Lo que prevalece

Abstract

What Prevails is a reflective narrative that explores the role of inherited memory in shaping personal and collective identity. Through a series of intimate, secondhand stories passed down from family members, the author reconstructs a version of history that defies official narratives. These recollections, though not personally experienced, are portrayed as essential components of the self—imprints that transcend time and resist forgetting. The work meditates on how memory, even when vague or imagined, becomes a vehicle for continuity, preserving what has been marginalized or erased by dominant media and historical discourse. Set against the backdrop of Colombia’s violent political history, the narrative brings to life figures like Augusto, Hermes, and Domingo, whose lives were marked by state repression, displacement, and loss. Through these characters, the author denounces collective trauma and systemic silence, while elevating memory as a form of resistance and truth-telling. The text becomes a poetic archive, where everyday details and sensory impressions evoke the weight of historical events. In doing so, Lo que prevalece affirms the enduring power of memory to bear witness, restore dignity, and offer alternative ways of remembering the past.