Listening as an Act of Peace

In partnership with the Listening Acts Laboratory at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, the project La paz se toma la palabra (Peace Takes the Floor) of the Banco de la República created the booklet “Listening as an Act of Peace”, an educational resource designed for mediators. It outlines a methodology for group listening sessions of narratives from Colombia’s internal armed conflict, using a restorative approach.

After the Truth Commission’s mandate came to an end, Colombians were left with the task of engaging with its Final Report to better understand the complex fabric of a decades-long conflict and to foster spaces for reconciliation, coexistence, and reparation for victims. To support this engagement, the Commission preserved—through sound recordings—the testimonies of victims and perpetrators, which reveal what happened, the dynamics and patterns of violence, and the factors that sustained the armed conflict in Colombia. Their aim: to promote a broad national dialogue that ensures non-repetition.

However, listening to these testimonies is not easy. Coming into contact with the truth can stir uncomfortable emotions, reopen wounds, and leave us uncertain about what to do with what we have heard.

How should we listen to these stories? How can we ethically choose an audio piece? How do we introduce a listening session and create a safe space? How do we facilitate dialogue about what was heard? And how do we create closure after the listening experience?

These are some of the questions this booklet seeks to answer. It also includes suggested audio resources from the Legacy Collection of Colombia’s Truth Commission.

In a country wounded by war, one way to heal is by opening ourselves to listening—because listening is, in itself, an act of peace capable of countering violence and generating spaces for reconciliation. With this methodology, the Banco de la República encourages the creation of listening spaces within communities and territories, as a step toward the possibility of achieving peace.

Access the Guide for Group Listening of Narratives from the Armed Conflict with a Restorative Approach here (PDF - In Spanish).