Truth on the Margins: Bringing Memories to Support Transitional Justice in Colombia
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bristol
Department Name: School of Modern Languages
Abstract
The implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement in Colombia has suffered setbacks during the last two years. Our project partners in MEMPAZ have witnessed rising levels of violence and insecurity.
The Truth Commission (TC, running 2018-21) is one of the strongest pillars of the processes of truth, recognition, justice and non-repetition at the heart of the Peace Agreement. Despite funding cuts and other disruptions, the TC is committed to producing an inclusive report of the horrors of war. This will be published in late 2021. Through MEMPAZ we have been privileged to work directly with its Gender and Pedagogy Working Groups, designing methodologies, collecting testimonies and supporting work with teachers and students. TOJEM will take advantage of a unique moment to support the Truth Commission and the other institutions of transitional justice to produce national recognition and international support for their work.
We will work with our project partners, each of whom have produced creative memory pieces, to disseminate their work in film, text and through public meetings so that it reaches wider publics and changes minds about the past (and ongoing) horrors so as to transform the future. TOJEM provides a new opportunity to seek impact at different scales, including nationally and internationally. It has been designed in collaboration with our colleagues at the National University of Colombia and the Truth Commission to reduce violence in the future, to bring about inclusive reconciliation and to reduce inequalities.
The Truth Commission (TC, running 2018-21) is one of the strongest pillars of the processes of truth, recognition, justice and non-repetition at the heart of the Peace Agreement. Despite funding cuts and other disruptions, the TC is committed to producing an inclusive report of the horrors of war. This will be published in late 2021. Through MEMPAZ we have been privileged to work directly with its Gender and Pedagogy Working Groups, designing methodologies, collecting testimonies and supporting work with teachers and students. TOJEM will take advantage of a unique moment to support the Truth Commission and the other institutions of transitional justice to produce national recognition and international support for their work.
We will work with our project partners, each of whom have produced creative memory pieces, to disseminate their work in film, text and through public meetings so that it reaches wider publics and changes minds about the past (and ongoing) horrors so as to transform the future. TOJEM provides a new opportunity to seek impact at different scales, including nationally and internationally. It has been designed in collaboration with our colleagues at the National University of Colombia and the Truth Commission to reduce violence in the future, to bring about inclusive reconciliation and to reduce inequalities.
Organisations
Publications
Truth Commission
(2022)
Hay Futuro si hay verdad - the Report of the Colombian Truth Commission
| Title | Entre memorias e historias Podcast |
| Description | Eight 45 minute episodes of a podcast, Entre Memorias e Historias, released on Spotify, Youtube, itunes and so on, discussing themes of history, memory and politics. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Impact | It has built networks between the NGO Rodeemos el Dialogo, the PI and presenter Professor Matthew Brown, and the interviewees from around Colombia. |
| URL | https://anchor.fm/red-podcast |
| Description | The work of Truth on the Margins has produced much greater knowledge about the effects of the armed conflict in Colombia in the most marginalized communities. Through our collaboration with the Truth Commission, we were able to show the extent of the consequences upon women and LGBTQ communities in Colombia to an extent never previously known. We have also revealed the resilience, courage and creativity of the communities affected by the armed conflict, and have worked with them to produce new and compelling outputs showcasing their work. These works will be launched in Bristol in 20-24 March, and will be reported on in full to researchfish in 2024. |
| Exploitation Route | We know that working with grassroots partners are best placed to take forward the findings locally. We have successfully produced a range of compelling outputs based on long, slow building of trust and an ethos of horizontality. We will be able to report, finally, in 2024, after publication of our outputs and dissemination locally and globally. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Security and Diplomacy |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bringing-memories-in-from-the-margins-tickets-566463988037 |
| Description | The Colombian Truth Commission used our research in the preparation of their report, which was published in July 2022. We were thanked at the official launch. Truth Commissioner Alejandra Miller came to Bristol to give a public talk in November 2022 to thank us and talk about the ways in which our research had fed into the Truth Commission. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Security and Diplomacy |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | PRAXIS Report Transforming Conflict and Displacement through Arts and Humanities |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or Improved professional practice |
| Impact | These are all detailed in the PRAXIS report. |
| URL | https://changingthestory.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/110/2021/12/University-of-Leeds-PRAXIS... |
| Description | Hosting the visit of Truth Commissioner Alejandra Miller at MShed, Bristol |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 12 Colombians from across Bristol and the South-West attended to learn about the Truth Commission's report. 15 policymakers, academics and practitioners from across the UK learned from the event and participated in a networking event the next day, which created new plans for further collaborations in support of the dissemination of the Truth Commission's findings. 70 people attended in person and 10 online. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/events/2022/november/the-report-of-the-colombian-truth-commission.html |
| Description | MEMPAZ website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The MEMPAZ website presents the research of our collaborators in the form of video, audio, photography, and text. It launches on 20 March so is not complete and has had no impact at the time of writing (8 March 2023). Full details will be provided in 2024. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://mempaz.com/ |
| Description | Memories from the Margins week of public events in Bristol 20-24 March 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This is a big week of events to engage the general public in Bristol and the south-west region with the findings of the Bringing Memories in from the Margins and the Truth on the Margins project. It takes place just after the Researchfish submission deadline (20-24 March) so we will compete with full details in 2024. It includes 6 events - a gig, a theatre performance, a gala celebration, a film screening, a cookery workshop and a photographic exhibition - and the launch of 7 outputs - a photobook, a website, an interactive documentary, a comic book, a CD, an educational guide and an infographic. Details of all of these will be completed on Researchfish in 2024. At present (8 March 2023) we are finalising these events and outputs. We expect the impact of these events to the substantial in changing people's understanding of the impact of armed conflict in Colombia and around the world. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bringing-memories-in-from-the-margins-tickets-566463988037 |