Soap opera about far-right paramilitary brothers opens wounds, raises protests in Colombia

BOGOTA – A television soap opera is stirring unprecedented controversy in Colombia by dramatizing the career of three brothers who were central figures in the creation of the country’s murderous far-right militias.

While founded to fight leftist guerrillas, their United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia evolved into criminal gangs, enriched by drug trafficking, that killed thousands and stole land from tens of thousands more, colluding with scores of prominent politicians.

A grassroots campaign against the show called “Three Cains” has raised questions about a whole genre of Colombian TV series that focuses on the country’s top drug traffickers. Some say such shows glorify killers while minimizing victims.