Aldo Paternostro Editor BFE

Nashira is a matriarchal village in Colombia set up in 2003 to provide free housing for vulnerable women. The community houses over 80 families, including men and boys, with women as the legal heads of the household. Only women can apply to live there, the community board is made up exclusively of women, and women make the key decisions in Nashira. This is a bold and unique experiment in a country ruled by a tradition of machismo, where domestic violence and femicide are a deep rooted problem.

Vice visits Nashira in the run up to a referendum where Colombians were asked to vote "Yes" or "No" to ratify the ongoing peace talks. The question split the county in two, with an intensity felt poignantly in Nashira, where many of the women have been directly affected by the war.