Recovery of the Memory of Belén

Recovering the memory of the Belén neighbourhood

Partnership duration:

2024 - Present

Project Goal:

To preserve and amplify disappearing community memories.

Project Partnerships:

• Residents of Barrio Belén

• Universidad del Rosario Investigation Group – Semillero Imaginarios por la Paz

• Malula NGO

Project Description:

In 2023, the research group began asking two questions: how can academia break into its local context, such as a neighbouring area like La Candelaria? And how can academia open itself up to listen to voices of those who do not belong to it, but whose ideas are valuable?

With this in mind, a student who had lived in the Belén neighbourhood brought forward the idea of exploring gentrification there. An action plan was developed through engagement with Professor Joaquín, and through his leadership with residents over 60 years old, a group was formed and a working plan established.

The project seeks to: Give visibility to the community of one of the first six neighbourhoods founded in Bogotá. The community of Belén is a place made special by what its community cultivates from within: its resistance to gentrification, its practices and cultures, and the value of a neighbourhood whose everyday ways of life resemble those of a village rather than a city. Through interviews, community gatherings, and the review of materials such as photographs, videos, stories, tools and objects that are part of this history and culture, the project aims to counter gentrification and the expansion of universities and real estate developments that threaten to shrink, and ultimately erase, the Belén neighbourhood, by recovering memory and amplifying the voices of those who live there.

Belén is a small close-knit community nestled in central Bogotá. The residents have built a strong social network centred around a community centre. They offer events for children and adults to help preserve and pass down their memories and traditions to the next generation.

The project responds to increasing pressures of gentrification and modernisation, which are gradually transforming the neighbourhood and displacing traditional ways of life. Fundación Malula, together with the Investigation Group from the Universidad del Rosario, works directly with people who are directly affected by this process. Many grew up in Belén or lived there for many years. However, their children and grandchildren often no longer live there.

Through interviews, workshops and participatory activities, the team collects stories, photographs, personal archives and lived experiences. These materials are in the process of being carefully compiled into a community archive to ensure that the identity and history of Belén can be preserved for future generations.

Collective memory in urban transformation:
As neighbourhoods change, intangible heritage: stories, relationships, and everyday practices, can disappear. This project empowers residents as co-researchers, giving them the space to shape and preserve their own narratives. Through collaborative research, the project works with local Belén residents to document stories, experiences and histories at risk of being lost. This process aims to strengthen community identity and intergenerational dialogue.