This was one of the areas hardest hit by the violence of the 1980s, as poverty made it a place where criminal organizations found desperate young men with little to lose and no future to join their criminal ranks.
Many of these men were killed or imprisoned, so women have had an integral part in the development of the community, for they have been the leaders and stewards of much of the change this area is undergoing today. The children of these women are the ones who today are continuing the work of transformation they started and this is seen more than in any other field, in the artistic field. The residents of these neighborhoods have many stories to tell, of past and present struggles, of longings and dreams for the future, of artists who, with rap, urban music, spray cans and brushes, bring their feelings into the world without ever resorting to violence again.
Although there are still many problems to be solved, today Comuna 13 in Medellín is transformed, full of colour, music and people who get up every day to show the world the beauty of their neighborhood and its streets, which smell of coffee again, like the farmhouses of yesteryear.
Today, Comuna 13 is a must-see on any Medellín visit, not only to admire the stories written in the graffiti, but also to see the growing influence that coffee is having in the community.
Water Color Interpretation 2021: John Jarlen Quiroz
Photo: Natali Osorio, 2019Disclaimers:
Original Article:
Commune 13
The peasants and uprooted people built the commune 13 of Medellín with their own hands. Displaced by violence from various areas of Antioquia and Colombia, coffee growers and farmers took a piece of land for each one in this place, in the most difficult and uninhabited terrain of Medellín and turned it into their new home, but this was not easy. From the beginning they faced great challenges, since the Colombian state was not present in the place to guarantee their basic rights, so the community self-organized through leaders, which today continue to be their main method of organization.
This was one of the areas hardest hit by the violence of the eighties, since due to its poverty, it became the place where criminal organizations found desperate young people, with little to lose and no future, to swell their ranks criminals.
Many of these men were killed or imprisoned, so the women were a fundamental part of the development of the community, since they were the leaders and managers of much of the transformation that this territory is undergoing today. The children of these women are the ones who today continue with the work of transformation that they began, and this is seen more than in any field, in the artistic one. The inhabitants of these neighborhoods are full of stories to tell, of past and present struggles, of longings and dreams for what is to come, artists who with rap, urban music, spray paint and a brush express their feelings to the world, never again. more violently.
Although there are still many problems to solve, Comuna 13 in Medellín is now transformed, full of color, music, people who get up every day to show the world the beauty of their neighborhood, its streets, which again they smell of coffee, like their country houses of yesteryear.
Today, Comuna 13 is a must-visit on every visit to Medellín, where you can not only appreciate the stories in its graffiti, but also the growing influence that the café has regained in the community.