“4 Ríos” and Archival Narration
4 Ríos Digital Archive. http://4rios.co. Accessed 28 Sept. 2018.
Reviewed by Kaitlin Burns, University of Texas at Austin
The “4 Ríos” digital archive uses artful innovation to paint the indigenous and afro-descendant population of Colombia in the crossfire of armed conflict that has endured over more than forty years. This digital collection inspires the question “What is an archive?” as it reshapes notions on how information must be organized and presented. It provides an example of Zeb Tortorici’s concept of queering the archive, wherein the researcher must adopt unconventional methods to tell the story that is usually left out of history. A truly multi-media experience, “4 Ríos” compiles video, testimony, art, and online sources in the larger framework of an interactive, graphic novel. Visitors to the archive participate in their own education regarding how the lives of Colombian people were destroyed in the war between paramilitary and military forces, while witnessing information on the massacre at Alto de Naya in April 2001.
Elder Manuel Tobar, an Audiovisual Producer and Social Activist by trade, created and directed the “4 Ríos” information collective in 2013. The description of his extensive team of specialists and their roles reads like movie credits, since the execution of this archive required unique talents such as actors, set designers, and story board creators. The project received the Premio Crea Digital in 2013 in recognition of its narrative value and commitment to social and political responsibility, and was funded through awards and grants from IDARTES (Instituto Distrital de las Artes) and Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in 2012, as well as through the Colombian Ministry of Culture in 2011.
The stated goal of “4 Ríos” is to “propose other forms of approaching memory, to construct spaces of exchange and debate, to raise awareness about these facts, to not forget, to rescue that which, through the passing of time, is believed to be lost” (Proyecto, my translation). This is achieved by recounting experiences, facts, and the background and succession of events in recent history of armed conflict in Colombia - specifically the 2001 massacre on the river Naya.
On the opening webpage of “4 Ríos”, the user’s inital reaction is that of curious confusion, since the archive is not immediately recognizable as such. One might feel estranged by prior experiences with prototypical digital collections, library-like in their organization, as one attempts to master the interface and search for specific documentation. A visitor to “4 Ríos” transforms their experience when they agree to surrender instead, becoming a spectator as the narrative unfolds in graphic novel style, subject to the creators’ conceived succession of information flow. If my description seems beyond grasp, it is because one must participate in this interactive historical retelling to conceive of its form.
“4 Ríos” is not a researcher’s archive. It is an archive for the people. A participant is presented with a series of choices while exploring the collection - choices which determine which set of information will present itself. A click on the largest of circles (“4 Ríos: El Naya”) leads one to the digital graphic novel which benevolently contains a tutorial for the novice user. By arrowing forwards, sound, comic book-like art, and video clips chronologically narrate the events surrounding what came to pass that April 11 of 2001 in Naya. A meta-index below the narration provides documented information on details of the events with links to official documents online which are revealed as the participant progresses in the historical telling. The compilation is beautiful in its execution and harrowing in its narration. As the user surrenders to its innovative style, one is split both by awe at the compelling experience and by furious sadness at the murderous events.
A tap to the smaller circle at the left (“Flujo de Memorias”) brings one into a vibrant forum of expression, where a participant can leave thoughts for future viewers by drawing a picture, or leaving a written or recorded message. A swipe of the mouse reveals that the colorful dots flowing across the stream are the river of memories left by past users, and exploring these fragments grants another dimension to archival information. The site is further divided into the sections (“Plataformas y Expansiones”), (“4 Ríos” blog), (“Equipo”), (“¿Qué es 4 Ríos?”), and (“Reconocimientos”). Though the rabbit trail of links can be confusing at times, this archive is a terrible beauty which serves the scholar and the inquisitive learner at once. The visually stimulating experience can stop at that, or it can be further prodded by pursuing the more in-depth information whose content fuels the narration. All links and sources can be found throughout the interactive sequence, but the investigator might prefer to have these resources in one place, since the storyline is composed of fifty-two untitled frames. A search of this magnitude could turn somewhat nightmarish for the researcher who is trying earnestly to stumble upon a specific document or piece of information.
At moments, it is evident that the page could use an update, since some of the links have gone bad and a few slides of the novel appear blank. Additionally, the opening webpage would benefit from its own tutorial to quell the inital confusion felt by a visitor who is expecting to conduct an autonomous search for information. Finally, the site could be improved by including all breadcrumbs on the inital page, since one can easily get lost in the links upon links that lead to different locations.
All criticisms aside, the unique construction of the “4 Ríos” archive calls into question institutionalized norms regarding what an archive is and how it functions. Zeb Tortorici states, “queer archivalism, in the words of Elizabeth Freeman - allows us to explore the fraught (and anachronistic) relations between past and present, archive and the document, historian and witness, writer and written of, consumer and consumed” (2018, 15-16). The “4 Ríos” collection guides its participants through the narration of events, facilitating education on the massacre of the Naya while providing access to important documentation through online links and video testimony, and questioning beaurocratic institutions of control.