In September 2023, PRIF and several partners organized the international conference “Memory as a resource in conflict transformation: The role of media and journalists in peacebuilduing” in Bogotá, Colombia. Its central findings are now summarized in a conference report. Sabine Mannitz and Jonas Wolff from PRIF were involved in the conception and realization of the event.
The conference brought together national and international researchers to discuss the role of journalism and media in armed conflicts and deeply divided societies. The conference program provided space for the exchange of research findings and practical experiences through various formats such as a film screening, lectures, panels and participatory methods such as a World Café. A focus was put on media education approaches, particularly in the Colombian transitional justice process. The conference also highlighted the successes and challenges of the work of media and journalists, and emphasized the importance of journalistic initiatives and research. The potential of memory work by the media in the context of challenges such as oppositional social behavior in Colombia was clearly emphasized. The importance of quality, engagement and innovation in journalistic reporting and communication was also deemed necessary to better explore underrepresented topics and make them more accessible.
The conference was organized within the framework of and with funding from the research center Transformations of Political Violence (TraCe) and the Leibniz Research Alliance “Value of the Past” by PRIF together with the German-Colombian Peace Institute CAPAZ and the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO) at the Universidad de los Andes.
The conference report (pdf) in Spanish with an English-language summary is available for download.