Researchers are recording the stories of survivors of the Guatemalan(危地马拉的) civil war and genocide(种族灭绝).
Fighting in Guatemala started in 1960 and lasted more than 30 years. Tens of thousands of native Mayans were killed. The video collection will save the memories and descriptions of survivors. It is hoped that this will help prevent future genocides.
As a child, Jesus Tacu lived through tragedies most people hope they will never experience. The day his father was killed was just like any day, he says. “The dogs ran out to meet him...But that day, my father did not return.” Jesus Tacu is one of many survivors whose statements(陈述) are being recorded on video to document their experiences.
Their stories are being collected by partners in the project: The Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala and the California-based USC Shoah Foundation. Sandra Gruner-Domic works with the USC Shoah foundation. She says, “The military came in and separated the villages in groups and made one group kill the other. The children, they had to witness everything. Many of the survivors we have interviewed were kids at the time, and they described the pain of seeing their families killed.” Some 200,000 civilians(平民) were killed during Guatemala’s 36-year civil war, she adds. Most were Mayans, whose ancestors had lived in the area for centuries. The killings took place mainly in the early 1980s.
Sandra Gruner-Domic says the killings were carried out because the Guatemalan military was fighting different rebel(叛乱者) groups. Many Mayans wanted to replace the country’s rulers. At the time, the United States and Soviet Union were also competing for control of many areas.
The group has already collected 30 audio-visual statements from genocide survivors. It hopes to tape 100 by the end of the year.
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