April 9, 2026

On April 9, during the National Day of Memory and Solidarity with Victims, Colombia’s Centro Nacional de Memoria Histórica transformed the Teatro Jorge Eliécer Gaitán into a living space that opened the doors to the Museum’s galleries, turning the heart of the capital into a great fire circle of listening and remembrance. Commemorating this date means embracing a painful legacy: that of a society shaped by more than eighty years of ongoing armed conflict.

Crossing this threshold profoundly moves the human spirit. Inside the experiential gallery, the “Constellations of Memory” reflected the stories of lives extinguished by the conflict, surrounded by objects that speak to interrupted everyday lives: a toy bus, an apron, and the canvas of a hummingbird, courageously preserved by family members. Within this space, territories were recognized as victims through ancestral wisdom, while grassroots collectives from the Pacific region, families of the disappeared, and the voices of those appearing before transitional justice mechanisms gathered around the “Ubuntu Hearth,” engaging in dialogue grounded in peacebuilding and reconciliation.

 

 

For those wishing to revisit these moments, the full broadcast of the commemorative event remains available, preserving the songs and testimonies that brought the nation together in remembrance. In addition, the Centro Nacional de Memoria Histórica has released an intimate behind-the-scenes video offering a closer look at the embraces shared backstage and the meticulous care devoted to safeguarding the legacies entrusted by victims and their families.