Las mujeres y la guerra. La violencia como tópico del teatro colombiano

Abstract

The undeniable continuity and presence of violence in Colombia during the last decades has penetrated all spheres of national life; violence has affected men and women and often determines their decisions and their destiny. Violence is the inescapable subject of political speeches, of presidential promises, and it motivates conversation and jokes. It is, at the same time, an important topic of Colombian literature, art, and theater. This article analyzes four plays that portray violence in the life of Colombian women. Women have often been victims of violence, but sometimes also its perpetrators. Most have been despoiled, but some have benefited from the war. There are paramilitary women, milicianas and guerrilla fighters; there are also mothers, sisters, spouses, and lovers of men who exert or suffer the violence. Many women have been assassinated, kidnapped, tortured or displaced, and have lost family members. Women are on both sides of the war that continues to tear the country apart, generating displacement, orphans, and misery, enriching few, and impoverishing the great majority.