ABC Museum Casa de la Memoria

¿WHAT IS MUSEUM CASA DE LA MEMORIA? The office of the Mayor of Medellin, from the Program for Victims of Armed Conflict of the Secretariat of Government is working on the creation of the Museum Casa de la Memoria, as a space to promote actions that contribute to the reconstruction, visibility, and inclusion of the historical memory of the armed conflict in the city in recent decades. This in an effort to contribute to the transformation of history of violence in social learning for the life of society, under the premise “Remember Not to Repeat”.

¿WHERE IS THE MUSEUM? In the Bicentennial Park, located in the city center - at the confluence of the three communes that make up the East Central Area - which makes it a reference for the entire city, easily accessible by car, public transportation, and pedestrian traffic.

It will have about 3,600 m2 of built area and additional 18,000 m2 of public spaces. ¿WHAT WILL YOU FIND THERE? Ÿ Long – term Exhibitions: Devices will allow the continuous updating and interaction in the

museum design. This will be the first exhibition open to the public. Ÿ Temporary Showroom: Exhibitions and decentralized community construction. Ÿ Various exhibitions during the year: historical, international management, and victim-present. This

process takes place as a joint effort with victims.

Ÿ Kids Room: Specially designed for this group of people to present the city's recent history as an

educational experience. Devices will allow for the continuous museology updating. Ÿ Internet: The website can be accessed at www.museocasadelamemoria.org for review of the bank

of testimonies of victims in audio and video including information about the Museum, activities, events, developments, as well as memory issues, conflict, violence, and victims in the city and country.

THE COMMUNITY SAYS: “A house of memory is to better ourselves in a country that has no memory."

"A house to talk, because we are a society that does not talk. I want a house that detonates reflections on the reports of violence and conflict from the art; the art expressed not only from the visual artistic expression, but the art from its various representations and practices”.

“A house of living memory, a house that fires up the memory, a home for those on top and bottom, for those who are alive and in hiding, for those who do not want to see, for those who stumble at some point and fall into that place”.

The office of the Mayor considers necessary to make the victims visible, restore their word, to make public their voice and their stories, to enable understanding – especially that of the younger generation - of what has been the recent past of our society in order to remember not repeat.

¿IS THE MUSEUM A SYMBOLIC REPARATION? The museum is a commitment from the local government of Medellin to the victims. In that sense, we speak of symbolic reparation. The Museum Casa de la Memoria should be understood as a link in the process of solution to the conflict in our society. The Museum aspires to become a reference not only symbolic, but one of concrete actions, participation, debate, and reflection leading to the various victims of our society in order to become part of the social, urban, economic, and political community.

From the Program for Victims of Armed Conflict the House of Memories Museum represents part of reparation actions in addition to the administrative, legal and psychological compensation.

¿WHO IS GOING TO CREATE THE STORIES AND EXHIBITIONS IN THE MUSEUM? WHO IS GOING TO TELL US ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE CONFLICT AND VIOLENCE IN THE CITY AND THE COUNTRY IN THE MUSEUM? The victims, their views, their voices, their faces are the priority at the Museum. The story told in the House of Memories Museum is the story of the victims. Hand in hand with artists, historians, archivists, and victims, they build their stories. The Region Corporation and the Museum of Antioquia are two institutions that employed by the Program for Victims of Armed Conflict, are contributing their knowledge and extensive experience in the museological scripts, museological graphics, assembly, and production of the first exhibition.

¿IS IT RELEVANT AND APPROPRIATE TO CREATE A MEMORY TO THE CONFLICT? As a city and country, we have not yet overcome the various forms of violence and armed conflict in which we have been involved for more than fifty years. Therefore, this museum should include not only what happened in the recent past, but also what is happening today in our city, and its effects on our society.

This is a task that we cannot wait to start until the end of the conflict, as we do not know when the end will take place. However, we do know that creating settings like this: to get to know each other, to reunite, for self-reflection, will help us take us back to the road conducting to long lasting peace. With this in mind, convinced of its solid support based on its history, with a commitment to understand each other and reconcile, is how the office of the Mayor will push forward this program.

Programa de Atención a Víctimas del Conflicto Armado Secretaría de Gobierno – Alcaldía de Medellín Teléfono (0057 4) 4939701. E mail: info@museocasadelamemoria.org Facebook: Museo Casa de la Memoria. Twitter @casadelamemoria www.museocasadelamemoria.org

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