Représentations mémorielles au Pérou: de la défense associative des droits de l’homme à la convocation des arts

Abstract

This article focuses on the memory of an extremely violent period – the internal conflict in Peru (1980-000) – and the different forms this memory takes. It assesses the various social, institutional, architectural, artistic and / or discursive instruments used to protect and defend the victims, to inform the population and to make up for the past mistakes. The civic associations in particular, pioneers in the field of human rights defense (1983), have advocated for an investigation into the “Truth of Facts”. The very first testimonies from the early days of the conflict already revealed an abuse of state authority and “defensive” actions, parallel to the violence of the Shining Path. The work of the TRC (2003) later confirmed the dual responsibility that the memorial representations want to highlight through creations dedicated to the fratricidal war. The article leads readers through the streets, museums and commemorative places of Ayacucho, introduces them to memorial and testimonial exerts of contemporary literature, and underlines the importance of the image in this collective memory work.