The Only Way

For more than 40 years, an armed conflict has been raging in Colombia over the control of land and territories. The actors are the guerrillas, paramilitary groups and the state. The ones who suffer most are the civilian population in the countryside.

San José de Apartadó is located in the strategically and economically important region of Urabá in northwestern Colombia. The inhabitants of the village constituted themselves as a peace community in 1997 and declared their neutrality towards all armed actors. Nevertheless, the community has been attacked repeatedly since then and numerous massacres have been committed. Despite the permanent aggression, the people still hold on to their project, which they call "El Proceso" for short.

"El Proceso" exemplifies the search for political alternatives in a conflict that has few profiteers and many victims.