Resistance Unarmed: Photos of Colombian Peace Communities
La Balsita Community of Life and Work
"Juntos Together"
Families are splintered through displacement. This couple was separated during the chaos of the 1997 massacre. For several months, neither knew if the other had survived. Now, they work together again to rebuild their lives, caring for five children who still live at home, plus two grandchildren.
Photo copyright Betty Udesen
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"En Los Filos On the Ridges"
The ridges above the farm belonging to the Balsita Community of Life and Work have commanding views of the valleys below. That makes them strategically important to the illegal armed groups, which have repeatedly occupied the farm against the wishes of the community. More than one hundred paramilitary soldiers came this way in May 2004, forcing the community to flee their land. Community members look forward to a day like this one, when they will again be able to walk their pastures without fear.
Photo copyright Betty Udesen
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"Nesting"
New houses are constructed in estilo urban city style, in four blocks
of small apartments. Members of the Balsita Community of Life & Work
didn't live with shared walls before the 1997 displacement. The
families had their own farms and homes. Now, they live together as a
community for safety.
Photo copyright Betty Udesen
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