The first rays of light at dawn slowly manage to disappear that perpetual darkness that hides them between the jungle.
Many children of guerrilla parents grow up in the middle of these Camps, or in most of the cases they are send it to live in another village far away from the conflict zone. Contrary to what the media afirms, there is non vulnaration to these children´s Rights. However need to clarify that these kids make a direct part of this war and are it´s main victims. In this particular image, these young people are on the camp, since it was during what was the tenth and last national guerrilla conference, which was a period of a week where many of these young kids were able to go to visit or meet their parents.
As an allusion to the cavern of Plato, the outside forest is transferred to the interior of their shelters or "caletas", as they call their improvised homes. Thanks to the light.
Giovani Perez of the Frente Felipe Rincon with 25 years old, he had 11 years in the ranks of the FARC EP, performs a haircut to Omar Jimenez of the Frente Urial Rondon with 40 years, has been in the FARC for 22 years.
FARC EP guerrillas breaking ranks after their commanders gave notice of their daily work.
Antonio has spent 10 out of his 22 years in the lineups of the FARC EP. Antonio states that "The weapon does not mean that it is our point of view or starting point but we use it as a means to protect our lives and as a tool for the Colombian Government to listen to us because it was never possible to have a dialogue that would avoid war".
Antonio has a dream that when he leaves, he can write a book about his life in the guerrilla. Every day he feeds this little notebook where he collects anecdotes from his comrades and from his day to day in the war.
Lucero Rodríguez joins the FARC EP guerrillas at the age of 16. Today, 33-year-old Lucero says that the only moments she will never forget are the bombings, especially the attack on the camping site that killed commander Jorge Briseño, she was very close by. Lucero remembers how that early morning, an "Explorer", as they call the planes that do the bombings, was flying over. With tears in her eyes Lucero expresses that this loss was especially hard because Jorge was like a father to her.
Omar Ayala fervently believes that the minds should be assembled in order to disarm rifles, an idea that gets stronger every day since his wife, also guerillera Tatiana is 7 months pregnant. His biggest fear is that if the “NO” wins in the plebiscite, he must move his son to a safe place because he says that "for no reason I will stop the fight".
Tatiana with her beautiful belly from her 7-month-pregnancy expresses great happiness for her due date which is approaching fast! But this happiness is overshadowed by the opinion of some civilians who think that “We are monsters".
Michael Steven Guevara, guerrillero from the Teofilo Forero Castro column of the FARC EP, from Buenaventura, wishes with great hope to not carry his rifle anymore. What he really wants is "to carry a pencil to stop the fight of weapons and transform it into the fight of ideas".
FARC EP guerrillas taking some free time to play a football game, few moments like this they can take advantage to get away, at least for a few minutes of the war.
FARC guerrillas taking a break after a football match, now in the time of the peace process they take the liberty of doing so in an open space, which in other circumstances would not have been possible.
FARC EP guerrillas mobilizing cattle to sacrifice it
"Last look" Bovine minutes before being slaughtered
"All things must be ready, because here in the jungle everything can change at any moment"
Almost at sunset, Miller repairs the furnace they build with wood and mud before darkness takes over the jungle again.
The sound of gunfire rattles through the territories of Colombia, where the FARC EP guerillas view their bullets as a tool to fight for the social justice.
Night brings a tranquil darkness to the guerilla camps that is interrupted by the noise of bombardment, silencing the sounds of nearby wildlife, crickets, and human breaths. The men and women of the guerrilla become shadows in the middle of the Colombian jungle, and if peace is not found, their shades will perpetuate as they delve deeper into the darkness in pursuit of a light.
The civil war that Colombia has lived for more than 50 years between FARC guerrillas and the goverment, was borned from a conflict that existed prior to its creation, half a century ago: where different violent actions that were led to the extreme by political ideologies between the tradicional parties, unleashed a violence that was evolving to build the conflict that the country still lives in. Added to all this is the unjust distribution of land, where just a few landers own most part of the territories since they grabed on the terrain in most of the cases with violent acts that eventually led to the creation of what nowaday we know as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), being one of the most antiqs guerrillas in Latin América. Over all these decades innumerable massacres have been produced by both sides, which not only has left an indelible mark but also a fractioned memory in colombians due to they have filled with so many miths and legends the collective imagination about what the violence is that the reality has been forgotten, owing to many have written it´s version on the history books.
I had the oportunity to sit face to face with common soldiers from the guerrilla who showed me not only another aspect of war but also their humanity, people who also live, laugh, eat, fuck and love as any other person. During those hot days and cold nights that I were in the middle of the colombian plains at the 10th and last guerrilla´s conference, I accomplished with these men, women and children to establish a whole different conversation further from rifles and the wickedness of the war: I could get closer to their hearts so we could talk about their dreams, fears and above all, hope.
A hope that covers them each night since the first agreements for the bilateral cessation of hostilities between the guerrilla and the goverment were reached. This hope which they entrusted me with their words is closer to be a reality and although there is a long path to go over and many wounds to heal, the country had never lived such an act of forgiveness as the one to take the first step to the ending to one of the longest civil war on history.
Sabana del Yarí - San Vicente del Caguán - Caquetá, Colombia. 2016
These images were a collective contribution for different agencies and media such as The City Paper Bogota, Espacio GAF, Getty Images, EFE, AFP, AP, and Nurphoto.
