{"id":1740,"date":"2019-11-09T17:45:30","date_gmt":"2019-11-09T17:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fundacionprolongar.org\/experiencia\/arte-para-reconstruir\/?page_id=1740"},"modified":"2020-11-18T17:48:50","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T17:48:50","slug":"public-policy-recommendations","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/fundacionprolongar.org\/experiencia\/arte-para-reconstruir\/en\/home\/public-policy-recommendations\/","title":{"rendered":"RECOMMENDATIONS"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Public Policy Recommendations<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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1. Kintsugi: a metaphor that embraces the paradoxes of transitional justice<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Kintsugi<\/i> metaphor and practice illustrates the potential of paradoxes in times of transitional justice since this transition often implies the promotion of opposite or even exclusive values or concepts. In the words of the anthropologist Alejandro Castillejo, \u00abtransitions imply the collapse of a dichotomized way of seeing the world in which there is a separation between friends and enemies […] or between patriots and terrorists, who inhabit totally separate fields\u00bb (La Silla Vac\u00eda, p. 2018).<\/p>

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In this regard, John Paul Lederach suggests approaching these challenges through a paradoxical curiosity, where apparently opposite realities and values can coexist together or even go beyond the expected in some areas (Lederach, 1995, 2005). This approach is the essence of the Kintsugi<\/i> metaphor, which enables reflection on various paradoxes: the beauty of imperfection, the simultaneous transformation of past and present, and the possibility of a systemic and personal change.<\/p>

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Finally, the process allows people to externalize the intangible transformations they experience into something material. From Lederach\u2019s paradoxical approach, the process is as fundamental as the outcome. The Kintsugi<\/i> piece is not an object whose pieces have simply been joined together. In \u201cArt for Reconstruction\u201d it is a symbolic object that embodies trauma healing, resilience, and the connectors identified by former adversaries to create a different and peaceful present.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2. Art-based approaches to reconciliation should be a priority for policy-making during transitions<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u00abArt for Reconstruction\u00bb was grounded on the premise that rational deliberations alone are unlikely to be sufficient to promote reconciliation in the aftermath of armed conflict. Literature on peacebuilding and psychology stresses the necessity of \u201cemotionally driven patterns\u201d after civil wars to transform \u201caggression into empathy and desire for revenge into desire for affiliation\u201d (Cohen, 2005, p. 2). Research also stresses the cultural and symbolic dimensions of conflict to be addressed through rituals, symbols, and means that involve emotions and nonverbal communication. Art-based methodologies engage us on both sensory and cognitive levels, and they offer a natural space for ritual and symbol, this is why they are so effective in transforming relationships towards reconciliation.\u00a0<\/p>

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\u00abArt for Reconstruction\u00bb has proven, by evidence and results, the importance of these approaches. As a result of Prolongar\u2019s reconciliation model, a 100% of the participants, who were adversaries before, believe that reconciliation with people in reintegration process is possible and a 92.3% believe that reconciliation with the Armed Forces is possible.<\/p>

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Since art and cultural activities have a public vocation and aim to share with others, they are also effective tools to impact important numbers of people. The exhibit Unlikely Encounters<\/i> has reached more than 550 visitors and has been shown in three public spaces at Medellin. As results portray, 46% of the visitors reduced their stigmatization towards the three groups, and negative perceptions of disabilities were reduced by 47%.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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3. The achievement of reconciliation is related to the transformations of people\u2019s daily interactions at the \u201cmicro\u201d level<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The achievement of reconciliation is not only related to the signature of a political agreement, but to the transformation of citizens\u2019 daily interactions at the \u201cmicro\u201d level. This is why \u00abArt for Reconstruction\u00bb transformed how people deal with ideological differences, revenge, and sorrow, preventing trauma and pain to prevail and avoiding new cycles of violence to emerge. It is in the day-to-day interplay where people may manifest ideological disagreements, and in some cases violence, but also where they have the possibility to understand each other and transform conflict. This is crucial if we consider that the rate of conflict recurrence in post-conflict situations is astoundingly high (Gates, Nygar, & Trappeniers, 2016).<\/p>

As ethnographic observations captured, participants not only started to take care of their physical appearance look and health but also of their daily relationships. Qualitative observations captured that familiar relationships improved. In addition, 22% of the participants have initiated contact with someone they want to reconcile with. The following testimony is an example: \u00abHe is a co-worker and we had an inconvenience, but I approached him and proposed to make amends.\u00bb<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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4. Retired veterans: a treasured source of prosocial agency for peace<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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According to the project evaluation results, veterans have the potential to be a treasured source of prosocial agency for peace. This is contrary to the common belief in Colombia that would \u201clabel\u201d them as people against peacebuilding and reconciliation. The retired veterans who participated in this reconciliation model were the ones that had more progress in general regarding the other groups. In particular, they registered a higher progress in their relationships with others, the resignification of their memories and the use of the abilities strengthened or learned throughout the project. The leadership and teamwork skills that they have acquired during their service were valuable for the process of reconciliation led by the \u201cArt for Reconstruction\u201d team.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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5. Methodological recommendations<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The importance of identity redefinition<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

In developing the methodology, we consider the importance of redefining or creating new identities in order to build relationships based on mutual trust and understanding (Schirch 2001, p. 156). First, we created new identities outside the conflict\u2019s logics in the first face-to-face engagement of the groups, which allowed the participants to humanize each other. As an example, we created the supra-identity of \u00abreconciliation agents\u00bb, rather than victimizers or victims. All participants had the mission of spreading this reconciliation process with their families, neighbors and colleagues as active and empowered agents.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>

Second, we strengthened previous identities as the \u00absurvivor\u00bb rather than the victim. The victim identity, which may be related to pity,\u00a0 passiveness and narratives focused on others’ fault, makes it difficult to open up new possibilities for action and thinking. This identity change was key to recognize how it has been also difficult for family members to face what happened in the past and opened the possibility to realize that, sometimes, \u201cvictims\u201d may also cause pain to their relatives. In the case of veterans, some of the participants acknowledged that they were both, survivors and offenders.<\/p>

In summary, this identity change was a crucial step in building new relationships based on mutual trust and understanding among the participants, as well as in their closest circle.<\/p>

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The importance of repetition<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

The methodology included the repetition of many exercises that stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, and help persons to regulate difficult emotions. For instance, exercises to stimulate deep breathing, tension release, and body awareness were part of every single session. Through repetition, these movements and actions started becoming familiar, a relevant outcome if we consider the \u201cfamiliarity heuristic\u201d (Dale, 2015). This is a principle of decision-making that allows someone to approach an issue based on the familiar outcomes or actions through which they have faced similar situations in the past.<\/p>

As studies have shown, when people encounter difficult tasks, they are more likely to choose the familiar object or behavior that they already know (Shirasuna, Honda, Matsuka & Ueda, 2017). Emphasis in repeating throughout the workshops enable the adoption of new habits and abilities by the participantes. These become familiar behaviours to be applied when feeling strong emotions, stress situations or tension, and at the same time, they are habits that strengthen the project\u2019s sustainability over time.<\/p>

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The importance of ritual and symbol<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

According to Lisa Schirch in the book \u201cRitual and Symbol in Peacebuilding\u201d, ritual has three specific characteristics. First, ritual occurs in a unique social space, set aside from normal life. Second, ritual communicates through symbols, senses, and heightened emotions rather than relying heavily on the use of words. In rituals, humans learn by doing. There is a preference for nonverbal communication using bodies, senses, and emotions rather than words or rational thought. Third, ritual both marks and assists in the process of change. It confirms and transforms people’s worldviews, identities, and relationships with others (Schirch, 2005, p. 2).<\/p>

All these characteristics were key for the entire project, especially for the face-to-face engagements between the three groups. First, the collective Kintsugi<\/i> ritual helped people transform perceptions of each other and create an emotional connection beyond words. Second, the ritual also played a key role in redefining or creating shared identities between adversary groups, as mentioned in the previous section. Third, the ritual helped to mark the most important shift in the project: before, civilians, retired veterans and people in the process of reintegration worked separately. After this point, the groups were a unit and an example of reconciliation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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REFERENCES<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Casas, A. (2018). Local Enhancers for<\/i> Peace: Managing post-conflict risks and promoting<\/i> reconciliation through edutainment after war.<\/i> Behavioral & Decision Sciences Program. Politics, Philosophy & Economics. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.<\/span><\/p>

Cohen, C. (2005). Creative Approaches to Reconciliation.<\/em> Brandeis University. Retrieved from:\u00a0https:\/\/www.brandeis.edu\/ethics\/pdfs\/publications\/Creative_Approaches.pdf<\/span><\/p>

Dale, S. (2015). Heuristics and biases: The science of decision-making. Business Information Review<\/em>.\u00a0 Volume: 32 issue: 2, page(s): 93-99.<\/span><\/p>

Gates, S. Nygar, H. Trappeniers, E. (2016).\u00a0Conflict Recurrence. <\/i>Zutich:\u00a0<\/i>Center for Security Studies. ETH Zurich.<\/span><\/p>

Alejandro Castillejo (February, 2018)\u00a0 \u201cLos ataques a Timochenko son una expresi\u00f3n de la realidad psic\u00f3tica que estamos viviendo\u201d. <\/em>Retrieved from:\u00a0https:\/\/lasillavacia.com\/silla-academica\/los-ataques-timochenko-son-una-expresion-de-la-realidad-psicotica-que-estamos<\/span><\/p>

Lederach, J P. (1997). Building Peace: Sustainable Reconciliation in Divided Societies.<\/i>\u00a0Washington, D.C.: United States Institute of Peace Press.<\/span><\/p>

Lederach. J P. (2005). The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace.\u00a0<\/i>New York: Oxford University Press.<\/span><\/p>

Molano, A. (2017). De R\u00edo En R\u00edo: Vistazo a Los Territorios Negros<\/i>. Bogot\u00e1: Aguilar.<\/span><\/p>

Schirch, L. (2001). Ritual Reconciliation: Transforming Identity \/ Reframing Conflict, in Mohammed Abu-Nimer, ed., Reconciliation, Justice and Coexistence: Theory and Practice.\u00a0<\/i>Maryland: Lexington Books, pp. 145-162.<\/span><\/p>

Schirch, Lisa. (2005). Ritual and Symbol in Peacebuilding.<\/i>\u00a0Bloomfield: Kumarian Press.<\/span><\/p>

Shirasuna, M. Honda, H. Matsuka, T. Ueda, K. (2017). Familiarity-matching in decision making: Experimental studies on cognitive processes and analyses of its ecological rationality. Annual Meeting of The Cognitive Science Society Proceedings.<\/span><\/p>

Table of Conversations for the Termination of the Conflict and the Construction of a Stable and Lasting Peace. (2016). Final agreement for the termination of the conflict and the construction of a stable and lasting peace<\/i>. Retrieved from:\u00a0https:\/\/www.cancilleria.gov.co\/sites\/default\/files\/Fotos2016\/12.11_1.2016nuevoacuerdofinal.pdf<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Public Policy Recommendations 1. Kintsugi: a metaphor that embraces the paradoxes of transitional justice The Kintsugi metaphor and practice illustrates the potential of paradoxes in times of transitional justice since this transition often implies the promotion of opposite or even exclusive values or concepts. In the words of the anthropologist Alejandro Castillejo, \u00abtransitions imply the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":1727,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1740","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fundacionprolongar.org\/experiencia\/arte-para-reconstruir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fundacionprolongar.org\/experiencia\/arte-para-reconstruir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fundacionprolongar.org\/experiencia\/arte-para-reconstruir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacionprolongar.org\/experiencia\/arte-para-reconstruir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacionprolongar.org\/experiencia\/arte-para-reconstruir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fundacionprolongar.org\/experiencia\/arte-para-reconstruir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1740\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacionprolongar.org\/experiencia\/arte-para-reconstruir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fundacionprolongar.org\/experiencia\/arte-para-reconstruir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}