The Uncertain Future of Colombia's Museum of Memory

"In 2011, the Colombian government ordered the creation of a national museum "to achieve the strengthening of the collective memory" around the decades-long armed conflict. That same year, it passed the Victims and Land Restitution Law aimed at providing victims with reparations and justice. More than just a curated collection of objects or artworks, the museum, scheduled to be inaugurated in 2018, was conceived as an archive of the violent civil war."

"By 2024, however, only around 70% of the construction was complete, and the empty building was covered in puddles, cracked floors, and walls, and lacked handrails on the stairs. A government audit in 2024 found that nearly 12 billion pesos (~$3.1 million) of the allotted budget went unaccounted for, and the planning, quality of the construction materials (especially concrete), and technical specifications were severely lacking."

"The Museo de Memoria de Colombia began on a high note in 2015 with the country's largest design competition, in which a joint proposal from Colombian firm MGP Arquitectura y Urbanismo and Spanish firm Estudio Entresitio was chosen from more than 70 international submissions. The winning design, entitled "Entre la Tierra y el Cielo" ("Between Heaven and Earth"), was to act as both a museum and a monument unto itself."

In 2011, the Colombian government commissioned a national museum to preserve collective memory of the country's decades-long armed conflict, coinciding with the Victims and Land Restitution Law. The museum was designed through an international competition won by Colombian and Spanish firms, with the concept "Between Heaven and Earth" intended to serve as both archive and monument. Scheduled for 2018 inauguration, the project has stalled significantly. By 2024, construction reached only 70% completion with structural problems including cracked floors, inadequate handrails, and insufficient earthquake resistance. A government audit revealed nearly $3.1 million in unaccounted budget funds, with severe deficiencies in planning, construction materials, and technical specifications.

Read at Hyperallergic