OSCAR ADRIAN GÓMEZ AVELLA
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COLOMBIA, 29
Project: Verso Vivo Foundation
Focus Area: Education/Curriculum Development + Art/Culture
In 2016, Oscar and his wife Diana started the Verso Vivo Foundation to promote the right to freedom of expression among Colombian, Indigenous and peasant communities through poetry slam and creative writing. They hope their work connects remote territories and cultures in a country where marginalized communities are often ignored and sometimes, silenced entirely.
The Verso Vivo Foundation leads community library projects, promotes creative reading and writing, and organizes Poetry Slam events in their community. Their work has become even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the technological and educational gaps have increased considerably in these communities.
In 2021, they hope to transport forty poets from indigenous, rural and peripheral urban communities so they can present their art, and others can learn from and about their lives and cultures.
Oscar was born and raised in Sogamoso, Colombia by strong females, his mother, grandmother and aunt. He studied nursing at the Universidad de los Llanos, with a concentration in Health Administration. Outside of his work with the Foundation, Oscar loves to read, write and listen to music. He frequently participates in peaceful protests to defend human rights, and ultimately, he dreams of living in an equitable country.