Tree · Mampuján, María la Baja, Bolívar
Mujeres Tejiendo Sueños y Sabores de Paz de Mampuján
Afro-Colombian weavers turning the grief of displacement into collective memory, healing and a community museum
Works locallyMontes de María
After paramilitaries displaced more than 300 families from Mampuján in March 2000, women of the community began sewing fabric-on-fabric tapestries as a shared act of grieving and healing. Led by coordinator Juana Alicia Ruiz, the association now brings together about 100 women, along with men and young people. It teaches weaving to children at the local school and runs the Museo de Arte y Memoria de Mampuján in María la Baja.
The museum was chosen by the families as a symbolic reparation measure following a 2010 court ruling. The weavers' pieces are held by the Museo Nacional de Colombia, and in May 2026 they presented 'Negro sobre negro' in Cartagena.