In 2010, in a popular neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, followers of the Colombian guerrilla Manuel Marulanda Vélez, aka Tirofijo, build a square and raised a statue honoring the leader of the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia-People's Army, FARC-EP, causing great distress among Colombians. This increased the tensions that have prevailed between the two countries since the decade of the 1960s. Tirofijo, who died in 2008, led the FARC-EP for more than 50 years, and under his command, the rebel group perpetrated 238 massacres, forced displacement, kidnappings, and bombings leaving rural Colombian populations in poverty and fear. His marksmanship made him famous and was the only guerrilla fighter to die at a ripe old age: 78. He came to be known for his cold-blooded, strategic planning, and resistance to the establishment. However, for some journalists and politicians, he was a revolutionary due to his opposition to the government and for proclaiming ideals of the Cuban Revolution in Colombia. In 2013, attempting to ease relations between Colombia and Venezuela, Leopoldo López, a progressive Venezuelan politician, declared that peace between the sister nations should be a priority and tore down the statue.
Drawing on newspapers, journals, videos, and oral histories this article explores the question: Who calls for (de)commemoration and using what arguments? Using this case study, I examine why for certain people Tirofijo's statue was a significant memory but for others an outrage. This example also contributes to the discussion about the relationship between remembering and forgetting, and the issue of memory property.
