Drinking beer together and getting to know a different perspective on the Colombian conflict: This is roughly how the idea can be described, with which ten former fighters of the Marxist FARC guerrilla want to make a contribution to the reconciliation of society.

An armed conflict between the guerrillas, the Colombian state and paramilitary groups has raged in Colombia for more than 50 years. There has been official peace since 2016 – but the situation in the South American country is still not really calm.

Shortly before the presidential elections at the end of May, in which Gustavo Petro, a left-wing candidate and former guerrilla fighter, could win for the first time, Colombian society is split between supporters of the peace process and conservative forces who are primarily concerned with the status quo – and you property – fear.

False reports about allegedly planned large-scale expropriations are doing the rounds, the neighboring country Venezuela – which has been in a serious economic and political crisis for years – serves as a warning example. At the same time, more and more social and environmental activists, including former FARC members, are being murdered. Paramilitary groups and drug gangs are increasingly filling the power gaps left by the guerrillas.

The house is reminiscent of many of the hipster bars in the neighborhood

Can a small beer project counteract this? Former guerrillas want to at least try. Her house is almost hidden in the center of the capital Bogotá. Only small signs are attached to the walls of the dark, historic brick building, a black metal fence shields the “Casa de la Paz”, the House of Peace, from the street.

“Anyone who comes here knows where they want to go,” says Doris Suárez Guzmán. The woman in her late fifties with the graying curls and red lipstick greets us at the door.

Inside is what is probably the smallest brewery in the capital, a bar, exhibition rooms, studios and co-working offices. The house is reminiscent of many of the hipster bars in the neighborhood.

Origami birds hang from the ceiling of the dark bar room, which come from an art campaign by victims of the conflict. The walls are covered with large-scale graffiti and posters with left-wing slogans. In the backyard there is a stage for concerts.

Suárez Gúzman was imprisoned for 14 years

The fact that the house is hidden from the outside is not least a security measure, explains Suárez Guzmán. Because even if the house is dedicated to peace, the society around it has not yet arrived at peace. Doris Suárez Guzmán herself is still struggling with this.

She joined the FARC in her early 20s, and was then an active fighter for the Marxist guerrillas for 15 years. Suárez Guzmán was then imprisoned for 14 years. She has been free for five years. In September 2016, then-Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and then-FARC guerrilla leader Rodrigo Londoño signed a peace treaty. Since then, the vast majority of former guerrilla fighters have tried to somehow settle into civilian life.

They can hardly hope for support from the state

In addition to start-up funding and a small monthly subsistence allowance, the approximately 13,000 former guerrilla fighters who laid down their arms in 2016 can hardly hope for support from the state.

Many have put their money into agriculture, while others have started tourism projects: for example, there is a FARC rafting team that offers tourist river trips, and several adventure camps are planned. Some of the former combatants went into politics, but a small proportion also returned to arms – citing constant threats and a lack of support from the government.

And the ten former FARC fighters in Bogotá threw their money together and bought the brewery. “I just love brewing beer, experimenting with new flavors and the craftsmanship behind it,” says Doris Suárez Gúzman.

“For us, the collective is above everything”

They were supported by the state university, which offered them beer brewing courses, and by various non-governmental organizations. This is how the beer brand “La Trocha” came about in a process lasting several years and almost exactly a year ago the Casa de la Paz.

The name “La Trocha”, the path, is an allusion to the path that still lies ahead of them – and at the same time a reference to their past, in which walking hidden paths was part of their everyday life.

“It’s difficult for normal Colombians to find work without an education,” says Suárez Guzmán. “It’s even more difficult for us: on the one hand because of the stigma that still sticks to us. But on the other hand also because of the lifestyle that we are used to.”

After decades in the ranks of the guerrillas, former fighters are finding it difficult to navigate the individualized, capitalist world. “For us, the collective is above everything, I am what I am because of the others,” says Doris Suárez Guzmán.

“La Trocha” also eludes capitalist logic: around 200 liters of beer are currently produced per week, which is only sold in the bar. The ten members do not want to sell more beer, the focus is on the house in everything.

The team now also works with other organizations, artists and, above all, with victim protection initiatives. “This is a place of reconciliation,” says Suárez Guzmán, waving a semicircle around himself. “People can come here and get to know our view of the internal conflict, our experiences.”

In the Casa de la Paz there are concerts, discussions, exhibitions and flea markets with – not only – products from other ex-FARC projects. “But above all, it’s about starting a conversation – and what better way than over a beer?” says Doris Suárez Guzmán and laughs.

California18