Dramatizing stories of la violencia

Chapter One: La Violencia and Its Effects

11. Presenting stories of la violencia through theater

This is what happened during the war when the army came to the town. They forced the peasants to patrol and work for the army. They forced all the peasants to do whatever they were told and they also killed the people if they didn’t do what they were told. Here we see a person whose hands and feet are tied. This is how they killed people -- women, men, and children. This drama was presented on 27 April 1999 to commemorate the martyrs of Chajul.

Perhaps it’s a game for the young people who are acting, but for the adults who saw or experienced the war, it’s sad because they knew what the life of the town was like during la violencia because so many people suffered. The students thought they would make people aware of this in the hope that it would not ever happen again. The sufferings during la violencia are so sad because it left so much poverty and so many orphans.

This dramatic representation about the suffering the war inflicted on the town of Chajul was presented publicly for everyone, and also for the children who did not experience the war so that they could see how the army and the guerilla treated the people. Everything that happened was quite harsh and we no longer want to see that kind of suffering. We hope that through our project PhotoVoice and through the struggle we are carrying out as women, that peace and unity will grow in our town and in the villages.

[Foto – donde se mira la marimba a la izquerida]