Healing wounds, (co)creating legacies: The importance of art in the work of the Colombian Truth Commission

This final report examines the role of the arts in the work of the Colombian Truth Commission (CTC, hereafter), established in the 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People’s Army (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – Ejército del Pueblo, FARCEP), with particular attention to the transmedia materials featured in the CCTC’s Artistic and Cultural Activities tab. The arts were employed both as a methodology for engaging communities and sharing testimonies, as well as a means of creating a lasting legacy. They were recognized as a language with the power to name even without formal words, and to reimagine the past, present, and future. By analyzing transmedia materials, including theatre, songs, music, poetry, books, and visual arts, and conducting semi-structured interviews with individuals involved in the CTC and its arts-based strategies, this study explores the limitations and achievements of using the arts in transitional justice.