Where did you get that hat from?

“Los Palmitos” means the “The young palms”. At “Palmitos” I met with a community of the Zenu people. At this meeting, I felt I had just landed from another planet or as some of my countryfolk had done in 1499 from another world – only this time it was I that was in the new world as I tried to find common ground between myself and the people I was addressing. They were a a group Methodists that are part of the Zenu people. Their church was a palm roofed topped community space and the Manse also had a palm roof, the bedroom slept a family and the kitchen was an array of cooking equipment at mud level. The air conditioning was provided by bamboos that were spaced just well enough to provide a screen for privacy.

 

I was given a present a hat that is more Colombian than cocaine and violence by my colleague who lives in the Manse at Los Palmitos. It is made of strips of bamboo leaves and it is known as the “Sombrero Vueltiao” – “The mixed up hat” it is made of half inch braids of palm leaves, dyed with coloured earth and woven to produce it. Without a word the hat says “made in Colobia” – it was worn by the Colombia Olympics Team.

 

At Los Palmitos, as I was invited to, I spoke about John & Charles Wesley and about Spain and about Methodists, but I might as well have been speaking about how to build a jet engine to the builders of Stonehenge – no progess was being made!. Then I spoke about land and justice and where I came from as I asked about where they came from, soon we were communicating with each other and I was privilidge to one of those moments in ministry when someone observing says “wow”

 

The hat takes days to produce, it is made from many meters of the woven palm leaves that are treated and dyed, by women into half inch braids and stictched together to make it. For each meter of braid the weaver is paid a 1000 pesos, (£0.34), and the simplest of hats represent about a week’s labour. The main market for these braids is owned by the son of the former president of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe. Hats, wall coverings, floor mats and fashion items sell for thousands of pounds.

 

I have rarely been so honoured as the moment when this hat was placed on my head by a people that looked to me to give their labour its true worth. A simmilar hat had been worn by young people at the opening of the Conference act of worship. Symbolically they offered to God the fruits and strugle of Colombia.

 

Tom Quenet.