Spencer Tunick's nude photoshoot promotes unity between rival factions of Colombia's civil war

Record ID: 94686

  • Title: Spencer Tunick's nude photoshoot promotes unity between rival factions of Colombia's civil war
  • Date: 18th July 2016
  • Summary: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (JULY 5, 2016) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MARIA DEL PILAR NAVARRETE, WOMAN WHOSE HUSBAND DISAPPEARED DURING THE 1985 M-19 GUERRILLA ATTACK ON THE JUSTICE PALACE, AND PARTICIPANT IN DOCUMENTARY, SAYING: "There are soldiers. There are families of guerrillas. There are guerrillas. There are people who are former paramilitary. And when we all sit down, we are calm, we are talking. I think that this conflict is more between the people in power than between the victims themselves and when there is an opportunity to meet at events like these I think it's a form of education, of learning how we can achieve peace."
  • Embargoed: 2nd August 2016 16:26
  • Keywords: Spencer Tunick Colombia conflict documentary film war
  • Location: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
  • City: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
  • Country: Colombia
  • Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Film
  • Reuters ID: LVA0084R7SEO3
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: VIDEO CONTAINS NUDITY
    Renowned American photographer Spencer Tunick has turned his clothes-dropping lens to Colombia in a novel initiative aimed at promoting unity between rival factions of nation's civil war.
    Some 6,000 people, including former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) paramilitary group and victims, posed together nude in Bogota's Bolivar Square, in what was filmed for a new documentary presented by Bogota's Museum of Modern Art (MAMBO) and by Scotch whiskey brand, Johnnie Walker.
    Johnnie Walker Storyline and MAMBO documented the event that features Wilson Barreto Roa, a former police offer who was blinded in a FARC attack 12 years ago.
    Years later, he attended a group therapy session to address traumas to learn to adapt and move on from past traumas. It was there that he met and became close friends with Luis, commander of the FARC squad that had carried out the attack.
    For Roa, the photoshoot demonstrates the potential for human relationships where previous conflicts had thrived.
    "It is a very nice opportunity to send this message because the truth is it wasn't just about going and getting naked as we did at that moment. It was also about showing everyone that underneath the clothes, we are all alike. That we are all human beings, equal, no one is different from anyone else. It is simply to show people that: that we are all equal," said Roa.
    Maria del Pilar Navarrete lost her husband in 1985, when a group of guerillas raided the Palace of Justice in Bogota, where he was working. He disappeared along with a group of colleagues, and despite reports of torture and killings, his body was never found.
    For Navarrete, who teaches her daughters the importance of forgiveness, the photoshoot represents a moment of possibility.
    "There are soldiers. There are families of guerrillas. There are guerrillas. There are people who are former paramilitary. And when we all sit down, we are calm, we are talking. I think that this conflict is more between the people in power than between the victims themselves and when there is an opportunity to meet at events like these I think it's a form of education, of learning how we can achieve peace," said Navarette.
    More than two weeks ago, FARC leaders and the government announced a ceasefire deal at their almost four-year-old talks in Cuba.
    President Juan Manuel Santos has said the peace talks, aimed at ending a conflict which has killed more than 220,000 and displaced millions, may conclude as early as this month. Any deal would be put to Colombians for approval in a public vote.
    Beyond the official processes towards peace, Navarrete says a lasting outcome will depend on the people.
    "True peace is born from being able to understand each other, take each other by the hand, hug each other and say, 'We will move forward'," said Navarrete.
    Tunick's photographs will be exhibited in Bogota's Museum of Modern Art later this year, and each of the participants will receive a limited edition print.
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