Women in community-based museums of memory in Colombia. Their struggle for peace building

ABSTRACT

Institutional strengthening, securitisation, free market promotion, and development policy implementation are foundational elements of liberal peace. However, the creation of an inferior colonisable other sustains this link and has justified programmes of violent repression and silencing. Decolonial, post-liberal, localised, and feminist peace-building stances condemn those power structures and promote alternative means of achieving well-being and social transformation. Women have played a significant role in these struggles in Colombia. Among other initiatives, feminist and women’s social movements have embraced works of memory, including museums of memory, as mechanisms to produce difficult knowledge about their painful past and alternative ways to build peace. This article explores the role of women in peace-building process via case studies of two community-based museums of memory in Colombia. Cases analysed embody ways in which knowledge is created regarding war, suffering, and reflection on the significance of living a dignified life, pursuing well-being, social justice, and peaceful coexistence. Memories gathered in these museums not only recount victimising incidents but also testify to how women elevate the discussion about the colonial and patriarchal roots underpinning Colombia’s decades-long armed conflict, and how it relates to development. Findings contribute to the discussion on the challenges of peace building, which include imagining roles for women in producing knowledge beyond the stereotypes that are imposed on us, even in peace.

Le renforcement institutionnel, la titrisation, la promotion du libre marché et la mise en œuvre de politiques de développement sont des éléments fondamentaux de la paix libérale. Cependant, la création d'un autre inférieur et colonisable maintient ce lien et a justifié des programmes de répression et de réduction au silence violentes. Les positions décoloniales, postlibérales, localisées et féministes condamnent ces structures de pouvoir et promeuvent d'autres moyens possibles de parvenir au bien-être et à la transformation sociale. Les femmes ont joué un rôle considérable dans ces luttes en Colombie. Entre autres initiatives, les mouvements féministes et les mouvements sociaux de femmes ont adopté des travaux de préservation de la mémoire, y compris des musées de la mémoire, comme mécanismes visant à produire des connaissances délicates sur leur douloureux passé et des façons alternatives de consolider la paix. Cet article examine le rôle des femmes dans le processus de construction de la paix à travers des études de cas sur deux musées de la mémoire communautaires en Colombie. Les cas analysés incarnent des façons dont les connaissances sont créées en matière de guerre, de souffrance et de réflexion sur l'importance de vivre une vie digne et de rechercher le bien-être, la justice sociale et la coexistence paisible. Les souvenirs rassemblés dans ces musées non seulement relatent des incidents « victimisants », mais témoignent également de la manière dont les femmes rehaussent la discussion sur les racines coloniales et patriarcales qui sous-tendent le conflit armé qui a duré plusieurs dizaines d'années en Colombie, et sur ses liens avec le développement. Les conclusions contribuent à la discussion sur les défis de la consolidation de la paix, notamment au moment d'imaginer des rôles pour les femmes dans la production de connaissances au-delà des stéréotypes qui nous sont imposés, même en temps de paix.

El fortalecimiento institucional, la titularización [securitisation], la promoción del libre mercado y la aplicación de políticas de desarrollo constituyen elementos fundacionales de la paz liberal. Este vínculo sostiene la creación de un otro colonizable inferior y ha justificado campañas de represión violenta y silenciamiento. Las posturas decoloniales, posliberales, localizadas y feministas de consolidación de la paz condenan estas estructuras de poder y promueven el uso de medios alternativos para lograr el bienestar y la transformación social. En Colombia, las mujeres han desempeñado un papel importante en estas luchas. Entre otras iniciativas, los movimientos sociales feministas y de mujeres han hecho suyas diversas obras encaminadas a salvaguardar la memoria, incluyendo los museos de la memoria como mecanismos para producir conocimientos difíciles sobre su doloroso pasado y como formas alternativas de construir la paz. Partiendo del estudio de dos casos de museos comunitarios de la memoria en Colombia, este artículo explora el papel desempeñado por las mujeres en el proceso de construcción de la paz. Los casos analizados dan cuenta de las formas en que se crea conocimiento sobre la guerra y el sufrimiento, al tiempo que impulsan la reflexión sobre el significado de vivir una vida digna, procurar el bienestar, la justicia social y la coexistencia pacífica. Las memorias recogidas en estos museos no sólo evidencian incidentes victimizantes, también dan testimonio de cómo las mujeres elevan el debate sobre las raíces coloniales y patriarcales que subyacen al conflicto armado colombiano, que se ha extendido durante décadas, y de su relación con el desarrollo. Las conclusiones contribuyen al diálogo sobre los desafíos que supone la consolidación de la paz, entre los que se incluye imaginar funciones para las mujeres en la producción de conocimientos más allá de los estereotipos que se nos imponen, incluso en periodos de paz.

KEYWORDS:

• Peace building
• community-based museums of memory
• Colombia
• women
• decolonial feminism

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the Colectivo de Comunicaciones de Montes de María and the Organización Femenina Popular (OFP).

Notes

1 Mochuelo is the common name for a bird native to the Montes de María region.

2 The documentary Mujeres con los pies en la tierra (Down-to-earth Women), produced by the Collective, shows how women in the Montes de María area became involved in the mobilizations for the struggle for land. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzI3xW28KZ0.

3 Museography refers to exhibition design practices, their materiality, graphic aspects, textual aspects, or interactivity. Museology is the theoretical and methodological approach that studies these practices and their effects.

4 For an example of this phenomenon in the context of peace building, see Jackie Kirk (2004) on the role of female teachers.

5 Mestizaje, a controversial concept in Latin America, refers to the mixture of culture and biology among indigenous populations, enslaved Africans, and Europeans. It has been used for discriminatory purposes as well as for empowering identity projects, while gender perspectives highlight the inherent violence against women associated with it.

6 This study is part of the author’s doctoral research entitled ‘Community Memory Museums in Colombia: Perspectives from Emotions, Women and Peacebuilding’.

7 In Colombia, campesinos are recently acknowledged as a community with special rights. The term ‘peasant’ will be utilised in the text for clarity, but it only partly conveys the group’s experiences of subordination, and we should not forget the community’s significant struggles centre around land ownership, distribution, and the recognition of their societal contributions.

8 At the time of writing, and having completed nine tours in the Caribbean region, El Mochuelo is the featured guest exhibition in the temporary exhibition hall of the Museo Nacional de Colombia in the national capital, Bogotá, commemorating the museum’s 200th anniversary.

9 Liberation Theology holds a prominent place in Latin America’s Christian missionary history, calling for the defence of the rights of the oppressed and the poor. It has played a crucial role in shaping grassroots social, popular, and leftist movements in the region.

10 El Mochuelo, temporary exhibition at the Palace of Inquisition, Kiosk of Memory, Las Brisas, 2022.

11 Personal conversation with the Collective’s research co-ordinator, Italia Samudio, 2022.

12 Personal conversation with peasant leader, Catalina Pérez, 2022.

13 For a video about Felicita Campos: Women in the Peasant Struggle, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcfZgHaiIXo"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcfZgHaiIXo.

14 Personal conversation with OFP leader, Gloria Suárez, 2022.

Additional information

Funding

This research was partially funded by the Universidad de los Andes through the Museums for Peace project; the German Colombian Peace Institute CAPAZ; the Open Society University Network OSUN; and the Talloires Network of Engaged Universities.

Notes on contributors

Diana Ordóñez Castillo

Diana Ordóñez Castillo is a PhD candidate in Development Studies at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Development Studies CIDER, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia. Postal address: Calle 18A # 0-19 Este. PU 203, Bogotá, Colombia. Email: [email protected]