In March 2025, we launched a Photovoice project in Sibaté, where disposable cameras were distributed to members of the community. For three months, they captured their surroundings and daily lives through photos. After developing the images, participants selected pictures and collaboratively wrote stories about their community.
Authors: Aura Lucía Torres Niño & Juan Carlos González Venegas
In the daily life of the vereda*, as the sun rises and dries the dewy paramo grass of the early morning, one can spot in the distance the patient figure of a person in a ruana**, the subtle shadow of a man with a hat and cane, and by his side, a loyal companion—a shaggy local dog of the finest company.
Step by step, he walks as if carrying the history of the neighborhood, the vereda, and the town.
He holds in his memory names and surnames, dates and disputes, plants and songs, tejo games*** and sips of beer. From political actions to memorable events, his mind preserves the stories that have shaped the territory into what it is today.
Upon reaching the bus stop, he sits, reflects on the day, looks at his feet, turns to the sun, lets out a sigh, greets a neighbor, and heads home.
With a slow pace and red cheeks, he lights the firewood, sets the pot, and lovingly breathes in the scent of tinto with panela****, reminding him of his wife—now living only in his memories, alongside the Sibaté he once knew.
“In Sibaté – Cundinamarca, the days begin very early. Farmers, working women, laborers, and students leave their homes to begin their tasks of care, cultivation, creation, and collective weaving—to remember, protect other beings, create opportunities, and build a better tomorrow.”
*Rural area in the sub-paramo
**A type of poncho
*** Colombian game
**** Coffee with cane sugar
