Conversas on the territory: participatory video and intergenerational dialogue in Buenaventura and Caldono, Colombia

Afro-descendant and indigenous communities in the Pacific region of south-west Colombia have rich ancestral oral traditions that have long been central to the design and development of their collective life projects. However, these have been disrupted by both conflict and insecurity in the region and internal community dynamics, including feelings amongst young people that they are often unheard by an older generation of leaders, affecting intergenerational collaboration that has been central to communities’ efforts at self-protection. This article examines the potential of Participatory Video (PV) to be a catalyst for intergenerational dialogue in this complex context. Focussing on traditional forms of intra-community dialogue, ‘conversas’, in Buenaventura (a majority Afro-Colombian city) and Caldono (a majority indigenous rural region), we identify three mechanisms through which PV created spaces for more inclusive conversas on the territory through: i) helping to reconnect young people with their communities and territories; ii) helping create structured moments of listening in which elders’ narratives and youth perspectives were brought into conversation; and iii) functioning as a method for the co-production of actionable knowledge across generations. As well as contributing to ongoing discussions about how intergenerational dialogue can be promoted, the findings also shed important light on the value of PV as a tool of social change and intergenerational collaboration, foregrounding PV as a process that, when adopted by the community, operates as a catalyst for dialogical relationships, rather than merely as an output-oriented practice focussed on representing the views of the community to outsiders.