Overview
In this lesson students will meet Andres Caicedo who is an investigative visual documentarist working with a style of photography and videography, called “new documentary.”
Students will explore how grassroots initiatives can help to build trust and help communities in post-conflict areas to move beyond the effects of conflict and war to foster a more sustainable peace for future generations.
Students will explore the photography of Stephen Ferry, who was moved by a concern for human rights and a passion for photojournalism from an early age. He has documented the Colombian conflict from 1997 to the signing of the Havana peace accords to the present.
Notes for Teacher
Country:
“Colombia has been faced with the tensions of civil war since its fight for independence from Spain in the nineteenth century. Internal conflict between Liberals and Conservatives continued into the twentieth century when Liberal leader Jorge Eliecer Gaitan was assassinated, resulting in massive riots to break out in Bogota, and beginning a decade-long period known as La Violencia, or ‘The Violence.’ From 1948-1958, 200,000 Colombians died and a conservative dictatorship assumed control of the government as leftist groups failed to demobilize. The National Front was formed by Conservatives and Liberals to end the well-organized Communists factions building their arsenals in rural areas.
After being elected in 2010, President Juan Manuel Santos –who previously worked under Alvaro Uribe as his Defense Minister- shifted positions and was intent on instigating a peace process between the FARC and the right-wing political parties. Multi-party talks began in Havana, Cuba in 2012 and lasted four years, resulting in a peace agreement that saw the FARC committing to giving up arms in return for an agreement to power share within the government. While most of the population wanted peace, Uribe’s opposition party stirred up resentment against the FARC, and the referendum on peace in 2016 was very narrowly defeated. Santos then revised the peace treaty and sent it to Congress for ratification where it was signed into law, marking the end to one of the longest conflicts in history. Since then, drug lords and rightwing paramilitary groups have continued to undermine the peace agreement era, fighting over turf for control over the coca drug trade and derailing the stability of the agrarian population. The Truth Commission is currently still working on a report that will examine the past human rights abuses which include human rights allegations against former President Uribe."
Between 2012-2015 peace talks resurfaced followed by a series of ceasefires. By 2016 the government and FARC rejected violence and signed a peace deal ending more than 50 years of civil war.” (EIHR, 2021).
Student Ages or Grade Level
9th - 12th Grades
Essential questions the lesson will address:
Can grassroots initiatives strengthen trust and foster sustainable peace within communities which have been impacted by conflict?
What does it mean to strive for peace
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to . . .
● Define generational trauma
● Examine and and identify the various ways in which war and conflict impact individuals, families, and communities
● Define the concept of grassroots initiatives, and explore how these initiatives foster change and build trust and relationships among members of a community
● Imagine and propose creative ideas for striving for a more sustainable peace within their own communities, as well as the global community at large
Common Core State Standards (11th grade)
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.B Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.C Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.D Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.2 Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
Curriculum Glossary and Key Concepts and Ideas
● Post-conflict: “Literally, post-conflict is an adjective, which serves to describe the period immediately after a conflict is over. Yet, despite its linguistic simplicity, practically, the term is more difficult to define.” (Infocore)
● Generational Trauma:
○ Generation: a body of living beings constituting a single step in the line of descent from an ancestor. (Meirriam Webster)
○ Trauma: a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time. (Merriam Webster)
● Sustainable Peace:
○ Sustainable: capable of being sustained. (Merriam Webster)
○ Peace: a state of tranquility or quiet; freedom from civil disturbance;: a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom. (Merriam Webster)
● Horizon: the line where the earth seems to meet the sky : the apparent junction of earth and sky. (Merriam Webster)
● Ideal: a standard of perfection, beauty, or excellence. (Merriam Webster)
Formative Assessment Strategies
The teacher can make a note of…
● Class dialogue in opening discussion
● Class participation to create and understand the definition of post-conflict environment
● Individual reflection and class-wide discussion of generation trauma
● Individual participation in journal writing about creating peace
Materials for Instructor
● Laptop
● Projector
● Speakers
● Large Flip-pad or Whiteboard/Chalkboard
● Marker, Dry-erase markers, or chalk (depending on the writing surface)
Materials for Students
● Imagine Journals and writing utensils
● Colored Pencils, Markers, Crayons
Lesson Plan
I. Opening Discussion (10 min)
Begin the class by sharing some background information about Colombia. Feel free to choose events to share from what has been provided in the Notes to Teacher or from another source depending on the grade level of the students. Let students know that the information will support them in understanding the Colombians they will meet in this lesson.
Step 1:
Share with the class that they are about to meet Andres Caicedo who is an investigative visual documentarist working with a style of photography and videography, called “new documentary.”
Project the photo of Andres Caicedo :
Project the following quote by Andres Caicedo and, with the class, read it aloud.
Horizon Quote:
“But it's [peace] is like the horizon . . . Which means that you never get to the horizon. Like you walk towards the horizon, but you never get to a horizon, the horizon keeps on moving. As you are moving.
I mean, it's like an idea, I believe. I believe there is no, if there is the concept of an entirely peaceful place or situation or society, I don't believe such a thing exists.
So it is like a horizon, you walk towards it. And somehow you make progress, though the goal keeps on getting further and further away.”
Step 2:
Open up the room for conversation, soliciting dialogue around the following questions:
● What do you notice about this quote?
● What questions do you have?
● What connections are you making between this quote and your own life?
II. What is a Post-conflict Environment? (5 min)
Step 1:
Write or project the word, post-conflict environment, on the board and guide the students through unpacking this term.
Step 2:
First, ask students if they know what the word post means. Then solicit a few responses. Guide the students to the following definition:
● Post as defined by Merriam Webster's dictionary: after; subsequent; or later.
Next, ask students what their understanding is of the word conflict. Guide the students toward the following definition:
● Conflict as defined by Merriam Webster’s dictionary: Fight; battle; war.
Now, ask students what their understanding of the word environment is. Guide the students toward the following definition:
● Environment as defined by Merriam Webster’s dictionary: the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded.
Lastly, have students turn to a partner and discuss what the term “post-conflict environment” could mean based on the above definitions.
Step 3:
Bring the class back together and solicit responses based on the above exchange. Explain to students that they will be exploring the consequences and challenges of living in a post-conflict environment.
III. Photography Exploration & Defining Generational Trauma (15 min)
Step 1:
Project the following two photographs from Imagine, along with the captions
Explain to the students that this is a photograph of Hector Angulo. His parents were kidnapped and subsequently assassinated by the FARC in 2000. He has dedicated his life to trying to find their physical remains in order to give them a proper burial.
Explain that photo #2 is a picture of the Arhuaco Indigenous people from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta march in Bogotá who were/are in favor of the peace treaty. The Arhuaco, like many of Colombia’s Indigenous peoples, were the victims of attacks and violations by all parties to the conflict. The state armed forces would kill young Indigenous men and dress them as guerrillas to claim as battlefield casualties. For their part, both guerrillas and paramilitaries regularly assassinated Indigenous leaders to undermine traditional authority.
Step 2:
Once students have had a few minutes to examine the photographs, as well as the captions, have students take out their Imagine journals, and write for five minutes, reflecting on the following prompt:
● Based on the above photos and captions, in what way does conflict affect individuals, families, and communities?
Step 3:
After students have time to reflect on this question in their Imagine journals, have students turn and talk with a partner briefly about their responses.
Come back together as a whole class, and solicit a few students' responses in a sharing session with the class. Tell students they may share their own ideas, or they may want to share their partner's thoughts.
Step 4:
Once a few students have shared with the class, explain to students that they are going to learn a new word today: generational trauma
Write or project the word, generational trauma, on the board and guide the students through unpacking this term.
First, ask students if they know what the word generation means. Then solicit a few responses. Guide the students to the following definition:
● Generation as defined by Merriam Webster's dictionary: a body of living beings constituting a single step in the line of descent from an ancestor.
Next, ask students what their understanding is of trauma. Guide the students toward the following definition:
● Trauma as defined by Mirriam Webster’s dictionary: a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time
Lastly, have students turn to a partner and discuss what the term “generational trauma” could mean based on the above definitions.
**Note: It is likely that many of your students will already know this term well, as it is a part of this generation's vernacular, so this process may go very quickly.
Step 5:
Bring the class back together, and solicit a few student responses based on what the term generational trauma means.
IV. Andres’ Video Clip (10 min)
Step 1:
Have students listen to a short audio clip of Andres Caicedo briefly discussing the effects of conflict and post-conflict environments on his family. Explain to them that Andres will be discussing the term we just defined above: generational trauma.
Step 2:
Once students watch the video, ask them to respond to the following prompts in their Imagine journals:
● What do you notice about Andes’ story regarding conflict affecting individuals, families, and communities?
● What patterns does Andres mention which are connected to generational trauma?
● What connections are you making between generational trauma and post-conflict environments?
● What are you empathizing with in this video?
Step 3:
Generational trauma and conflict are emotionally challenging topics, so give students a few moments to process some of what they may be thinking or feeling about this topic by responding in their Imagine journal to the following prompts:
● Head: What new information did you learn about this topic? What questions do you still have about generational trauma and its impact on individuals and communities?
● Heart: What emotions does this topic raise for you? What aspect of the above video clip stands out to you the most and why?
● Conscience: What questions about right or wrong, fairness or injustice, does this source raise for you?
Step 4:
Give the class time to have a discussion here.
Note: this topic may be sensitive for some students, and it is important to remind the class that this is a safe space and that it is critical to “hold space” for students who would like to share any personal stories. Likewise, it is just as important to respect students’ wishes not to share anything personal in this moment.
V. Closing Quote (10 min)
Step 1:
Project the following quote by Andres, read it aloud, and give students a minute to reflect on this metaphor of the horizon once again. Clarify any unknown terminology for students.
“Peace is the horizon, the ideal is the thing that we're working towards. But it might also be back the same way as we walk towards that horizon. . . I mean, this is not a stable thing. . . You have to have ideals, you have to have your ideal goal but you know it's an ideal and one cannot only focus on that and go but maybe things that happen along the way are peace [the process of working toward that ideal is peace itself].”
Step 2:
Ask students to respond to the following prompts in their Imagine journals:
● Connect: How do the ideas and information in this quote connect to what you already know about cultivating peace?
● Extend: How does this quote extend or broaden your thinking about creating peace?
● Challenge: Does this quote challenge or complicate your understanding of what it means to strive for peace? What new questions does it raise for you?
Take a few minutes to discuss the responses as a class. Before closing, explain the homework to students.
VI. Homework
Thinking about Andres’ metaphor about the horizon and striving for peace, consider a metaphor for one of your own ideal goals. Now, take some time to draw this metaphor as a visual representation of a goal you have and would like to achieve.
Resource Links
**All resources and excerpts are embedded into the above lesson**
