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Weaving memory: Art as a spiritual bridge between families and their missing loved ones

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The impact of the disappearance of a loved one is endless and pervasive. The anguish and uncertainty caused by their absence disrupts every aspect of the family’s life and can be passed on from generation to generation, affecting communities and society as a whole.

In Guatemala, at least 45,000 people disappeared during the internal armed conflict, and an unknown number of people, including migrants, have gone missing in more recent times. There are thousands of families today still searching for answers.

At the end of 2024, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), with the support of the House of Memory and the involvement of the relatives of missing people, organized a kite-making workshop, as part of the regional exhibition Weaving memory: The legacy of those who never stopped searching, which pays tribute to people who died without finding their missing loved ones and highlights the urgent need to give families the answers they deserve.

The workshop provided families with a way to collectively channel their pain and honour the memory of their loved ones and with a place for their stories to be heard, shared and transformed into resilience and memory. Arlet Miranda, Feliciana Macario Tevalán and Juana González León shared their experiences, giving a voice to the collective pain that the disappearance of a loved one causes, aggravated by years of uncertainty.

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Making kites and memories: Soaring towards hope

Julio Roberto Asturias Chiquitó, president of the Sumpango Standing Committee for Kite-Making explains the symbolism of the kites. “The kite starts out as a blank canvas, representing the beginning of life, and the kite maker fills it with colours and shapes depicting their experiences and emotions.”

The kite-making workshop in Guatemala was an event that promoted togetherness and healing. Scraps of coloured paper were brought to life in the hands of the relatives of missing people, crafted into hearts, flowers and interlaced human figures telling the story of their search. The participants also made a giant kite uniting the community. Bearing phrases such as “Luz Haydé, Paula, Josefina… we are still searching” and decorated with silhouettes of missing people, birds and hands, it was a symbol of collective memory and the unceasing search for the missing. Each completed canvas, ready to soar in the sky, was an expression of both pain and hope.

Julio explains that, for the families, these kites are more than just art; they are a spiritual bridge to their loved ones, a tool for rebuilding the social fabric of their community.

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The legacy of Miriam Orozco and her search for her son Jaime

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Arlet Miranda, president of the Guatemalan Association of Relatives of Missing Migrants (AFAMIDEG), shared the story of the tireless search for her brother Jaime Jernot Miranda Orozco, led by her mother, Miriam Orozco.

Jaime, a bright young man who loved dancing, went missing in 2019 when he left with the intention of migrating to the United States. The last time his family heard from him was when he phoned a couple of times from the Mexican capital telling them that he was about to catch “The Beast”, the train that crosses Mexico.

Arlet Miranda, president of the Guatemalan Association of Relatives of Missing Migrants (AFAMIDEG), shared the story of the tireless search for her brother Jaime Jernot Miranda Orozco, led by her mother, Miriam Orozco.

Jaime, a bright young man who loved dancing, went missing in 2019 when he left with the intention of migrating to the United States. The last time his family heard from him was when he phoned a couple of times from the Mexican capital telling them that he was about to catch “The Beast”, the train that crosses Mexico.

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After Miriam’s death, Arlet continued the search for her brother, not only to find out what had happened to him, but also as a way of honouring her mother’s memory. “We [brothers and sisters] don’t want to feel as if we have stopped caring and just carried on with our lives … We all still think about him, what happened to him, why he never called again.”

Miriam also left a legacy of strength, unity and commitment to continue the search for other missing people. “She used to say [to me]: ‘You’ll do many things, and if you don’t find your brother, you’ll find others. There’s a purpose, and you’ll accomplish it, you’ll see,’” recalls Arlet.

43 years searching for answers: Feliciana Macario Tevalán

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Since 1981, Feliciana Macario Tevalán has been looking for her sister Josefina, who went missing during the internal armed conflict. Feliciana, who was somewhere between 10 and 12 years old when her sister disappeared, has devoted her life to seeking the truth about the fate and whereabouts of her sister.

When Feliciana started supporting the relatives of other missing people some 20 years ago, she stopped dreaming about her sister. “Before I became involved in efforts to protect the dignity of the missing, during my search … I used to dream about her; I dreamed that she came home, and the first thing I said to her was ‘we’ve been looking for you.’” Although she doesn’t dream about Josefina anymore, she has never stopped demanding answers about where she is and what happened to her.

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Although Feliciana knows that it’s unlikely she’ll see her sister again, it would be her greatest joy and she hasn’t lost hope. “We don’t know for certain what happened to my sister, and we can’t be sure she’s dead … If I could find even a fragment of bone or a piece of clothing belonging to her so I could be sure that it’s her and that that was her fate, it would end this uncertainty that consumes me.”

For Feliciana, memorials and events such as the kite-making workshop are essential, not only because they honour the memory of those they are searching for, but also because they spur efforts to establish the truth and prevent such things from happening again.

The burden of not knowing: Juana González León

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Juana González León has been searching for her brother, Carlos Manuel, for 13 years now. He went missing on the migration route heading for the United States, leaving a void in the family that weighs more heavily than words can describe.

It pains Juana greatly to see mothers and relatives dying without knowing the whereabouts of their loved ones, going to the grave without answers about where they are and what happened to them. “It upsets me and makes me very sad to see mothers die because of this; they fall ill, burdened by grief and worry day after day. There are fellow association members who have died from diabetes and cancer.”

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AFAMIDEG, the association of relatives of missing migrants that Juana belongs to, is a space for solidarity and support and also a reminder of what is owed to the families of missing people, who have to change their lives to search for answers. “I joined this organization without any training or knowledge about what was involved. I’m just a housewife and know nothing about it, but someone has to do something for the missing ... It’s something we do voluntarily, we demand answers and make sure no one forgets. It’s important to spark action, keep the flame alive and ensure the authorities carry on searching.”

Juana hasn’t lost hope. She dreams of being reunited with Carlos Manuel and being able to give his children the answers they need. “This is for his children, so that if one day, God willing, he is found alive, maybe in prison, he will be happy, knowing that his family are there for him.”

Juana adds that this fight is not just for Carlos Manuel but for all missing migrants who left in search of a better future.

Collective story of resilience

The experiences of Arlet, Feliciana and Juana are a story of strength and resilience in dealing with the absence of a loved one.

Their voices, interwoven into the brightly coloured fabric of the soaring kites, were a reminder that memory and truth are vital to healing the scars left by a disappearance. Collective memory not only enables families to honour the missing, but also to build hope for future generations and support each other to strengthen their search efforts. As those involved say, love is what drives their tireless quest, and they will not give up until they get the answers they need.

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The ICRC, a neutral, impartial and independent organization, works in Mexico and Central America to strengthen efforts to search for missing people, which includes supporting the families and providing technical assistance to the authorities involved in searching for missing people.