Reference :
V-P-PE-E-01256
Date :
06/2018
Caption :
Ayacucho region. Clothing belonging to an Asháninka child killed during the 1984 massacre in Putis, in which at least 123 people died including at least 19 children. More than 70,000 people died in Peru during the armed conflict that took place between 1980 and 2000. Today, almost 20,000 families are still searching for their relatives who "disappeared" during this period.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
This picture is from an exhibition "Suyay", by the artist Laia Abril. It depicts the pain and resilience of families waiting for answers concerning the fate of their missing relatives in Peru. The exhibition was held at the Centre de la Photographie Genève from 7 to 25 November 2018. The show's title from the Quecha word suyay, which means "to wait."
Exhibition extract:
Their bodies were only found in 2001 in a mass grave. The Asháninka people themselves had to carry out the exhumations.
Identification of children is very difficult, as it is almost impossible to extract DNA samples from their bones, which are not yet fully developed at the time of death. In addition, bones often decompose in the soil of the Ayacucho region. Identification could be made if there were other clothing or items that relatives could recognise, but this is often not the case, as clothing is generally not preserved and is difficult to locate.
ICRC website, article of 08.11.2018:
"Waiting is never passive: New photos shed light on Peru’s missing
Twenty thousand families sit suspended between life and death: unable to mourn or move forward until they know the fate of their relatives.
Waiting is not a passive activity:
The women in this exhibition tirelessly campaigning to discover the fate of their loved ones. None more so than Adelina Garcia, former president of ANFASEP, who has been searching for her husband since he went missing in 1983.
"Too often the full story is not told. That's why it was important for me to be a part of this project as it's important to me that people know the entire story, and the stories of what has happened to other women as well," Garcia said at the exhibition opening.
"I won't be able to stop until I find his remains and can bury him. For instance, my mum is buried in the cemetery. Sometimes I go and sit down beside her. I talk to her, and tell her what I'm doing. But on 4 January, when it's his birthday, I can't do that," Garcias said.
It is impossible to know exactly how many people are missing today as a result of armed conflicts, migration or natural disasters.
This photo series reminds us that no matter how much time passes, the inter-generational trauma for families is everlasting.
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
3744x5616
Orientation :
portrait
Colour/B&W :
colour
