Catalina Delgado Rojas

Overview

After more than forty years, in 2011 the Colombian Government passed the first legislation to recognise the country’s ongoing internal conflict. The Victims and Land Restitution Law (1448) allowed the creation of a legal framework to repair the victims. Five years later, the signing of the Peace Agreement in November 2016 ended more than 52 years of war between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia People’s Army and the Colombian Government.  
 
Museums, memorials and artistic practices have been awarded an important role in the dissemination of historical memory and as symbolic reparations to the victims. The Law 1448 included the creation of a Museum of Memory with the objective of strengthening the collective memory. In addition, symbolic reparations have been enforced as part of judicial sentences to redress the victims. Subsequently, the Peace Agreement contemplated the construction three monuments in honour of the victims using the 8,900 firearms handed in by the ex-guerrilla.  
 
Both the Law and the Peace Treaty adopted a transitional and restorative justice approach, having a major influence on how these cultural institutions and memorials represent Colombia’s conflict. My research aims to understand, through a case study approach, how state-sponsored cultural institutions and symbolic reparation projects create and promote conflict memorialization and peacebuilding actions while guaranteeing the victims’ rights of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition. 

Biography 

I hold a BA in Political Science and a master's degree in Social Anthropology from the University of the Andes. I recently graduated from a MA in Museology and Heritage Management at the National University of Colombia.  

As an independent cultural entrepreneur, I have worked in museums such as the National Museum of Colombia developing educational workshops or curating exhibitions such as Op de fiest at the International Book Fair in Bogota. I have also endeavour community heritage projects like The Pedaling Museum on 26 street. Because socializing academic research in social media is another subject I am interested in; a few months ago, I launched an animated video on Gender approach strategies in Latin-American museums.  

Read more about Catalina's work and research here.