A Mobile Mural: The Solution Nobody Knew We Needed
In a turn of events that only the most creative bureaucracy could conceive, the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) of Morelos has decided to open its doors. Not to present conclusive results in locating people, of course, but to unveil their latest brand-new acquisition: a mobile mural. Yes, you read that right. The institutional response to the anguish of dozens of families is, apparently, a panel with wheels to stick photos on. Because nothing says “we’re doing everything we can” like a scrollable vertical surface.
The event, which mixes artistic performance with citizen desperation, included the participation of the Buscadoras del Sur de Morelos Collective. These groups, made up of authentic heroes who do the work that the State cannot (or does not want) to do, peacefully entered the sacred precincts of Morelos justice. The occasion? Commemorate the International Day of Victims of Forced Disappearances, a date that, ironically, should be every day in a country where people disappear as if by magic… but bad.
The Layout: A Resource as Mobile as the Mural
The coordinator of the group, Jael Jacobo Lugo, seemed… surprised? Hopeful? Maybe just perplexed. He pointed out that it was the first time that the Prosecutor’s Office opened its doors to listen to the demands of the relatives. One wonders what they used to do in those buildings, play chess? Organize seminars on how to avoid listening to citizens? The FGE staff, in a show of support that could well win an Oscar for best documentary short film, expressed the total disposition of the Attorney General, Edgar Maldonado. His commitment to keep working is as moving as it is vague. Working on what? In the logistics of moving the mural from one place to another? Getting more tape for the chips?
The scene is so rich in contradictions that it hurts. On the one hand, the rawness of the photos of missing loved ones. On the other, the solemnity of an official proudly announcing a cork board with wheels as if it were the discovery of the century. It’s the government equivalent of putting a Band-Aid on an arterial bleed and expecting the patient to thank you for your efficiency. There is talk of “complying with the agreements generated with the groups.” One imagines those meeting minutes: “Agreement 1: Install mobile mural. Agreement 2: … (pending).”
The real rhetorical question here is: will this mural come with an instruction manual on how to find people, or just instructions for displaying it? Because a monument to incompetence is of no use if it is not easy to transport. The subliminal message is great: justice is mobile, it moves, it does not take root, it does not compromise. It can be moved from one office to another easily, just like the promises of officials.
In the end, the real work, that of digging into graves, that of following clues, that of putting pressure on those responsible, continues to fall to the groups. The Prosecutor’s Office, meanwhile, contributes its grain of sand with… office furniture. It is a perfect metaphor for the symbiosis between civil society and the State: some look for bodies; the other offers surfaces to place notices.
Will this gesture help? Probably not. But hey, at least the photos will be well organized and in a place accessible to the press. Priorities.
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