What better way to celebrate the holidays than by being controversial? A Christmas light display in Colombia has sparked some controversy after the decision was made to replicate a plane crash to provoke holiday cheer.
November 28 marked seven years since the plane crash of LaMia flight 2933 that was transporting 77 people, including the entire Chapecoense soccer team. The plane crashed on a hill in the municipality of La Unión (Oriente Antioquia), Colombia, leaving 71 people dead.
While the municipality has done many things to honor those who died in this accident, a decision made by the mayor’s office to create a replica of the crashed plane as a Christmas decoration has been the strangest yet.
“How particular and striking it was to see this representation of a crashed plane in the middle of the lighting of the municipality of La Unión, understanding the holiday as a festive and celebratory time.
“Are we perhaps celebrating a tragedy? Or do we have so little historical construction that we become attached to any somewhat relevant event and we exploit it to the maximum in everything we can?” one citizen wrote online about the decision.
So far, a statement has not been made by the Mayor’s Office about this choice. The lighting took place on November 25 and featured guest artists and singers to celebrate the holiday season.