In Place Of War
Living Museum
The Living Museum is a digital space showcasing some of the incredible projects, spaces, places and creatives that In Place of War works with in areas of conflict around the world. The organisations participating in the Living Museum are based in the following countries: Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Lebanon, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and South Africa. The aim of the Living Museum is to give people across the world the opportunity to see the art, innovation and dynamism in communities facing the challenges of conflict. It aims to help change perceptions of places, and to share and preserve culture. The initial idea for the Living Museum arose during the Covid-19 pandemic, when travel restrictions and the forced closure of public spaces led organisations such as museums and galleries to innovate around ways to stay open and provide people with cultural experiences. Inspired by these examples, In Place of War decided to launch a project to facilitate and display the amazing content from our change-maker network around the world.
360 virtual Tours
100% SAN AGUSTIN
For decades, the San Agustín neighbourhood in Caracas, Venezuela, was a major source of fear due to local gang warfare. Since 2016, 100% San Agustín have been running a hand-curated experience known as Cumbe Tours to change the image of their neighbourhood.
ConArte
Founded in 2006, ConArte manages a dizzying array of educational and cultural activities that use the arts to promote a culture of peace, resilience and inclusivity in communities throughout Mexico and beyond.
Laban
Beirut’s Laban Theatre is an art-pacification organisation that uses improvisation and the dramatic arts as tools to foster peace and community in a region that struggles with ongoing social, political and religious divisions.
utopia for social justice
Utopia for Social Justice is a Lebanese non-profit art-pacification organisation, working to reduce tensions in the region through community service, advocacy and the empowerment of vulnerable groups such as women and children.
Films
crazy dance
Crazy Dance is an art-pacification organisation operating on the outskirts of Medellín, Colombia. It offers dance, physical training and life skills workshops to prevent local children and young adults from falling into dangerous lifestyle traps. Their community counts more than 70 members, ranging in age from 5 to 29, and every one of these represents a life saved.
GOMA SLAM SESSIONS
Located in eastern DR Congo near the border with Rwanda, residents of Goma have dealt with near-constant war, political unrest and refugee crises dating back to the mid-90s. Operating out of their own cultural space, the Goma Slam Session collective runs various monthly events that showcase local slam poetry practitioners to an enthusiastic audience that is increasingly hungry for independent thought and vibrant creative expression.
Lluvia de Orión
Lluvia de Orión is a non-profit organisation that channels the power of memory to help people understand the underlying causes of violence, and to develop tools and education that will help prevent it from ever happening again.
MAU MAU arts
Mau Mau Arts works as a social enterprise focusing on creative education and building a potent creative economy for African artists in the fields of visual arts, film and the performing arts.
OLdguns
Oldguns is a group of rappers from Comuna 13 in Medellín, Colombia, who since 1999 have been addressing the need to make change in their community via art and culture, and to offer alternatives to conflict for young people. This short film explores their activities in the San Javier El Socorro community.
People’s Palace Projects
For the last 25 years, People’s Palace Projects (PPP) has been asking what role the arts play in approaching and responding to issues of social justice and development challenges in prisons, favelas and Indigenous territories in Brazil. In this film, MC Martina takes us through little alleyways of one of the largest favela complexes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She talks about arts and the impact of urban violence on the mental health of favela residents.
The art of peace
Life is hard in Medellin’s Comuna 13. Joblessness, poverty and the constant pressure to join or defy the trigger-happy drug gangs make the toughest corner of one of the world’s toughest cities a challenging place to elbow your way into adulthood. Filmed in March 2019, The Art of Peace is an In Place of War film that explores how hope, rhythm and tenacity are empowering artists and musicians to escape the violence of the city.
