The Museo de Memoria de Colombia in Bogotá was envisioned as a national museum to strengthen the collective memory surrounding the decades-long armed conflict in Colombia. The idea was to provide victims with reparations and justice through personal testimonies and artwork. However, by 2024, only around 70% of the construction was complete, and the building was in disrepair, with nearly 12 billion pesos of the budget unaccounted for.
The museum began with a design competition in 2015, won by a joint proposal from Colombian firm MGP Arquitectura y Urbanismo and Spanish firm Estudio Entresitio. The design, titled “Entre la Tierra y el Cielo” (“Between Heaven and Earth”), featured a concrete structure with irregular spaces connected by hallways and stairs, topped by geometric shapes symbolizing different political positions in the conflict.
The Museo de Memoria de Colombia was meant to host archives of Colombia’s violent history, designed in a hardcore Brutalist style to prepare visitors for the atrocities they would encounter. The museum was also intended to be a cultural center with art workshops and studios related to victims’ testimonies.
Construction of the museum began in 2020 with a budget of over 66 billion pesos, but the Spanish construction company Obrascón Huarte Lain S.A., known for corruption scandals, was contracted for the project. As a result, construction costs soared above the initial budget, and the museum remains an empty concrete shell in the center of Bogotá.
A contract was signed in 2026 with Colombian construction companies to finish the project by the end of the year, but the stain of political corruption may make it challenging to revive a building that has been dormant for so long. The Museo de Memoria de Colombia represents a delayed reckoning with Colombia’s violent past, joining a wave of memory museums across Latin America dedicated to documenting human rights abuses. The Museo de Memoria de Colombia stands as a stark contrast to traditional memorial museums that focus solely on victims and portray governments as heroes. The use of the word “memory” in its name sets it apart, signaling a dedication to fully researching the violence and atrocities committed in Colombia’s ongoing armed conflict. The challenges faced by this museum are immense, with the conflict still ongoing and many past atrocities only now coming to light.
The museum aims to document the suffering endured by millions of people, including personal testimonies and artwork from victims as well as confessional accounts from military personnel and paramilitaries responsible for the violence. These accounts, often obtained through reduced sentences or absolution of crimes, shed light on the complicity of the state in these atrocities.
However, the museum faces resistance from powerful groups who seek to deny or downplay the government’s role in the violence. Former director Dario Acevedo opposed efforts to give voice to victims and remove documents that portrayed the government in a negative light. His actions demonstrate how the museum’s archives and objects remain vulnerable to manipulation and censorship.
Artist Fernando Arias has addressed this issue through his project “Memoria blanda” (Soft memory), which explores the malleability of memory and the ease with which it can be manipulated. Through a performance in the museum and the creation of a sculpture entitled “Ablandora de Memorias (Memory Tenderizer),” Arias highlights the forced “softening” of memories for political ends.
As the Museo de Memoria de Colombia prepares to open its doors, the banner outside declaring “la memoria es sagrada” serves as a reminder of the sacredness of memory. The graffiti-covered walls surrounding the building hint at the potential for the museum to become a surface for images and texts that challenge official narratives and honor the truth of Colombia’s armed conflict and its victims. The walls of cities in Colombia have always been a canvas for the voices of the people, especially when it comes to the country’s long-standing armed conflict. These murals and writings serve as a raw and unfiltered source of information, often providing a more honest account of the reality on the ground than mainstream media outlets. They are a powerful testimony to all those who have suffered and disappeared in the midst of the violence.
In a country where history is often shaped by those in power, the Museo de Memoria de Colombia stands as a beacon of truth and remembrance. It was created with the intention of giving a voice to both the victims and perpetrators of violence, allowing visitors to come to their own conclusions about the atrocities that have taken place. The museum is a place where the painful memories of the past can be preserved and honored, ensuring that future generations never forget the horrors of war.
However, the future of the Museo de Memoria de Colombia hangs in the balance, dependent on the outcome of the upcoming presidential elections. The current administration, led by President Petro, has been a strong advocate for the museum and its mission. But with a potential shift in power to a right-wing candidate, there is a fear that the victims of violence may once again be stigmatized and marginalized in favor of a more nationalistic agenda.
The completion of the museum will be a crucial moment in Colombia’s history, a test of the country’s commitment to facing its past and honoring the memories of those who have suffered. It will be a reflection of the values and priorities of the government in power, a symbol of whether they choose to uphold the truth or rewrite it to fit their own narrative.
As the fate of the Museo de Memoria de Colombia hangs in the balance, the importance of preserving the stories of the past has never been more crucial. The walls of the cities may continue to speak out, but it is within the walls of the museum that the true legacy of Colombia’s armed conflict will be preserved for generations to come.
