Searching for Peace and Justice in Guatemala

Searching for Peace and Justice in Guatemala

David Gonzalez, New York Times

15 April 2015

 

Guatemala’s 36-year civil war may have ended in 1996, but peace – of mind or community – has been elusive. Impunity reigns, allowing organized crime and drug traffickers to operate their deadly enterprises without interference. Street gangs that started in Los Angeles can even be found in dusty villages that have few paved streets, making life unbearable for law-abiding residents. And the nation’s many indigenous groups – who were promised much under the ambitious accords that ended the war – find themselves under siege from forces that want their land.

The war no longer rages, but conflicts persist. That realization led James Rodriguez, a Mexican-American photographer living in Guatemala, to document the continuing search for justice in a country whose people find peace by leaving the country by any means necessary.

“People talk about violence and gangs, but nobody connects it to the war, which they should,” he said. “People think the war ended. But the effects of the war are so current. To me, that has been a massive push factor in the whole immigration issue.”

Mr. Rodriguez has been photographing exhumation of mass graves where victims of what the international community would declare to be war crimes were buried. He has also been tracking how indigenous communities have been resisting the takeover of their lands by outside interests, from mining companies to agribusinesses. Both themes echo perhaps the greatest issue that dominates life in Guatemala: the search for justice in a country that has endured great violence at the hands of the military and its allies.

Mr. Rodriguez arrived in Guatemala somewhat by accident in 2004. He had been working in Japan for a nongovernmental organization when an acquaintance mentioned Peace Brigades International, a group that helps people in besieged communities confront the government to demand their rights. Like similar groups, it does this by accompanying people, from standing alongside them at marches and demonstrations to writing letters to officials. The point is to let people know they are not alone.

In Guatemala, attention from outside has been sparse since the end of the war in 1996. The country’s own news media – apart from a few outlets – was seen as controlled by people with ties to groups with political and economic interests best left undisturbed. And the international news media had become focused on Iraq and Afghanistan and had lost interest.

That’s why soon after Mr. Rodriguez arrived, he started a photo blog, at first documenting the work of various organizations involved with grass-roots campaigns.

“There were a lot of interesting processes going on here,” he said. “But nothing was getting out.”

His own interest in photography was a relatively recent phenomenon. He started out taking pictures on his trips about 15 years ago, segueing into documenting projects when he took a job with an NGO in Japan, where he had moved after graduating from college.

Yet his own experiences – being born in California, raised in a middle-class home in Mexico, then returning to a decidedly less affluent home in California – shaped him as a photographer.

“As a middle-class child in Mexico City, I quickly became aware of social inequalities,” Mr. Rodriguez said. “I needed to understand and was not getting many answers. My father had stacks of National Geographic and Time mags. I devoured the images seeking clues as to what was going on in the world. So I was very interested in photography as a method of communication from a very young age.”

Living in Guatemala, he learned from established photographers, like his neighbor Rodrigo Abd, as well as friends of his like John Moore and Victor Blue. He learned to dig deep when covering a story, as well as pacing himself to make sure he didn’t take on too much at once. He also learned from the work of people like Jean-Marie Simon, whose work from the 1980s offers a rare look at a country besieged from within.

Guatemala offers a lot to document, beyond the natural beauty and cultural vibrancy, for someone interested in how peace is consolidated – or not – after a conflict. The search for justice against those who committed atrocities has been difficult: Years before he was indicted on charges of genocide, the former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt enjoyed immunity as president of the country’s legislature. He was found guilty of war crimes, but his conviction was overturned, and he is facing trial yet again.

Which is why Mr. Rodriguez is impressed by the many people who keep hoping to find the remains of loved ones who disappeared decades ago, as well as those who resist being pushed off their land. Often, those who complain or pose a threat to the status quo are silenced, either through violence or legal action on trumped-up charges.

“I am just amazed by the persistence and courage of the people,” he said. “An exhumation can end at a reburial, or it can lead to the first exhibit in a criminal investigation. Many of the material actors in small towns are afraid of what will be found, because they know where that can go.”

Featured Image: Community members heading to a cemetery to bury the remains of war victims exhumed from mass graves in 2009. The victims were killed by Guatemalan military forces on March 29, 1982, during the de facto government of Gen. Efrain Rios Montt. Copyright: James Rodriguez/New York Times


Follow us:
Facebooktwittergoogle_plusyoutubemailby feather
Share this:
Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather