The Awakening of La Jagua: The February 10 Social Strike is the faithful account of a social demonstration that left a lasting mark on the life of the municipality of La Jagua de Ibirico, in the heart of the Cesar department (Colombia), in response to the economic, social, environmental, medical, and labor problems caused by the coal exploitation of the multinational Glencore and the Colombian State’s permissiveness and neglect.

This book emerges from the very soul of a community resisting the abuses of an unjust extractivist model, struggling against a difficult sociopolitical context, and organizing to claim its rights—a testament to courage, civic commitment, and identity that transcended borders.

The work is more than a denunciation: it is a collective memory seeking to restore the dignity of those affected by open-pit mining. Through testimonies, accounts of resistance, and analyses of environmental and social impact, Castro Meriño not only documents history but also invites reflection on the future of these communities.

Can a society be reborn after the plundering of its resources? The answer lies within these pages.