Hector Aristizábal

Hector Aristizábal (b. Medellín, 1960) has had a distinguished career as director, actor, playwright, and psychologist. He has lived in exile in the U.S. since 1989 where he serves on the board of the Program for Torture Victims and brings theater skills to his psychotherapeutic work with those who, like himself, are survivors of torture. As a therapist, he has provided services to prisoners, AIDS patients and their families, emotionally disturbed youth, and low-income immigrant communities. He co-founded the Colombia Peace Project, Theater of the Oppressed and leads TO workshops, based on the ideas and techniques of Brazilian theater artist and activist Augusto Boal and aimed at using theater to encourage creative solutions to address injustice. He has performed on stage and screen and his most recent solo work has been featured in more than 30 countries in theatrical venues, festivals, and human rights conferences around the world. He is creative director of the nonprofit organization, ImaginAction, which trains others in the techniques he has developed, aimed at community healing, community building and reconciliation.