Cultural Exhibition and Book Presentation about Terrorism in Peru
The Ecuadorian embassy supported the exchange of Knowledge during the Third Meeting of Ecuadorian Students in Europe
July 01st, 2016
June 16, 2016- In the framework of activities of cultural promotion abroad, the photographic exhibition and presentation of the book "No More years of cruelty: Terrorism in Peru" from the photojournalist Oscar Medrano Pérez from the magazine Caretas was inaugurated in the Sala Maria Reiche of the Embassy of Peru in Germany.
The exhibition shows a selection of 42 photos that evoke the painful facts of violence at that time. The book contains the testimonies of photojournalist Oscar Medrano Pérez during the years of the armed subversion in Peru, during the period 1980 - 2002. The era of terrorism was the period of development of an internal armed conflict in Peru which originated in the department of Ayacucho in 1980 by the escalating armed of the terrorist organization Shining Sendero. It was followed by the insurgency of the terrorist Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement in 1985.
Both groups provoked attacks across the country. After the capture of Abimael Guzman and shining path dome in Lima in 1992, the action of the Shining Path retreated to areas of cocaine production in the zone of Alto Huallaga and the Valley of the apurimac rivers, Ene and Mantaro (VRAEM) in the High Forest. The MRTA was later dissolved in 1997, as an outcome of the Japanese embassy occupation in Lima.
At the opening, the Ambassador of Peru highlighted the renowned career of the photojournalist Medrano and the important visual legacy of his photographs, which focus on the stage of violence experienced in Peru. The violence resulted in 70,000 casualties, which are deemed wither dead or missing according to the report of the "Commission of Truth and Reconciliation.”
The Ambassador of Peru also highlighted the importance of German cooperation for the construction, implementation and management of the "Place of Memory, Tolerance and Social Inclusion" (LUM) in order to recognize and dignify the victims of that period through reflection, and commemoration.
The journalist recounted the painful events he witnessed and recorded, particularly in Ayacucho. He also recounted his experience during the era of terrorism.
German authorities, representatives of cultural and academic institutions, members of the diplomatic corps and the resident Peruvian community in Berlin attended the opening event. The exhibition will be open to the public until July 14th.
References and Links
News from Berlin
Iñaqui González, Berlin Global
