Introduction
The Salvadoran war caused people a lot of pain and suffering. People lost their loved ones and also watched inhuman acts. Rufina Amaya was the solitary survivor of the massacre of El Mozote. El Movote was the name of the village they lived in where she lost her husband as well as 4 children during the El Mozote massacre. But she was not afraid and was filled with gratitude. “God saved me because he needed someone to tell the story of what happened,” she said. After justice failed to prevail and their voices went unheard, the survivors went back to El Mozote and painted walls to express themselves. This paper will discuss the significance of these murals to them, the effect it has on them and how it is of help to them.
In one of the murals a rainbow runs across the left side. A rainbow is biblical. It symbolizes a covenant between God and humans to protect them against floods. The broken pieces in the mosaic represent the broken lives which when put together can be complete once more. The Tiles at the bottom of the church represent the lost lives of children. They are believed to be more than 460.
Now only a little bit of the walls remain. The rest is covered in flowers, stone benches, a tropical terrain and grass. People have carried the stones and other items from the mural because of how it made them feel. One ex-soldier carried the remains of skulks. He associated them with good luck. He also found them better candle holders.
After the garden had ben landscaped, people were invited to plant flowers for the children who had lost their lives and a plaque put up with their names for each child, (Leigh 228). When the sole survivor of the massacre Rufina Amaya died and Hernandez the founder of the mural, their photos were put in the garden. They were accompanied by a story on their contribution.
After this garden was set up, more attention was made to the El Mozote massacre. It was sang about in events organized in memory of the massacre. The church paid more attention on the immorality of leaders in carrying out justice. People who were non-believers had more faith in the bible.
In conclusion, the mural and the garden helped bring light to the injustice that had been earlier on been dismissed. The murals helped the people remember that they still had the memories of what they had lost. Due to this project, people became more welcoming to the bible. More leaders also came out to rebuke injustice and inhumane acts. The mural brought people hope.
Works Cited
Leigh, Binford. El mozote massacre : human rights and global implications. 2016: Univ Of Arizona Press, n.d.
