SOCIAL MEDIA: Online Activism. IT BLOG. Colombia uses social media to support "el paro" "Wear a ruana, because we are all from the country! " Photo: Facebook/events/Hosted by AnGela JoyIta RoJas and Yady Calvache At the place where potato fields and cyberspace meet, Colombians are building a movement in support of striking farmers, who in their second week of protests have taken the country by storm. Today was the “National Day of the Ruana,” a reference to the traditional wool or cotton poncho worn by Colombian farmers. Activists asked Colombians in cities to wear a ruana to show their support for the "campesinos," the Colombian Spanish word for farmers.
The farmers have mobilized in response to the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which has opened the doors to imported potatoes, milk, tomatoes, rice, onions and carrots, among other products. Because US agribusiness is subsidized by that government, US produce sells for less than the price of production in Colombia. And this has wiped the farmers out. Posible reasons. Social Media Activism. Democratic activism and media. Tweets and the Streets | Social Media and Contemporary Activism.