{displacement

dɪsˈpleɪsm(ə)nt/

noun

1. the action of moving something from its place or position.}

 

This work is based on a documentary by the same author (currently in post-production) that centers on women who have been displaced by the violence in Colombia between 2002 and 2010 in a region called Montes de Maria. They were forced to leave their land, homes, jobs, families, livestock and even their husbands because of the violent times that hit the country in that decade: guerrillas and other armed groups invading many rural territories forcing people to abandon their lives. 

 

The video underlines, by repetition, the voice and image of Ceferina Banquez, a 72 year old farmer and singer of Bullerengue: an Afro-Colombian music that was brought into the country and evolved through oral tradition.

 

The images show her walking constantly in a loop, from Guamanga through Maria La Baja, Playa Blanca, and the Magdalena River, while we listen to the repetition of her voice affirming how she was forced to leave her land, first from Guamanga, and later from the Magdalena. 

The images, as well as her voice, run through a process where they are fragmented, interrupted and desaturated, showing the ongoing process of these women in their will to reformulate their sense of belonging while being displaced.

In the background we hear the sound of some Bullerengue drums, never distorted, since it’s only the Bullerengue music they can still bring with them to later tell the stories of their lives, leaving a legacy. Indeed, in many cases, this music has been the only way for them to overcome these difficulties and have some catharsis.