Remembering the Disappeared

Explore an exhibition of short films, photographs, maps and multimedia stories co-created with grassroots communities in Caquetá, Colombia. The exhibition presents the experiences of disappeared people, their families and those searching for truth and justice. Visitors can move through a screening area, learn about the project’s participatory workshops and respond to questions about memory, dignity and solidarity. A complementary 90-minute public discussion will include an introduction to the project, selected video excerpts, a conversation with project collaborators and opportunities for audience questions and reflection.

What happens when communities affected by violence take control of how their stories are remembered and shared?

This exhibition introduces you to the experiences of families, victims, activists, survivors, and human rights defenders searching for people who disappeared during Colombia’s armed conflict. Through short films, photographs, maps, audio and other creative materials, you will discover how communities in the Colombian Amazon County of Caquetá have worked together to preserve memories, dignify disappeared people and contribute to the search for truth and justice.

The materials were co-created through the Transmedia for Transitional Justice project, a collaboration between the University of Huddersfield and the Asociación Escuela Audiovisual de Belén de los Andaquíes. The exhibition also reveals how participatory research and community storytelling work in practice, from selecting stories to developing narratives across different media.

You do not need any previous knowledge of Colombia or transitional justice. The event offers an accessible and reflective introduction to enforced disappearance, human rights, memory and peacebuilding. You will also be invited to consider how storytelling can challenge silence, strengthen solidarity and help communities rebuild dignity after violence.

Dr Camilo Tamayo Gomez, Reader/Associate Professor at the University of Huddersfield, will lead and curate the event. 

The event will be developed in collaboration with members of the Asociación Escuela Audiovisual de Belén de los Andaquíes, who will contribute remotely to the exhibition’s development and participate online in the complementary public discussion, subject to availability.

The event will be of particular interest to people concerned with human rights, social justice, peacebuilding, international affairs, documentary storytelling, oral history, photography, film and community arts.

It may also appeal to members of Latin American, migrant and diaspora communities; people involved in voluntary and third-sector organisations; human rights and refugee-support practitioners; and young people aged 16 and over studying subjects such as sociology, politics, citizenship, history, Spanish, media, criminology or global development.

No prior knowledge of Colombia or transitional justice is required.

The event will be of particular interest to people concerned with human rights, social justice, peacebuilding, international affairs, documentary storytelling, oral history, photography, film and community arts.

It may also appeal to members of Latin American, migrant and diaspora communities; people involved in voluntary and third-sector organisations; human rights and refugee-support practitioners; and young people aged 16 and over studying subjects such as sociology, politics, citizenship, history, Spanish, media, criminology or global development.

No prior knowledge of Colombia or transitional justice is required.

The Exhibition will run from Monday 19th October to Friday 18th December @ Holocaust Centre North

As part of the exhibition there will also be a public engagement event on Tuesday 3rd November @ Holocaust Centre North 5pm - 7pm