Photos: How torn pictures and trusted herbs create healing in Colombia

Margarita Rojas Mena stitches up a torn photograph of nan section school, wherever equipped groups had a confrontation — portion of a treatment ritual for residents. She's a healer successful Mojaudó, a organization successful Alto Baudó, Chocó, Colombia. Fernanda Pineda/MSF hide caption

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Fernanda Pineda/MSF

Stitching sutures is 1 measurement doctors dainty wounds.

But now there's different benignant of stitching to heal psychic wounds: tearing up and past sewing backmost together photographs of loved ones and homes. That's 1 of nan rituals devised successful nan distant area of Alto Baudó successful nan occidental region of Colombia, wherever feuds betwixt equipped rebel and criminal groups person terrorized nan organization for years.

The photograph stitching is portion of a two-year task conceived of by Doctors Without Borders, moving pinch organization healers and midwives from 2022 to 2024. The extremity has been to create rituals to thief negociate nan anxiety, slump and different intelligence wellness risks posed by nan area's wide violence.

"I cure nan 'evil eye,' nan evil of nan nation," says Margarita Rojas Mena, a healer and herbalist. "When location are wounds, I usage my herbs, and sometimes I've had to do sutures." Here she is wearing a wreath composed of nan leaves of nan totumo plant, utilized traditionally to trim symptom from cramps and from childbirth. Fernanda Pineda/MSF hide caption

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Fernanda Pineda/MSF

The rending and mending of photos is simply a metaphor for healing, according to Colombian photographer Fernanda Pineda, who documented nan project. Other rituals to reclaim memories of erstwhile serene places beset by unit see nan usage of fragrant herbs and leaves nan healers traditionally employment to trim symptom and bring comfort.

The statement besides brought successful aesculapian teams to train 48 group successful nan organization arsenic wellness workers and wellness promoters to guarantee nan readiness of basal aesculapian services. That's basal because nan isolated location intends that it whitethorn return 2 to 3 days to scope a wellness halfway aliases hospital.

As Santiago Valenzuela, a connection head for Doctors Without Borders from Colombia, said, "We created a speech betwixt Western medicine and section healers."

Traditional nurse Rogelina Arce Campo takes portion successful a recently created ritual to header pinch nan equipped conflict successful their portion of Colombia. She tore an image of a spot that has suffered from nan violence, past utilized herbs and sutures to symbolically heal it. Fernanda Pineda/MSF hide caption

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Fernanda Pineda/MSF

Seven healers and nan rituals they conceived and utilized during nan people of nan task are chronicled successful Pineda's photography series, Riografias del Baudó. It's connected position astatine nan yearly Photoville Festival successful Brooklyn, New York, wherever a sprawling array of shipping containers are converted into mini-photo galleries done June 22. The project's title uses nan Spanish connection for stream successful a play connected nan Spanish connection for photograph, fotografía.

"We chose to see Riografías: Women Healers of Alto Baudó because [the exhibit] exemplifies nan powerfulness of ocular storytelling to illuminate overlooked world wellness crises and nan bonzer resilience of women," says Photoville imaginative head and co-founder Sam Barzilay, noting that nan task depicts women arsenic "agents of change, resilience and treatment successful nan look of systemic neglect — stories we felt urgently needed to beryllium seen and acknowledged."

About 14,000 people, galore of them of African descent aliases indigenous Embera, unrecorded successful nan astir 130 communities successful this rainforest area bordered by nan Baudò River, Pineda said. Thousands of group person fled nan region to debar confrontations betwixt equipped groups that sometimes forcibly effort to enlistee them. The usage of onshore mines by nan combatants poses a changeless danger. As a consequence of these threats, galore of those who stay confine themselves for safety, incapable to activity aliases be school.

The Baudò River is simply a gathering spot for this community. Fernanda Pineda/MSF hide caption

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Fernanda Pineda/MSF

People of each ages stitchery astatine nan stream successful nan supra photograph, pinch family bungalow houses and immense greenery receding into nan distance. "This shows their community," Pineda says. "It's morning, you spot friendly moments pinch 1 female holding a baby, group doing their wash, everyone is there."

This kid brought a canoe to nan Baudò River. Fernanda Pineda/MSF hide caption

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Fernanda Pineda/MSF

The kids astatine nan stream play pinch pails and balls and, arsenic successful this photo, a mini canoe seen from nan back. This young boy whitethorn person painted his look arsenic a awesome of protection, Pineda said.

The serene stream segment belies nan accent that nan organization has suffered. "Chachajo is sick pinch fears. I americium judge of that, because I, myself, unrecorded pinch that sickness," says accepted healer Carmen Fidela Mena,

She has learned aesculapian techniques arsenic well. "Many years ago, a expert from Doctors Without Borders taught maine really to suture wounds," Mena says. "Sometimes, I don't person nan tools, for illustration nan needles and thread, truthful I person to usage what I have: achromatic thread and a well-disinfected sewing needle. And erstwhile there´s nary sewing thread, we´ve had to usage dental floss."

Traditional healer Carmen Fidela Mena, from nan organization of Chachajo, Alto Baudó, Chocó. Fernanda Pineda/MSF hide caption

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Fernanda Pineda/MSF

Carmen Fidela Mena, a healer and midwife, sews up a photograph arsenic a symbolic measurement of treatment nan community's suffering. Fernanda Pineda/MSF hide caption

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Fernanda Pineda/MSF

This photograph is overlain pinch dried, preserved leaves. Healer Teolinda Castro, from nan organization of Mojaudó, is quoted arsenic saying: "At nan Mojaudó school, location was a confrontation that near slug holes successful nan walls and ceiling. The resucito works is utilized to cure pain. If my kid tells maine 'Oh, mom, my caput hurts,' I get immoderate resucito and lavation their small caput pinch it. The time [the confrontation astatine the] schoolhouse happened, I sewage nether nan furniture because I thought: 'Am I going to die? If my humor unit rises, I dice here.' So I stayed still."

These caller rituals do bring a consciousness of hope, nan healers opportunity — moreover arsenic nan fighting continues.

Diane Cole writes for galore publications, including The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. She is nan writer of nan memoir After Great Pain: A New Life Emerges. Her website is DianeJoyceCole.com