What was positive from the experience of the encounter between victims, ex-combatants, and people from the community was that they hadn’t thought about the theme of reconciliation before and they ended up feeling they were entitled to it. And a little bit as well, they told me, that here there’s a problem because there isn’t the presence of the state, there isn’t administration, there aren’t people responsible for the violence, they aren’t supported, they aren’t seen. So, what was positive, we’ll say, was that it was stimulating for everyone there as hope for the future, and there were many, around 200. On the other hand, there were complaints that there were people missing, especially the government and the business sector, who are always absent from these kinds of matters.
– Interview with Benjamín Cardona, Territorial Director for Conciudadania on what resulted from the Collective Action for Reconciliation project in Santa Fe de Antioquia on May 8, 2009.About me
Lindsey is working with Survivor Corps in Colombia during the summer of 2009. Survivor Corps is a global network of survivors helping survivors to overcome war and rebuild their communities. Follow this blog to get a vista of their work in Colombia.
