Photos and reporting by Seeger Gray, additional reporting by Shreya Srinivasan
A view of Bogotá, Colombia seen from Vía La Calera on March 21, 2024.
The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), a guerrilla group which fought with the Colombian government and other paramilitary groups for decades, disarmed after a 2016 peace deal.
Approximately 13,000 FARC members became "firmantes" by signing the peace deal, which aimed to support their transition away from combat. However, between 2017 and September 2024, over 400 firmantes have been killed according to Indepaz and many face difficulties finding work.
In Bogotá, some firmantes now fight for their future and their beliefs through entrepreneurship.
Firmante Manuel Bolívar rides in the passenger's seat of his car while his bodyguard drives in Bogotá, Colombia on March 18, 2024. Bolívar said he has a bodyguard because more than 400 firmantes have been killed since the 2016 peace deal, according to Indepaz.
A photo of Manuel Bolívar from 2015, taken during his time in the FARC before the 2017 peace deal, seen on a wall with other photos at Casa Alternativa in Bogotá, Colombia on March 18, 2024. Casa Alternativa is a cultural house where Bolívar and other firmantes work, offering food, drinks and a social space.
Rubén Dario Jaramillo Cardona, a firmante and brewer of Cerveza La Roja, poses for a portrait with some of the firmante-run beer brand's products in the Barrios Unidos neighborhood of Bogotá, Colombia on March 18, 2024.
Sebastian Paz, a firmante and brewer at La Casa de la Paz, pours beer from the bar's tap in Bogotá, Colombia on March 22, 2024. Paz brews the cultural house's "La Trocha" (the path) beer brand, and hopes to teach brewing to others as he continues honing his craft.
Yohana Isairias poses for a portrait with a shirt made by Manifiesta, which she helps distribute at La Casa de la Paz in Bogotá, Colombia on March 22, 2024. "Siempre Fashion, Nunca Facha" (always fashion, never fascist) is a slogan on many of the firmante-led fashion brand's products.
Doris Suárez, a firmante and founder of La Casa de la Paz, poses for a portrait in the house's courtyard in Bogotá, Colombia on March 22, 2024. Suárez was in the FARC for 29 years, 14 of which she spent in prison.
The exterior of La Casa de la Paz in Bogotá, Colombia on March 22, 2024. At the cultural house, members of the public can meet firmantes, purchase craft beer and attend a variety of events.
A stitched butterfly hangs from the ceiling of La Casa de la Paz in Bogotá, Colombia on March 22, 2024. Each butterfly is labeled with the name of one of the over 400 firmantes who have been assassinated since the 2016 peace deal according to Indepaz.
