CEMENTERIO CENTRAL
Andrés Meléndez | Colombia, France 2008 | 34 Min. | OmeU
Bogota, Monday. The day of the “souls“ at the central cemetery. The inhabitants of the city come to pray for the souls of their loved ones but also to entrust all souls with their sorrow. There is Salomé, the protector of the poor and miserable, Sigmund Léopold Kopp, who gives his ear to everyone who looks for work und of course all those nameless souls whose wonders are known by everyone. The central cemetery was built in the 19thcentury and is the historic cemetery in Bogota. Around 1940 it was run down, the same is true for the city center. But it was reoccupied by migrants from the countryside, who were looking for work in the capital.
From this point on the holy and the regular crossed paths. One can meet men, women and children: with their gestures and stories they share somewhat their lives, their hopes, their dreams and of course also their connection with the “souls of the purgatory” in their everyday life. In the city center, where violence and agony take place on a daily basis the souls of the central cemetery bring comfort to the living.
