Construire la paix : le rôle des bibliothèques pour la préservation et la transmission des cultures indigènes

Abstract

In November 2016, the Colombian government and the FARC signed a historic peace agreement, thus ending more than five decades of civil war. Not only did the agreement aimed at making the ceasefire and the disarmament of the FARCs effective, it also aimed at ensuring that the FARCs could be reintegrated into the Colombian society. The peace agreement focused on Colombia’s isolated rural zones, which were the most affected by the conflict: there the social fabric was strongly polarized and damaged. To launch the application of this agreement, the Colombian government made a bet on culture as a central element for national reconciliation: the Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia (National Library of Colombia) was tasked with the implementation of libraries in the demobilization territories of the FARCs. The Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia partnered with BSF on the design of the Bibliotecas Públicas Móviles (Mobile Public Libraries) and the implementation of the 20 libraries across the country. This intervention focused on territories that were long forgotten by the government and where the conflicts, as well as social inequalities, have durably affected the local communities. Afro-American populations and indigenous populations, who in Colombia suffer from discrimination and inequalities, were the main target users of the project. During the implementation of the project, we soon realized that a durable peace could only be built if the concerned population was recognized and included with their specificities...