Imagine being held hostage by the government for six years. Hard to picture, right? Ingrid Betancourt, the author of “Even Silence Has an End: My Six Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle” knows what it feels like.
Before her kidnapping, Betancourt went to the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris and lived in France where she was born and raised. She obtained dual citizenship and went to Columbia when she was 32 to fight against corruption in the government. Betancourt became the Minister of Finance and later the Minister of Foreign Trade for Columbia. In 1994, she was elected to the Chamber of Representatives and entered the Columbian Senate in 1998.
Betancourt was a Colombian presidential candidate for the Oxygen Green Party. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, kidnapped Betancourt in 2002, beat her, deprived her of food, and chained her for six years. After 2,321 days of captivity by the terrorist guerrilla group, the Columbian security forces rescued Betancourt, along with 14 other hostages.
Betancourt’s book tells about her unbelievable experience in the Colombian jungle. The New York Times book reviewer, Larry Rohter says the novel shows “inhuman conditions” that transform her heart-breaking story into “compelling literature”.
The political activist was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her bravery. Her appearance here at Fairfield University helps students and the public learn about global citizenship.
It is also a part of the Inspired Writers Series, which offers the public a chance to meet with authors of fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry, and discuss their works of literature. Her presence at Fairfield is co-sponsored by many of the departments of the University for her many angles of interests, including politics, international relations, and English literature.
Ingrid Betancourt will be here on Thursday, September 22nd at 7p.m. in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. Admission to the lecture and book signing is free and open to everyone.
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