Remembering & Travelling #3 "Experiences of resistance in the north-western area of Medellín 1990 - 2000", Medellín, 08.10.2022

During the third travel of dialogue "Remembering & traveling" in Medellín, we visited different places in the city with students of the Colegio Copacabana. The places are symbolic for the resistance against drug trafficking and violence by the Medellín cartel. Especially in the 80s and 90s, many young people became contract killers, so-called sicarios, for the drug cartel.  This made them an integral part of telenovelas and series, such as Pablo Escobar - El Patrón del Mal, Narcos or other narconovelas. Why do young people get into such spirals of violence? Often, they are promised to escape poverty, or it is fear of losing family members that makes them accept such "work" for drug lords. However, telenovelas and series rarely show the young people's social context, which is what turns them into sicarios in the first place. They are usually only shown on the sidelines, for example as Pablo Escobar's right-hand people.

The travel of dialogue has been conceived and conducted together with our cooperation partners Gicela Andrea Aguirre García and Víctor Casas (Universidad de Antioquia). We visited places and organizations that help Medellín's youth to leave these structures behind.
The travel of dialogue is part of GUMELAB's transfer measures. It brings research closer to people who do not work in an academic context. The aim is mutual exchange and learning together.

The video of the travel of dialogue in Medellín can be seen here.