> Even though the whole world is burning

Remains of Oblivion

Alejandro Olazo Millán, Peru

Human bones that are extracted from the earth.

Human remains that still preserve the clothes and shoes with which they were buried.

Dozens of candles that are lit to see the returned bodies out, to illuminate the last part of this journey.

Families that have been with each other for decades, in search, in pain, now finally saying goodbye to those whom they missed. Between the 1980’s and the 2000’s, Peru suffered the bloodiest internal conflict that it has ever had as a nation. The armed conflict between the Military Forces of the Peruvian government and the Communist Party of Peru – Shining Path (PCP-SL, for its acronym in spanish), left and average of 69,000 victims among deaths and disappearances, in accordance to data from the Commission of Truth and Reconciliation (CVR, for its acronym in spanish).

Ayacucho, in the south of Peru, was the location most shocked during this period. Both armed groups were in charge of harassing and indiscriminately attacking anyone who will not take sides for any of them. This confrontation caused that many countrymen communities were practically devastated in
cold-blooded attacks. 

Since 2003, the Peruvian government has begun a process of searching, locating and exhuming hundreds of bodies buried in clandestine graves throughout the national territory. After a long identification process, the human remains are delivered to their families so that they can give them a second burial in a dignified way.

Biography

He works as a freelance photographer and audiovisual producer based in Lima, Peru. His documentary work focuses on issues related to identity, collective memory and human rights. 

www.alejandroolazo.com