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Rapper Esteban, who at the age of 26 has spent half of his life within the FARC, was one of the highlights of the 10th National Guerrilla Conference, which ended its second day Sunday and has the core purpose of officially ratifying the final peace deal between the rebel army and the government.
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In an interview with AFP, the Colombian MC said he wanted to pursue a career in hip-hop once the peace deal was signed.
“I am very happy to hear that at last we will rest from this war... We all are brothers, we should not kill each other,” said the Afro-Colombian rapper, who comes from Colombia's most populous city in the southwest, Cali.
Esteban was invited to the conference by Alerta Kamarada, or “Comrade Alert” in English, a reggae collective from Bogota. “We are very proud that we could cross his path,” said guitarist Pablo Araoz from the reggae band, which is famous for its stance on social justice.
“When we were testing the sound system, singing the cumbia of love, Esteban came up on stage, demonstrating his flow, and we fell in love with his style. We told him: you have to be with us during the concert,” added Araoz.
Although he acknowledged “it's not easy to reach the rural public, who are used to different music, with reggae,” Araoz said Colombia's historic transition to peace proved "there are no borders."
“We're all Colombians,” he added.
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