A town affected by violence

From the 2016 Global Earth Exchange

Un pueblo afectado por la violencia (A town affected by violence )

(translation below)

Este pueblo está afectado por la violencia donde precisamente vamos a hacer el Museo de la Reconciliación. Podemos aprovechar el trabajo comunitario con niños, jóvenes y adultos para participar haciendo un lindo acto de belleza para Radical Joy for Hard Times.

Fue increíble participar en un proceso de creación tan lindo con los niños! Gracias por hacernos parte de esta gran comunidad global.

Ten fifteen years ago Galeras, a small community in the Colombian region of Sucre, was in the middle of the armed conflict between illegal armed groups. Nearly each family has been affected by different forms of violence, as well as the territory, landscape and culture. We are in Galeras today to create this RadJoy Bird with a group of kids and young people to share a present to a wounded earth. Our bird’s name is Pelinku, made of simple branches, flowers and leaves and recycled material. We do not need money to make art and we can transform garbage into beauty. This bird brings a message of freedom, expression, respect, love, joy, creativity, nature. We can help recovering nature by the attention and the care we give to our territory. At the beginning it was hard to see the bird emerging from leaves and garbage but we gave to the process. When the bird appeared, surprise and joy arose. We felt that the bird carries a part of each of us. Each part has a particular meaning: it is like a living portrait of our community. We felt we found ourselves again.