Abstract
Photography, Communities and the Spaces of Mourning: Demanding Justice, Truth and the Rights to Memory in Nicaragua
The article discusses a series of portraits of Nicaraguan families, members of the “Association Mothers of April”, an organization that has been seeking justice for family members assassinated by the Ortega-Murillo government during the 2018 civil insurrection. The citizen protests that took place across the country were violently repressed by police and paramilitary forces, causing the death of over 325 individuals. The photographic series is part of the exhibition and archive of “AMA y No Olvida,” the Museum of Memory Against Impunity in Nicaragua. Hereby, we outline the political relevance of images of victims as legal subjects, demanding justice against impunity. We analyze how these photographs are situated within the broader history of the visual representation of victims in Nicaragua. We argue that within this context, the multiple expressions of grief seen in the portraits of the victims’ families disrupt the narratives of sacrifice, martyrdom and militarism that have been inscribed in the public imagination throughout the country’s revolutionary past, and during periods of political violence. The article also discusses parallels with the uses of photographic portraits as part of movements for justice within Latin America, especially in post-authoritarian contexts, and to more recent struggles against impunity.
The article discusses a series of portraits of Nicaraguan families, members of the “Association Mothers of April”, an organization that has been seeking justice for family members assassinated by the Ortega-Murillo government during the 2018 civil insurrection. The citizen protests that took place across the country were violently repressed by police and paramilitary forces, causing the death of over 325 individuals. The photographic series is part of the exhibition and archive of “AMA y No Olvida,” the Museum of Memory Against Impunity in Nicaragua. Hereby, we outline the political relevance of images of victims as legal subjects, demanding justice against impunity. We analyze how these photographs are situated within the broader history of the visual representation of victims in Nicaragua. We argue that within this context, the multiple expressions of grief seen in the portraits of the victims’ families disrupt the narratives of sacrifice, martyrdom and militarism that have been inscribed in the public imagination throughout the country’s revolutionary past, and during periods of political violence. The article also discusses parallels with the uses of photographic portraits as part of movements for justice within Latin America, especially in post-authoritarian contexts, and to more recent struggles against impunity.
| Translated title of the contribution | Photography, Communities and the Spaces of Mourning: Demanding Justice, Truth and the Rights to Memory in Nicaragua |
|---|---|
| Original language | Spanish |
| Pages | 75-96 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| No. | 44 |
| Specialist publication | Istmo Revista virtual de estudios literarios y culturales centroamericanos |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jun 2023 |