Reconciliation en minga

Abstract

The National Commission for Reparation and Reconciliation (CNRR) in Colombia, created in 2005, is the state body tasked with overseeing the demobilisation of paramilitary and guerrilla forces, their reintegration into society, and justice for victims of the armed conflict. In light of the 1991 Constitution, which recognised the pluricultural fabric of the nation, the Commission has sought to integrate the specificities of Indigenous and Afro-Colombian experiences of conflict and reconciliation into its work. Concomitantly, the Colombian government permits the advance of transnational extractive corporations into Indigenous and Afro-Colombian territories, endorsing their latent disregard for the spiritual and material significance that these lands hold for their resident communities. In spite of this uneasy relationship between the state and Indigenous and Afro-Colombian populations, the CNRR may provide an additional avenue for the Indigenous movements to articulate their overarching objective: the creation of a genuinely democratic, pluricultural society for all Colombians. The communications departments of Indigenous organizations such as the CRIC and the ACIN, both largely Nasa-based organisations located in the Cauca region, emphatically place peace and dialogue at the centre of their work, with film performing an increasingly important role in minga [collective mobilization]. Their videos are presented at festivals alongside ceremonies, workshops and panel discussions wherein reconciliation is often framed in spiritual terms, as the restoration of balance to la Madre Tierra [Mother Earth]. Examining the reconciliation efforts of the Colombian state and Indigenous filmmakers alike, this paper considers the significance of such ‘reharmonisation’ strategies embedded in festival spaces and directed towards varied audiences.