The “Union de Costureros” and “Asomujer y Trabajo” (Unio are citizen initiatives aligned with the understanding of the fabric from the Global TapestryThe weaving of networks of Alternatives of AlternativesAre activities and initiatives, concepts, worldviews, or action proposals by collectives, groups, organizations, communities, or social movements challenging and replacing the dominant system that perpetuates inequality, exploitation, and unsustainabiity. In the GTA we focus primarily on what we call "radical or transformative alternatives", which we define as initiatives that are attempting to break with the dominant system and take paths towards direct and radical forms of political and economic democracy, localised self-reliance, social justice and equity, cultural and knowledge diversity, and ecological resilience. Their locus is neither the State nor the capitalist economy. They are advancing in the process of dismantling most forms of hierarchies, assuming the principles of sufficiency, autonomy, non-violence, justice and equality, solidarity, and the caring of life and the Earth. They do this in an integral way, not limited to a single aspect of life. Although such initiatives may have some kind of link with capitalist markets and the State, they prioritize their autonomy to avoid significant dependency on them and tend to reduce, as much as possible, any relationship with them., that is to say; they are networks that facilitate processes and access to local knowledge. These initiatives also understand weaving as a way of engaging with ideas, facilitating collaboration and initiating processes of co-writing, learning and dialogue. Both processes seek to be part of a broader network of solidarity and strategic alliances, such as the one proposed by the GTAGlobal Tapestry of Alternatives to create alternatives to capitalism and dominant regimes that for decades have created social inequality and environmental destruction.

“Asomujer y trabajo” is a process created by Colombian women, Afro-descendants, “mothers head of household”, victims of the armed conflict and violence against women. They work from gastronomy and handicrafts as networks and ways to support solidarity and local economies. It is also a platform for socialization of individual and collective memories that was born during the pandemic and that markets products made by ex-combatants, military personnel wounded in combat and victims of the armed conflict.

The “Union de Costureros” (Union of Seamstresses) is a collective created in 2012 by a group of victims of the armed conflict who found in the Center for Memory, Peace and Reconciliation a place to work on sewing, weaving and embroidery practices made works of art that represent memories of war, but also longing for peace.

Figure 1: Poster of the first cassette of 2024.

Virgelina Chará is the leader and organizer of these two initiatives that now have the support of various sectors of the citizenry, including students, renowned academics, other community leaders, victims of the armed conflict, among others.

Virgelina and I have been friends since 2017, and I have supported and participated in several events organized by her and various members of her collectives. From Canada, in Montreal, the city where I live now, also a group of organizations, among them AGAPE for Colombia, have been part of their sewing marathons, or as they call them “Cosetones”, an initiative of national and international citizen participation where different people and organizations around the world gather to sew for 72 hours for memory, peace, truth and the right to life in Colombia (see Figure 1).

In the year 2022, some citizens accompany the citizen action of the tucking of the Ombudsman's Office with these fabrics embodied memories of war and peace.

Videos recorded by Deissy Perilla

About the authors

Deissy Perilla is a Colombian anthropologist, she holds a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). She has worked as a Research Assistant and Project Coordinator within the Leadership for the Ecozoic project at McGill University in Canada and is currently a collaborator for the Ecozoic Policy Project. She has a background in theories of social movements and peacebuilding strategies in Colombia.

Virgelina Chará is the leader and organizer of the “Unión de Costureros” and “Asomujer y Trabajo” initiatives.