Lluvia de Orión / Medellín, Colombia
“Unless we remember we cannot understand.” - E.M. Forster
In October of 2002, Colombian military forces stormed into the densely populated Comuna 13 neighbourhood of Medellín. The surprise attack was designed to drive entrenched guerrilla forces out of the area, but little discretion was used in doing so. Hundreds of civilians lost their lives or simply disappeared, never to be seen again. This was Operation Orión, and to this day it remains one of the most controversial episodes in the city’s history.
Lluvia de Orión is a Medellín-based non-profit artivism organisation that channels the power of memory to ensure that we understand. If we understand some of the underlying causes of violence, we can develop the tools and education that will help prevent it from ever happening again.
Founded by Róbinson Úsuga Henao in 2012, Lluvia de Orión promotes what they call “edu-communication” across three lines of work: independent civic journalism published via its website; social impact work, particularly with young people who live in conflict zones; and services such as animation and the production of printed cards and infographics.
The group’s website at lluviadeorion.com offers a fresh, independent take on current events, culture, and environmental topics in addition to a section devoted to local Comuna 13 news. It’s one of few such sources in a city run by corporate and heavily partisan media groups.
As an extension of this, they offer basic training in writing, photo and video production for young people who are interested in writing and communication studies.
Social impact efforts are focused on workshops and providing concrete learning tools for young people who aren’t getting what they need through traditional schooling. “What we want is to avoid recycled violence,” says Henao. “Formal education here generally doesn’t address our history of violence, so we try to help kids process and understand it, so they can stop the cycle.”
Lluvia de Orión creates most of their own edu-communication content to promote the importance of memory as a learning tool, and their animated short films are particularly powerful. Una Noche en Villatina (“One Night in Villatina”) and Pesados Escombros (“Heavy Debris”) are stirring archives that document key moments for all to remember and learn from. The group hopes to one day have the means to open a school for animation production in Comuna 13.
Lluvia means rain in Spanish, and Operation Orión dropped a rain of bullets and violence over Comuna 13 in October of 2002. Lluvia de Orión offers a fresh new rain, watering the new seeds of hope that are spread across the city.
