Arder la casa on political violences, family and exile

Arder la casa, on political violences, family and exile

In 2015 my papa crossed the Colombian border fleeing the political persecution to which he had been subjected for decades after finishing his term as mayor of a small town on the border with Venezuela. I remember him disappearing on different occasions when I was still a child, but then, fairy tales that my parents told me justified his absence. In 2015, for the first time, I understood my family fragmented and separated in the harshness of a country where political violence reaches the worst statistics in the world. This project examines the multiple layers involved in the experience of political violence in Colombia: family fragmentation and emotional wounds of a society in crisis. Colombia ́s corrupted institutions persecute politicians and social leaders through the creation of fake claims that intend to paralyze their political agency, that is the case of my papá who was a mayor of a small town, located on the border with Venezuela, more than 17 years ago. This project is a way to understand my family history, to reflect on the circumstances of our separation, and is a way to be near my brother, my mom and my dad.