6,402 Reasons Not to Forget: Bogotá Memorial Opens
Memory & Transitional Justice
Key Facts
—Exhibition. The ‘6402+ Reasons Not to Forget’ memorial exhibition opened at Bogotá’s Estación de La Sabana.
—Organisers. Colombia’s MinCultura led the project in alliance with the Madres de los Falsos Positivos (MAFAPO) and the JEP.
—The Number. 6,402 refers to the cases of alleged extrajudicial executions investigated by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace.
—Concept. The space is a living memorial for symbolic reparation, not a conventional monument, designed with the victims’ mothers.
—Future Site. The exhibition previews a permanent memorial park and centre of memory to be built at the same historic location.
Colombia’s Ministry of Culture inaugurated the ‘6402+ Reasons Not to Forget’ exhibition in Bogotá, transforming a historic train station into a space where art and memory confront the legacy of extrajudicial executions known as “falsos positivos.”
A Memorial Born from Mothers’ Struggle
The exhibition at Estación de La Sabana (Calle 13 # 18–24) is the result of a long-term collaboration between the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Knowledge (MinCultura) and MAFAPO, the organisation of mothers of the victims. It forms part of the broader initiative “Un monumento posible: 6.402 razones para no olvidar,” which was redefined after dialogue with the mothers as a memorial focused on symbolic reparation and living memory rather than a conventional monument.
The project also involves Macrocaso 03 of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), the transitional justice tribunal investigating the most serious crimes from Colombia’s armed conflict. The JEP has documented 6,402 cases of alleged extrajudicial executions, a figure that gives the exhibition its name and anchors its moral purpose.
Art, Ritual, and Direct Testimony
The inauguration combined a formal morning ceremony with an afternoon of open cultural programming from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors could join guided tours of the exhibition and witness a performance by Eblin Grueso Cuero, alongside artistic presentations by Madre ya regreso and TziTzi Barrantes.
Musicians Cony Camelo, Diana Ángel, and Missio Firemusic—vocalist of Brigada Cero Tres—also performed. The organisers deliberately included community elements such as a communal pot (“olla comunitaria”), a screen-printing table, and spaces for direct dialogue between visitors and the mothers of MAFAPO, ensuring the event was participatory rather than purely observational.
What the ‘6402+ Reasons Not to Forget’ Number Means
The figure 6,402 corresponds to the cases of alleged extrajudicial executions—commonly called “falsos positivos”—currently under investigation by the JEP. These cases typically involve civilians killed by security forces and falsely presented as combatants killed in action, a practice that peaked in the mid-2000s under the government of Álvaro Uribe.
The “+” symbol in the title acknowledges that the true number of victims may be higher and that the work of memory and recognition is ongoing. The project is described by its creators as “more than a monument, an act of living memory”—a park and centre of memory that gathers voices, faces, and stories of the victims and the tireless struggle of their families for justice.
A Permanent Memorial Park Takes Shape
The current exhibition is a preview of a permanent installation. During 2023 and 2024, architects and designers worked to adapt MAFAPO’s concepts and model to the Estación de La Sabana site, where the “Parque memorial 6402+ razones para no olvidar” will be built as a full-scale memorial park, meeting place, and centre of memory.
The choice of La Sabana station—a heritage railway building in the capital—is itself significant. It transforms a space of transit and departure into one of permanence and return, where the stories of those who were disappeared can find a fixed address in the national conscience.
Digital Memory and the Investment Read-Through
The memorial concept also extends into the digital realm through “Proyecto 6402+, memorial digital,” a platform led by Wikimedia Colombia and MAFAPO to document these cases and preserve testimonies. This digital archive was recently highlighted at the Museo de Memorias Vivas in Granada as an example of innovative memory practices from Latin America.
For investors and expats, the project signals the Colombian state’s continued commitment to transitional justice mechanisms and symbolic reparation, even as the country navigates complex political terrain. The involvement of the JEP—an institution born from the 2016 peace accord—highlights that the legal and institutional architecture of the peace process remains operational, a factor relevant to long-term stability assessments and cultural-sector investment in Bogotá’s revitalised heritage spaces.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the “falsos positivos” in Colombia?
“Falsos positivos” refers to extrajudicial executions in which Colombian security forces killed civilians and then falsely presented them as guerrillas or criminals killed in combat. The practice was most prevalent between 2002 and 2008, and the JEP is currently investigating 6,402 such cases as part of its mandate under the 2016 peace agreement.
Where is the ‘6402+ Reasons Not to Forget’ exhibition located?
The exhibition is housed at Estación de La Sabana, a historic railway station at Calle 13 # 18–24 in Bogotá. This heritage building will eventually become the permanent site of the “Parque memorial 6402+ razones para no olvidar,” a full memorial park and centre of memory.
Who are the Madres de los Falsos Positivos (MAFAPO)?
MAFAPO is an organisation of mothers whose children were victims of extrajudicial executions in Colombia. They have been central actors in demanding truth, justice, and symbolic reparation, and they co-designed the ‘6402+ Reasons Not to Forget’ exhibition and memorial project alongside MinCultura, artists, and architects.
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Sources: Colombia's MinCultura; Madres de los Falsos Positivos (MAFAPO); Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP).
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