ABSTRACT
This chapter describes and analyses an effort by ex-insurgents to put into practice an autonomous collective project beyond the State. It is frequently assumed by policy makers and politicians that, in peace processes involving leftist movements, only a small number of ex-insurgents will eventually be involved in politics through participation in democratic elections within the concrete spaces given by the state apparatus. A timeline showing key different moments from the signature of the peace agreement until December 2019. An aerial picture showing the three neighborhoods, the collective plot to grow food, the collective fishing ponds and the community house. While building the houses, each family also prepared their agricultural plot, in most cases clearing virgin forest. Awakening also entails moving out of the comfort zone, which in this case involves breaking informal norms and defying government expectations. The awakening of ex-insurgents determines their aspirations.
