This celebration was gradually resumed thanks to the work of the community, with the support of the Victims Unit, after having been overshadowed by the armed conflict.

With religious activities, traditional games, sales of typical foods and sports competitions the corregimiento of Havana, in Buga, celebrated its patron saint festivities of the Virgen de las Mercedes, which had its final day yesterday. This subject of collective reparation, which brings together eight villages in the region affected by the armed conflict, has carried out intensive community work in the company of the Victims' Unit, to recover this tradition.

"After the massacre that our territory lived in 2001, in which the lives of 24 of our inhabitants were lost, the festivities were limited to religious moments. The recovery of confidence and tranquility to come together again around a celebration has been a gradual process and a lot of dedication, "said Sandra Viviana Ospina, leader of this region.

The programming of the festivities, which was held throughout the week, also included youth integrations, a meeting of couples, a danceable bingo and a collection of cleaning implements for inmates of the Palmira prison.

Jorge Vásquez, director (e) of the Unit for Victims in the territorial Valle del Cauca, highlighted the process that has generally taken place in this subject of collective reparation, where little by little the bonds of friendship have been reconstructed, as well as the production and marketing structures of their products.