Claudia Nieto sobrevivió al conflicto armado en las estribaciones de la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, pero vivió el terror de ver descuartizados a sus compañeros de trabajo en la hacienda cafetera Jirocasaca, cuando un grupo de paramilitares los masacró en el año 2000 en ese lugar, propiedad de Guy Opdenbosch, ciudadano belga.
Salió asustada de Santa Marta, la ciudad en donde siempre quiso vivir, y se desplazó a su natal Bogotá, en compañía de su hijo colegial y su hija de dos años. Vivió buenos momentos en la capital del país, se casó y tuvo otra hija, aunque el frío le hacía extrañar la calidez de esa tierra caribe y de la gente con la que generó recuerdos felices por un largo tiempo. Fue esa la razón que la hizo regresar, 15 años después, a la capital del departamento de Magdalena, donde desde entonces construye día a día sus sueños, con trabajo y optimismo.
Cada vez que Claudia recuerda la madrugada en la que salió despavorida de la finca en la que trabajaba, es inevitable que las lágrimas corran por sus mejillas: “conmigo se encontraba mi hija de tan solo dos años de edad y un grupo de compañeros que atendíamos el casino. Entraron y amordazaron a todos los que nos encontrábamos en la cocina, nos encerraron, mientras en la parte exterior masacraron a los demás compañeros”.
Ella insiste en que procura no recordar esas horas tan dolorosas, hacía muchos años que no lo hacía. “Aun no tengo claro que sucedió, solo sé que ese día ellos llegaron por el administrador de la hacienda y por otros compañeros, los descuartizaron completamente, mutilaron sus partes y las esparcieron por todo el terreno; a nosotros nos decían que no gritáramos y que ni respiráramos, mientras las horas se nos hacían eternas y los gritos de la gente nos atormentaban”, narra con tristeza.
Apenas sintieron que los paramilitares se habían ido, un compañero logró soltar las cuerdas que los ataban. “Bajé a pie ese cerro sin mirar atrás, rezando por llegar sana y salva a mi hogar, mientras saltaba por entre los cadáveres mutilados de mis amigos; supe que finalizaba mi historia en Jirocasaca”, dice.
Según las autoridades, la mente detrás de esa masacre fue Hernán Giraldo Serna más conocido por sus alias de ‘El Patrón’, ‘El Taladro’ o ‘El Señor de la Sierra’, quien en 1986 era jefe del ya desmovilizado Bloque Resistencia Tayrona de las Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC).
En Bogotá Claudia siguió adelante con su familia, pero Santa Marta jamás dejó de ser su ciudad ideal. ¡No aguantaba el frío! exclama mientras ríe. “Santa Marta para mí es el lugar ideal para el ser humano, su gente, su carisma, su trato hacia las demás personas, éste es mi hogar y por eso es que quiero salir adelante aquí, además mi hija está criándose en esta tierra calurosa y llena de afecto”.
Por eso, desde el momento en que pisó tierra costeña otra vez, miró la posibilidad de crear un negocio que pudiera expandir y en el que más adelante contrataría a mujeres con historias de violencia y superación.
“Siempre he querido que mujeres que vivieron en carne propia el terror en el país trabajen conmigo; en este momento tengo mi negocio de desayunos saludables, vendo alrededor de 50 a 60 en varias instituciones de la ciudad; vendo frutas, sanduches de pan integral, avena, milo, chocolate, parfait de frutas y algo no tan ligero, como postres”, dice emocionada.
Por ahora en el negocio trabajan ella, una amiga y una de sus hijas. “Vendo alrededor de $100.000 pesos diarios, eso sí, sudándolos, pues para ahorrarnos algún dinero de transporte caminamos la mayor parte del tiempo con el sol inclemente de la costa colombiana, donde tenemos días a 29° grados y otros a 35° o 37°”.
Claudia, sin duda, es fuerte y perseverante y se siente capaz de reconstruir su vida y la de su familia en la misma tierra donde ha pasado por la felicidad y el terror en distintas épocas. Incluso considera la posibilidad del perdón: “recuerdo que debo seguir adelante y tratar cada día de perdonar a esos hombres que irrumpieron en nuestras vidas y acabaron con los sueños de todas esas familias”.
Es una mujer luchadora que ha sacado adelante un negocio apoyándose solo en las ayudas humanitarias recibidas del Estado durante los últimos meses. Su voluntad de superación le permite soñar con ideas que pone a funcionar con poco presupuesto. Así que, quizás, cuando reciba la indemnización administrativa y la asesoría de la Unidad para las Víctimas sobre la inversión adecuada de los recursos, sus sueños tendrán aún más posibilidades de seguir creciendo.
Por: Martha Isabel Pinedo
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