Mayor of Colombian city of Cali bans public workers from using honorific titles in bid to improve social equality

The country is deeply divided by class, which has been a factor in its decades-long civil war

The Colombian city of Cali, where the Mayor has introduced a ban on honorifics (Dougwash/Wikipedia)

A Colombian city has launched an initiative to end the use of honorific titles in a bid to create a more equal and peaceful society.

The Latin American country is deeply divided by class and unofficial titles such as ‘doctor’ are used to denote someone of a higher social status, even if an individual holds no such qualification.

Maurice Armitage, Mayor of Cali, in the country’s south west, announced the egalitarian initiative in early October.

Titles indicating social superiority, including the likes of ‘don’ and ‘señor’, have now been banned from public offices.

Municipal workers, including Mr Armitage, are to be addressed solely by their given name.

“The day that Colombians can refer to each other, unmarked apart, is the day that we can began to implement peace in this country," the mayor said. “From now on, I’m not the mayor, I’m Maurice.”

Honorific terms are deeply ingrained in Colombia's highly unequal social hierarchy, which has its roots in Spanish colonialism.

The massive growth of the country's middle class in recent decades has disrupted this, however, leading to more people calling for change.

The country’s bitter civil war, a peace deal to end which was recently rejected by the public, was strongly driven by inequality, with Farc guerrillas adhering to a communist ideology and haling mostly from poor rural areas.

Mr Armitage’s measure was welcomed by two national newspapers, who argued that Mr Armitage was putting into practice what many people felt.

In an editorial, El Tiempo wrote that ,with the practice of using the social titles still prevalent, “it makes sense to think that colonialism with all its vices is still breathing among us… [applying Mr Armitage’s idea to] the language of everyday life can begin to topple that prejudice.”

El Espectador said: “We support such measures by forcing a reflection on language, opening the door to change the relationships between people.”

Mr Armitage is not the only public leader to do away with honorifics. Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines, issued an executive order in July banning the use of social titles, including ‘His Excellency’ for himself or his cabinet.

The move reflected Mr Duterte’s populist style - he often speaks in the language of the street and is known for his no-nonsense approach.