined by Bioethics, and takes diversity into account.[13] It is a strategy which understands that the
participants are not all alike, and that their individual moral values may differ. It recognizes that there are
conflicting opinions within a community and it is mindful of the differences and similarities brought about
by these conflicts, in order to have an understanding and consequently help bring the players closer
together.
Golombiao can be understood as an inclusion venue,[14] where differences should be included instead of
being integrated, in the understanding that integration requires the ongoing adaptation of the participants
to a set of beliefs, norms, values or hegemonic principles,[15] whereas inclusion fosters pluralism in the
context of a common social project which keeps changing, shaped by the needs of the population.[16]

The players are responsible for overseeing the respect of Golombiao standards; the players from both
teams meet with the advisors, in order to evaluate the events in the field and among the team supporters.
Hence, the dialogue understood as a bioethical tool is a fundamental learning curve in Golombiao. The
players set the rules and agreements to be the guidelines of the sports game; this entails a negotiation
process where their value systems will be put into play, as well as some of the expectations and social
concerns of the participants. These deliberative processes open the path towards coexistence, overriding
isolation and submissiveness.[17]

Based on the bioethical principle of autonomy, Golombiao participants develop their decision-making
capacity, and their skills to become organized and take action. In addition to establishing collectively
certain technical rules and coexistence agreements in the game, they promote activities such as
workshops and movie forums, to empower them to reflect on their social issues. Along these lines, sports
are an additional tool to the set of community processes seeking to reinforce coexistence, social
participation and gender equity.

In conclusion
Golombiao works on the grounds of a value system which differs from modern sports. The main goal is
no longer trying to beat the opposing team; the goals are geared at building community solidarity driven
by the transforming power of sports as a tool.

Golombiao is practised in communities which have been overwhelmed by the armed conflict in Colombia.
The practice of the game drives the participants to 'acquire the tools for coexistence, for peaceful dispute
settlements, social participation, gender equity-based relations, respect and dialogue. The goal is that the
players become key coexistence actors in the neighborhood, in their families and among their friends,
and that they are able to settle any conflict, through the use of dialogue and reflection'.[18]

According to the information disclosed by the presidential programme 'Youth Colombia' ('Colombia
Joven'), the Golombiao promoting institution,

over 60,000 girls, boys, teenagers and young adults have learnt, practiced and promoted Golombiao
since it was created. Golombiao has been recognized and included in departmental and municipal
development plans for the promotion of coexistence and social participation of children and young adults
in different territorial entities. 631 strategic partnerships with departmental and municipal social actors
have been created.[19]

Golombiao can be considered a sports tool aiming at promoting social organization processes to
empower the population to learn through reflection and awareness how to tackle their issues, while
striving to build their community solidarity.
In this reference framework, it is possible to weave the ties between the community and the sports world,
unlike the axiological principles of modern sports. From a bioethical stance, Golombiao can be seen as
an interdisciplinary and plural environment to be used as a tool to help communities create their own
deliberation and reflection processes. From this bioethical perspective, Golombiao could become a
learning process to enable the participants to reflect over their life and their cultural context. Furthermore,
Golombiao can put into play the value system of the participants, as well as their goals, their
expectations, their standards and concerns, thus strengthening contextual transformation processes such
as coexistence, social participation and gender equity, in the specific case of zones ravaged by the
violence of armed conflicts in Colombia.

However, it is necessary to advance ethnographic field work and anthropological analyses to understand
in depth the social bonds created during the practice of Golombiao, as well as the medium and long-term
impact of this government strategy.

Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes
1 The information on the Golombiao game presented in this paper was extracted from the following
sources: official webpage: http://www.golombiao.com, O. Mena, El Golombiao: El juego de la paz
[Golombiao: the game of peace] (2006). Practice Manual Bogotá: Programa Presidencial Colombia
Joven (Bogotá: Presidential Programme Youth Colombia), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische
Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), 'Programa Participación Ciudadana para la Paz PACIPAZ' [Citizen participation
programme for peace PACIPAZ.] http://www.unicef.org/lac/Manual%5fde%5fpractica.pdf.

2 Mena, El Golombiao, 20.

3 Ibid., 16.

4 Engelhardt, Los fundamentos de la bioética.

5 Ibid.

6 Beauchamp and Childress, Principios de Ética Biomédica.

7 Amartya Sen, Libertad y desarrollo.

8 Bañez Tello, Ciudadanía y Participación.

9 Chávez Carapia, La participación social.

Duarte, 'Fundamentación del deporte social comunitario'.

Brohm, Sociología política del deporte.

Velázquez Buendía, 'El deporte moderno'.

Gell-Mann, El quark y el jaguar.

Lleixà, 'Actividad física, deporte y ciudadanía intercultural'.

Rubio-Carracedo, 'Pluralismo, multiculturalismo y ciudadanía'.

Durán and Giné, 'Index for Inclusión'.

López Forero, 'La comunicación en la comunidad'.

Golombiao website.

Ibid.

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~~~~~~~~
By Ricardo Duarte Bajaña

Reported by Author

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