Introduction
A companion project, Granito: Every Memory Matters (GMEM) (www.granitomem.com) has been created as an intergenerational, interactive public archive of memories intended to expose further the history of the Guatemalan genocide. GMEM aims to harness the power of storytelling and create an exchange that awakens and restores the collective memory of Guatemala's recent past, which claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people, 45,000 of whom were "disappeared."
Anyone with a memory or story to share can contribute using simple media tools. These memories, when brought together, will form a collective narrative that will combat el olvido -- the purposeful forgetting that bolsters a culture of impunity -- and inspires a more hopeful future. Says Yates, "We hope to begin a conversation across the generations to take away the fear of talking about the genocide."
People from around the world are sharing their own memories related to Guatemala in the form of videos, art, music, photographs, and audio recordings. Do you have a memory to share? »
Filmmaker Pamela Yates takes you behind the development of the original "Granito: Every Memory Matters" outreach project.
GMEM is a project of Skylight Pictures, developed at the BAVC Producers Institute with funding from ITVS, Ford Foundation, The Bertha Foundation, Latino Public Broadcasting and the Open Society Foundations.