Reasons for Organizing
Margarita shares her views on the inequality, poverty, and exclusion that led rural Salvadorans to organize.
Addressing human rights in the wake of human tragedy
The Unfinished Sentences Testimony Archive is composed of oral histories shared by 48 people who were residents of the community of Arcatao, in the department of Chalatenango, El Salvador, during the period of the Salvadoran civil war. More than 170 interview excerpts tell the story of the civil war from the perspective of people who experienced it first-hand. The testimonies are organized into thematic “Chapters” that focus on different aspects of the conflict in roughly chronological order.
Due to the nature of the experiences discussed in the testimonies, users may find the contents of the archive disturbing: topics include rape, torture, death, and severe hardship. On the other hand, the archive also features narratives of resilience, survival, and mutual assistance in triumphing over adversity.
Margarita shares her views on the inequality, poverty, and exclusion that led rural Salvadorans to organize.
Evangelina remembers her childhood days of fishing on the Lempa River.
Adán remembers the financial hardship experienced by his family when he was a child and which kept him from attending school.
Explore all videos in Chapter 1: Pre-war & The Origins of the War
Nelson describes the burial of women killed at the El Rincón massacre and explains why after 1980 the civilian population and guerrilla stopped burying their dead.
Otilia remembers soldiers storming in during a religious ceremony and killing her brother.
Víctor remembers a few iconic moments of his political involvement prior to the armed conflict: the 1975 student massacre, his participation in the UTC, and his experience of detainment and torture by the National Guard in 1976.
Explore all videos in Chapter 2: Rural Organizing & Repression
Rosa describes how the “May Guinda” of 1982 was the hardest guinda of all, and how during those 27 days her brother and other relatives died.
Santiago describes cooperation between Honduran, Guatemalan, and Salvadoran military forces.
Celestino describes the symptoms of trauma faced during the war.
Explore all videos in Chapter 3: The Years of "Guindas"
Virginia describes life at the Mesa Grande refugee camp in Honduras, and her challenging trip back to Arcatao.
Evangelina describes living conditions in the Mesa Grande refugee camp in Honduras.
Berta explains her decision not to go to Honduras as a refugee, and the difficulties of living alone in El Salvador during wartime.
Explore all videos in Chapter 4: Refugee Experiences
Margarita describes her work as a nurse in the Rama Caida camp.
Edwin describes his role in transporting weapons for the guerrilla to and from Honduras and his arrest.
Edwin gives detailed testimony of his arrest and interrogation in Honduras.
Explore all videos in Chapter 5: Guerrilla Experiences
Obdulio describes the war left Arcatao without priests, and community-trained teachers (called “popular teachers”) began to emerge around 1987.
Lucía relates the challenges experienced as she and her family made the trip back home to San Antonio Los Ranchos after being refugees in Honduras.
Aníbal describes his trips to the United States to recieve medical care for his injured hands.
Explore all videos in Chapter 6: Resettlement & the "Desembarco"
Santiago points out the importance of historical memory as a valuable legacy for future generations.
Reflecting on the Peace Accords, Evangelina sees connections between the violence of yesterday and today.
Esperanza analyzes the changes she saw in El Salvador following the Peace Accords.
Explore all videos in Chapter 7: Peace Accords & Post-War
Herlindo explains that his father died during the war and that, decades later, he returned from his life in Sweden to exhume his father’s remains.
Dionisa demands justice and accountability for those who committed crimes.
Berta relates how her youngest son died and describes her wish for his prompt exhumation.
Explore all videos in Chapter 8: The Struggle for Justice