The 8th of October is a public holiday in Peru, commemorating the War of the Pacific of the 1880s. It was a mixed day. I went to the National Museum, where there is a photo exhibition about the terrorism in Peru between 1980-2000, but there was also a dance exhibition today to celebrate the holiday.
Peru lost the War to Chile, but still hold a public holiday to honour their fighters.
There is also much to mourn in the more recent terrorism years - but they are determined to remember, so that this history is not repeated.
As well as acts of atrocity committed by the terrorists, there was reciprocal violence on the part of the government and local communities, and a lot of confusion. This is a group of journalists who were killed by members of a village - presumably on suspicion of being terrorists.
Many people were taken by the government and sentenced by 'faceless judges' and never heard of again by their families. There is still work being done to find missing people and to free others. These women are campaigning for their family members to be returned - and this lady rejoices in her freedom after improsonment.
It was very helpful to learn more about the history - when I was here in 2003 it was all very recent, but now it still affects how people think and behave - and for many it has a lasting practical impact on their lives.
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