00:00The government of Abelardo de la Espriella ordered the removal of at least 30 works from the
00:04permanent exhibitions of the National Museum of Colombia. The affected rooms were: Make
00:09Society, Memory, and Nation. Pieces that spoke about Bernardo Jaramillo Osa, Carlos Pizarro,
00:15Feminist movements, LGBTIQMAS people, and the Peace Agreement were dismantled.
00:21The removal of the works took place within the framework of the president's announcement that the Ministry
00:25The Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Knowledge would change its name again and become the Ministry
00:31of Culture and Heritage. And of the instructions given by the minister
00:52Paola Holguín to remove elements related to characters from public spaces
00:57such as Carlos Pizarro, among others, whom he referred to as terrorists. Holguín
01:01He spoke about the situation and stated that the museum cannot be a space for glorification.
01:06to crime and whose mission is to preserve, restore, protect and socialize culture
01:11of the country. According to the minister, the museum's purpose is not to serve as an instrument of
01:16neither political indoctrination nor as a platform for disseminating biased versions of history. Although
01:21She referred to the protection of children and access to sensitive content, but did not explain
01:25Why were the pieces that were removed chosen?
01:28It should be noted that, at the moment, the museum does not have an officially appointed director and
01:33Constanza Tokica, director of the Santa Clara and Colonial museums, assumed the position of
01:37Director in charge. One of the rooms from which they were removed
01:41The pieces were part of the "Making Society" exhibit, on the second floor of the museum. It was officially opened.
01:45in 2019, although the work for its construction took approximately three years.
01:51and is part of the renovation project that the museum has been undergoing for years.
01:55The dismantling of the works was also in response to comments made by the councilor.
01:59Andrés Barrios, who questioned the presence of objects alluding to the presidential campaigns
02:04by Bernardo Jaramillo Osa and Carlos Pizarro, among others.
02:07This act comes amid what the president has called the culture war, which he has been waging.
02:12he referred
02:12since she announced Holguín as minister. Also, regarding what happened at the National Museum
02:17These are in addition to questionable appointments in institutions such as the Caro y Cuervo Institute, which currently
02:22Sergio Esteban Vélez directs, and the National Library is under the direction of Julia Cristina.
02:27Daza. During the last few weeks, Vélez's actions and their use of official social media accounts have been noteworthy.
02:32The institute's findings have been called into question, while researchers from the institution
02:37They fear for the future of ongoing projects. At the moment, it's unknown what will happen.
02:42with the works removed and the curatorial scripts of the rooms altered. However, sources
02:47Those consulted by El Espectador fear that something similar could happen in museums affiliated with the
02:53ministry.
