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I'm Ivonne,
This project is a commitment to popular education.
Sin Culillo is an idea that originates from Ivonne Alexandra Bohórquez Alfonso's way of seeing the world.
But who is Ivonne?
I have been a public policy consultant for multi-sector institutions and companies. I have also been an advisor, tutor, and mentor in public policy, micropolitics, and complexity.
Political scientist from the National University of Colombia; specialist and master's degree in Regional Development Planning from the University of Los Andes; and PhD candidate in Complex Thought from Multiversidad Edgar Morin.
It doesn't say much, does it?
If you have the time, I'll tell you more about me and the history of the "no-butt" initiative below.
The whole story behind Ivonne and
Without a butt
I was born in 1980 and am the daughter of a mother who fought hard to give me a good education. For various reasons, my mother was my sole caregiver, a hard worker, and a nurturer in a highly unequal country. We never had much, although I never lacked for anything. Especially unconditional love from a phenomenal woman who, among other things, is right-wing. Probably because of this, I learned to be tolerant of diverse opinions... otherwise, there would be no lunch!
In 1989, my mother couldn't afford to pay for me to attend a private school, so I enrolled at a public school in Bogotá. I started studying at that school in the afternoon class, from 1 to 6 pm. At that time, the afternoon class was said to be for "poor" families, and yes, I met many classmates there who had the same or even worse financial difficulties than me. The teaching staff was different for each class, and I remember it was said that the results of those of us who attended in the afternoon class were inferior. The school is IPARM (Arturo Ramírez Montufar Pedagogical Institute), and it is the school offered by the National University of Colombia for its employees and students.
When I reached high school, the school became a single-day school, so the educational level was "leveled" for all students. When I was in eighth grade, an elective course called journalism was opened, taught by Professor Antonio Matiz. Having a passion for radio and news, I didn't hesitate and began working with Professor Matiz on various projects. The most beautiful of all was a newspaper called "Tollendo Ponens," where Matiz allowed me to be an editor from the age of 13, especially because I loved staying in the afternoons to help him proofread articles, correct typography, and layout the newspaper. During those years (three years as editor of the school newspaper), I decided I wanted to be a journalist.
But it's one thing to think with your desire and another to think with your wallet. During those years, Colombia entered an economic recession, and neither my mother nor anyone in the family could afford to send me to a private university, even though I had the skills for journalism. At that time, no public university in Bogotá offered journalism programs, and there were no scholarships or anything like that. I decided to look for the alternative that seemed closest to me, and so I applied to study political science at the National University of Colombia. The program had two open cohorts, and I thought it was an alternative path to achieving my goal.
Again, wishful thinking is one thing, reality is another. I entered UNAL in 1996 at just 16 years old. During my studies, other interests emerged: love, soccer, friends, and partying. Between one thing and another, my interest in journalism faded, and political advocacy emerged. I was never seriously involved in an electoral campaign, but I did attend meetings and meet people from various political parties. At that time, at university, politics was more about activism and belonging to diverse groups, even armed ones. But just as I never wanted to be part of traditional politics, neither did the revolutionary struggle inspire me. Although I had always been left-wing, my personality was already shaping up to be a little more independent and free.
By 1998, I was fully convinced of my career goals. I was concerned about the Colombian internal armed conflict; for three years, I was a tutor for the context course "Armed Conflict and the Peace Process," taught by Marco Romero. Thanks to the minimum wage at the time, I was able to support myself and pay for my studies independently, starting at the age of 18. I was deeply interested in public administration; I was drawn to the fact that everything had an order and a cause. So I delved into the topics of public planning and budgeting. Just at the turn of the millennium, when I was looking for an international scholarship, my mother contracted cancer, and I decided to stay with her. I completed my undergraduate internship at the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Trade. I graduated from the National University of Colombia with a degree in Political Science in 2001.
Once I graduated, I found myself unemployed. Like most students around the world, I spent a while not knowing what to do... A company run by acquaintances "rescued" me by giving me an office job that no one else wanted: keeping records for consulting services. Then, seeing that the situation was difficult and unable to leave the country because my mother needed me, I decided to look for a postgraduate education program in Bogotá. Although I didn't have a lot of resources, I knew I could now cover the costs of private education. So I focused on a program that I liked for its curriculum, not its cost. In 2002, I enrolled in the specialization and later the master's degree in Regional Development Planning and Administration, offered by the now-defunct Center for Regional Development Studies (CIDER) at the Universidad de los Andes.
At CIDER, I also have the opportunity to work while studying, so basically my days at the Universidad de los Andes consisted of spending 12 to 16 hours on campus. I didn't get paid well, but I met a lot of people, doing what they call "networking" today. My interests then shifted to two broad areas: territorial planning and management, and what Professor Adolfo Izquierdo called omnijectivity as an alternative to development.
I graduated with my specialization in 2003 and my master's degree in 2005. Since 2004, I had already begun working as deputy director of the Colombian Institute for Participation "Jorge Eliécer Gaitán" (COLPARTICIPAR). I began earning good money and understanding how public administration and public policy really work. From there, I moved to the Bogotá Mayor's Office, with my first outsourced job: I was part of the team that technically guided relations with Congress and the Nation, but my "salary" came from the UNDP. From then on, I have worked in various government entities: Bogotá's Government Secretariat, the District Planning Secretariat, the Habitat Secretariat, the National Real Estate Agency... Realizing that outsourcing offered me the possibility of freedom of mobility, I decided to start accepting additional contracts, the most common being as a university professor.
I've been a teacher since 2005. I started as a professor at a private university, both at the undergraduate level and for programs outside my field. I've worked for Uniagraria, La Salle, and the National University of Colombia. This connection with academia has led me to a deeper understanding of the aspirations of people entering formal education programs. It has led me to learn stories and to measure the distance between public administration and citizen expectations. It has been my students who have taught me hope, through listening to their own dreams. But it's also thanks to those unfulfilled dreams that I began to become disenchanted with public administration and public policy...
Since 2008, I've worked with various non-governmental organizations, I began ghostwriting, and around 2010, along with two others, we founded a non-profit organization called "Government and Society." This transformation was due to the fact that, in my work with NGOs and the private sector, I saw communities in the midst of endless cycles of exploitation, mockery, and neglect by public administrations. I began to understand that the changes proposed by governments are, for the most part, changes that seek to change nothing. People suffer greatly from politics, but they also fail to recognize the political aspect and fall into that premise of a hundred years of solitude. Those who mobilize politically are brave people. In Colombia, people are dying to become social leaders. Therefore, political fear permeates people's lives and everyday lives.
Even then, my political leanings had taken hold. But it wasn't until 2011, when my eldest daughter was born, that I realized several things about the life I wanted: I wanted to be free to be with my daughter (later they would become my daughters, since I now have two). I wanted to take advantage of outsourced work to earn money without sacrificing my life. The equation worked wonders until 2020... the year of the pandemic.
Like many people, the pandemic changed my perspective. In my case, I had begun my doctoral studies in 2019 at the Edgar Morin Multiversity. The university's decision was a practical one: since I was already a caregiver, I did public policy consulting under the outsourcing scheme (service provision contracts) and had to stay in Colombia, I needed an online program recognized by the Ministry of Education for future degree validation. Why pursue a doctorate? In my case, it was a dream, a deep desire for knowledge. I had wanted to study philosophy of science ever since I learned about omnijectivity, but no online program offered it at the time. I just wanted to know more. The fact is that the pandemic caught me finishing doctoral courses. Driven crazy by the confinement, the increase in caregiving activities, and the responsibility of the thesis, classes, and outsourced contracts, I began to wonder what I really wanted in life, for my future...
However, during the doctoral process (2019 to 2025), especially the completion of the thesis, all my efforts had to be focused on producing the document. A situation that, of course, left me short of funds. Without money and under pressure for funding, I returned to the public sector and consulting industry in 2023. Things are going well again, but I find that the inequalities and abuses of power are no longer only evident in the communities but also within the public administration, which had increased its "methods" to turn those who work in the administration into automatons. That year, the Colombian government was, for the first time, a leftist government, so my surprise is even greater... My students had already informed me about these issues, but until I experienced the situation myself, I didn't fully understand it. At the same time, in public policy consulting, the phenomenon of the "mask" of formality continued to occur. I've always been hired to create beautiful documents that, in essence... only solve the problem of the person who is hired to create them. Doubly disappointed, but replenished, I'm dedicating the first part of 2024 to finishing my doctoral thesis.
In the second half of 2024, I decided to use my knowledge to make politics work for those who truly matter in the social arena: the people. Tired of the reality I saw, frustrated because my "patrons" were only looking out for their own benefit, listening to the voices of students and ordinary people resigned to what they were told was politics, and all of us fearing politics in different ways; seeing how social media spreads hatred and radicalism, I decided to launch the "Sin Culillo" (Without a Culillo) proposal. Why "sin culillo" (Without a Culillo)? Because the reason for the initiative is fear. But when I tried to register the trademark (on the recommendation of the iA), I found that there were many brands called "sin miedo" (fearless), so to differentiate myself, I decided to use colloquial language: the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy lists "culillo" as a synonym for fear.
But at first, I had a bit of a problem. It's sad to admit, but my life was working fine... I was with my daughters and my mother (now elderly), I taught classes here and there, and I had my more or less recurring consulting sessions. All of that was going to change, and I knew it. It's not easy to go out and stir up hornets' nests. It's not easy to talk about political issues that no one else is talking about. It's not easy to spread political knowledge. None of that is easy and having something to eat at the same time. But a friend, in the middle of a political conversation, said to me: "Ivonnecheese, I know you're an anarchist. I don't agree with your point of view, but I admit it's a valuable point and you should defend it better." And yes, for years I remained content with the system, because I operated within the system and earned both recognition and money. My doctoral thesis made me realize that defending political diversity is a fundamental value for social life. It's necessary to speak out, and for whoever listens to apply their critical thinking to freely decide whether they agree or not. So I'm radically transforming myself into who you can see on the various social media platforms and in this very space. It's an ongoing process. That's why, to continue developing this initiative, I require the solidarity and reciprocal support of everyone who comes here. With your contributions, I will continue forward, fighting. At first, I was afraid, I had a little fear, but not now.
SUMMARY (TL:DR):
The long and short of it is that, after years of working in the public and private sectors, making politics and the political work for others, I realized that there were many people who truly needed to better understand and lose their fear of politics.
Drawing on my experience as a public policy educator, I decided to commit to helping more people become more informed citizens.
I use my experience to create content that explains politics in a diverse (non-hegemonic) way, clearly and in a user-friendly way.
Do you believe your rights deserve attention and that it is possible to have a political impact?
Let's democratize political knowledge together!
Every contribution makes a difference
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