Photo Embroidery Exhibition: Let the Rivers Be for Life!

A Spanish translation is available here

The exhibition “Let the Rivers Be for Life! Community Self-Protection and Care” represents a significant outcome of the research project “Water Conflicts, Violations, and Forms of Self-Protection: A Multi-Case Study in Eastern Antioquia, Colombia, Phase 2”. This unique exhibition delves into the strategies of self-protection employed by communities in response to conflicts impacting the Paloma, Dormilón, and Santo Domingo rivers, located in the municipalities of Argelia, San Luis, and San Francisco, respectively.

Through the collaborative arts of photography and embroidery, residents of these “hydrosocial” territories narrate the challenges they face. These include the arrival of small hydroelectric plants, mining activities, mass tourism, pressure from riverside real estate development, deforestation, and pollution. Yet, alongside these stories of struggle, they reveal how they have nonviolently protected themselves against these threats: through the weaving of community bonds, water stewardship, and a steadfast commitment to the peasant heritage of their lands.

The exhibition was showcased in October across the three municipalities involved in the study. This provided a space for the research team to share their findings with the communities who participated in the photography and embroidery exercises. Attendees underscored the essential role of water as the lifeblood of their territories. Although Eastern Antioquia has become a key hydroelectric resource for Colombia due to its abundant waterways, the communities pledged to continue their fight for a dignified life, enabling them to stay on their land and preserve their peasant traditions.