The 23-year-old fashion designer dressing Colombia's first black female vice-president
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Loading... - Luciana Perez
- 12 Sep 2022
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Esteban Sinisterra Paz, a 23-year-old fashion designer from Colombia’s conflict-ridden and impoverished Pacific region, had not long started his career when he received a call from a history-making client.
Francia Márquez – the renowned environmental activist and Colombia’s first black female vice-president-elect – was on the line, and she wanted two outfits made.
“When I got her call, it was amazing, as it wasn’t just about me or her, it was about our entire community,” said Sinisterra, an Afro-Colombian who runs the bespoke label, Esteban African. “This is a story written by all those who were excluded and ignored, but one day stood up and said, ‘We want change for our community’.”
Sinisterra and millions of other voters got his wish on the evening of 16 June when Gustavo Petro, 62 – an ex-guerrilla and the former mayor of Bogotá, the capital – won the presidency after a long and bitter campaign to pry power from the country’s political elites. When Petro takes office today, it will be the first time that the conservative South American country is governed by a leftist.
His campaign was bolstered by the addition of Márquez, 40, to the ticket, who made headlines worldwide when she became Petro’s running mate in March. Like Petro – who was a member of the now-defunct M-19 rebel group in his youth – Márquez is viewed as a firebrand outsider. Much of her support often stems from not being a typical politician, fair-skinned and from wealthy political and business stock.
“Their victory made me really believe in democracy,” said Sinisterra. “Nobodies like us and Francia were never taken into account, but now we know we can achieve so much when we work collectively.”
Márquez, a single mother and former domestic worker, won the prestigious Goldman prize in 2018 for her activism against a goldmine in her village, having led 80 women on a 350-mile march to Bogotá. Read More...
