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- Title
La Época. Reportajes de una historia vetada (2023) Eine Wandzeitung für La Colonia.
- Authors
Harrasser, Karin
- Abstract
The wall newspaper "La Época" documents the War of Villarrica (1954-1957) and is part of the Colombian Truth Commission. The project combines historical research with reports from survivors and witnesses, aiming to include the war in Colombian historiography. The wall newspaper was created by a group of photographers, historians, and a journalist and was hung in the village of La Colonia near Villarrica. The project aims to bring history back to the scene and show people that their history is now being read and seen. The history of southern Tolima and the Sumapaz area in Colombia is marked by conflicts and violence. The cultivation of coffee in the 19th century led to the emergence of large plantations on indigenous land. In the following years, indigenous areas were conquered by large landowners, leading to violent confrontations. The Russian and Mexican revolutions inspired peasant movements in Colombia. In the 1920s, indigenous leaders founded the city of San José de Indias to reclaim indigenous land. The banana workers' massacre of 1928 and the 1929 world economic crisis had an impact on agriculture and led to the formation of peasant associations. In the 1930s, further acts of violence against peasant movements occurred, and in 1946, the bloody civil war between conservatives and liberals began. The murder of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán in 1948 led to further violence throughout the country. In the 1950s, the conflict intensified, and the guerrilla movement in Villarrica began. The army responded with repression and bombings, leading to a humanitarian crisis. The autonomy of the Sumapaz colony was ended in 1955, and the guerrilla was defeated. The article describes the events surrounding the Guerra de Villarrica in Colombia from 1955 to 1964. It is mentioned that the negotiations to end the conflict failed in 1955, leading to its continuation. It is also mentioned that the guerrilla fighters of Villarrica moved to remote areas under difficult conditions in so-called "marching columns" and joined forces with veterans of the communist guerrilla from the south of Tolima. In 1957, peace was negotiated between the military junta that replaced Rojas Pinilla and the communist guerrilla, with the peasants maintaining their position of self-defense. In 1964, the armed forces launched a military offensive to combat the agrarian movement in Marquetalia and other areas. In response, the communist peasants decided to organize themselves as a national guerrilla and later adopted the name FARC. The article describes the events during the Guerra de Villarrica in Colombia in 1954. The guerrilla fighters of Alto Sumapaz, led by Juan de la Cruz Varela, offered their disarmament in exchange for peace and certain conditions, while the communist commanders in the south of Tolima demanded disarmament without delivering weapons. The article also mentions the violent suppression of opposition by the military regime of Rojas Pinilla, including the massacre of students in Bogotá in 1954. The Guerra de Villarrica led to displacements and a deterioration of the economic situation in the region.
- Subjects
COLOMBIA; MILITARY government; ARMED Forces; MILITARY offensives; JUNTAS; PEASANTS; TRUTH commissions; MASSACRES; SELF-defense; HISTORIOGRAPHY
- Publication
Zeitschrift für Kulturwissenschaft, 2023, Vol 17, Issue 1, p113
- ISSN
2197-9103
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.14361/zfk-2023-170108