JOTA RAMOS

Arts Award | Nominee | Freedom of Expression Awards

John Javier Ramos (Jota Ramos) is a rapper, farmer and human rights defender from Villa Rica, Colombia. He is the founder of Afro-Colombian hip-hop group, Haga Que Pase and a foundation supporting the artistic and agricultural development of marginalised communities and young people. Since 2001, he has worked as a composer, rapper, and defender of the territory he represents. He has travelled to Africa, Europe, and America, holding concerts and conferences to highlight the critical human rights situation for his community. Much of his music and campaigning has responded to the exploitation by multinational businesses and the forced selling of land in his region, as well as the impact of drug trafficking.

Jota has faced threats due to his work and has had to previously leave his home. In 2018, he and his family fled to Spain as a part of Amnesty International’s protection programme for human rights defenders, where he and his partner toured the country spreading the message about the Latin American reality. In March 2023, Jota alleges he was the victim of what is known in Colombia as a "False Positive Police Report" after drugs were discovered in his car during a police stop. Jota denies any role in drug trafficking and alleges that the drugs were planted on him. Jota and two others were taken to a police station in Dagua, where they were interrogated by a plain clothes official. While in detention it has been reported that Jota was pressured to sign formal paperwork that could have incriminated him. While he refused to sign it, the authorities also presented a document of "declaration of good treatment", which he signed without having had access to legal representation. On 31 March 2023, Jota was placed under house arrest at his place of residence in the city of Cali. He has spent more than 15 months under house arrest. Eight hearings have passed and as recently as 25 June 2024, the prosecution has not been able to prove Jota’s involvement in drug trafficking. Jota is still waiting for the judge to rule on the case and make a decision.

“Each of my songs are a portrait of the reality that Afro-Colombian people live in. Since my beginnings as a rap composer, I have focused on writing rhymes that preserve these experiences. The moment I received the message that I have been shortlisted for this important recognition that rewards freedom of expression I said ‘I can't believe it’. To be honest since then my mind has not stopped vibrating around this possibility. The reason lies in the fact that the country where I was born is in the throes of an internal war that has been sustained for over 50 years. For a long time I have seen how artists who have dared to express their thoughts freely in this country have been persecuted, discredited, condemned and even killed. Being shortlisted for this nomination brings back hope for those voices that are still silent in territories of war.”