The far-right government in Colombia removed more than 30 works from the permanent displays of the Museo Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá, citing “political indoctrination.” The works removed included dozens of objects related to LGBTQ rights and feminism. The decision led to protests outside the museum, drawing hundreds. Six other Colombian institutions issued a joint statement calling for the measure to be reconsidered.
The items removed from the galleries “Hacer sociedad” (Building Society) and “Memoria y Nación” (Memory and Nation) include campaign posters for the presidential candidates Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa and Carlos Pizarro, who were both assassinated in 1990, and a poster for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
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This move follows President Abelardo de la Espriella’s announcement that he plans to rename the Ministerio de las Culturas, las Artes y los Saberes (Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Knowledge) as the Ministerio de Cultura y Patrimonio (Ministry of Culture and Heritage). In a post on X, Culture Minister Paola Holguín defended the decision, saying that the museum’s role “is not to serve as an instrument of political indoctrination or a platform for spreading biased versions of our history.”
The joint statement from the six Colombian museums expressed “deep concern” over the decision and called for the protection of institutional autonomy. “No government should decide which parts of our history we can see based on its political preferences, or impose one version that suppresses all others,” the museums said in the statement.
The protest, which happened this past weekend, brought hundreds of people to the Museo Nacional. Some protesters held signs with photos of the works that had been taken down. Other signs said “Museo Nazional” (in reference to Nazism) and “La memoria no se borra” (Memory cannot be erased). Riot police dispersed protesters using tear gas, stun grenades, and water cannons.