For photojournalist Jesús Abad Colorado, the Colombian armed conflict is something that has marked his entire life. Abad Colorado, who grew up in a family of Antioquian farmers in the countryside, lived alongside violence from a very young age.
His grandfather, José María Colorado, and his uncle, Germán, were executed for their politically liberal opinions in the conservative village of San Marcos. Shortly after, his grandmother, María Dolores González, died of sorrow. Their memory was frozen in time with a portrait that would later teach Abad the importance of photography in preserving the stories of those who experienced the war in Colombia.
Several other cousins of his were forcibly disappeared and kidnapped by both the FARC and the Colombian armed forces, and his parents were eventually displaced from the countryside with which they had a profound connection, to the city of Medellín, fleeing from the violence. In spite of all the pain his family suffered, the bravery and kindness of his grandparents shone through: “My grandparents had always brought up the family with love and not desire for revenge. That’s why they fled and why they never wished to spread hate” says Abad.
