In many slums in Guatemala � one of the most violent countries in the world � ordinary citizens form vigilante groups to try to ensure community safety against the proliferation of cartel-related violence. Hiding their identities for fear of reprisal, they patrol the streets, armed, taking the law into their own hands.
�Photojournalism allows me to get close to events on the ground, so that I may better understand them as they unfold,� says award-winning photojournalist Daniele Volpe, who left his birthplace of Priverno, a small town in Latina, south of Rome, and made his home in Guatemala. �This kind of intimacy allows me to share my reportage and maybe draw the viewers in, making them feel closer to the subjects.�
Volpe, now 34, started his career as a news photographer but soon felt unfulfilled. �There�s often little continuity in covering news, because news itself doesn�t always allow for follow-ups,� he explains. �As a natural consequence, I felt drawn to reportage, which allows for a more thoughtful approach to image-making, enabling me to tell a story, to create a narrative.�
Guatemala is one of three countries in the Northern Triangle buckling from the strain of the gang-related activity that permeates every aspect of society. It has long been besieged by criminality, much of it attributed to two prominent gangs � Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, and Barrio 18 � that, like locusts, have decimated many aspects of Guatemalan society.
Law enforcement � overwhelmed by the scale of violence and too often complicit in criminal activity � has struggled to cope, giving rise to clusters of �Guardianes del Vecindario�, or guardians of the neighbourhood, community-based volunteers that patrol the streets, themselves armed with crude, makeshift weapons and guns.
�There�s no denying it�s difficult to live here � Guatemala has one of the highest rates of violence in the world. But there are two Guatemalas: the urban one, fraught with chaos and criminality � the one everyone reads about; and the hidden one � where the Maya live � a community that suffers exclusion and racism. They are a beautiful people, and it�s simply impossible not to fall in love with them.�
Volpe�s�Patrulleros reflects the mood of a nation desperate for change. The series is ongoing and he continues to document the ever-changing defence strategies of Guatemalan society to gang violence. In different districts around Guatemala City, especially in the more dangerous neighbourhoods, vigilantes�patrol the streets, public buses and communal areas, trying to limit the criminal behaviour of organised gangs, wearing balaclavas to conceal their identities from reprisal.
�Much of the criminality has direct links to drugs cartels � local maras who fight for control of a particular neighbourhood, where they can extort money from shopkeepers and residents, or run their own illicit businesses. In some of the most troubled regions, mob justice often steps in for a weak judicial system. News of criminals being beaten, lynched by mobs, and even�set alight often make the headlines � killed openly as�the community looks on.�
These vigilante groups are committed, believing that if they band together, their local community can isolate itself from the violence that plagues the country at large. �But many have been accused of killing innocent people and perpetrating acts of violence themselves. Still, others feel safer knowing that justice lies within their own hands.�
Approaching these vigilantes was quite a challenge; gaining their trust even more so. �It was hard to get access to these situations at first. They had to believe in what I was doing; they had to trust me before they allowed me to accompany them on patrols and photograph them. On my first day, just before we went out on patrol, I heard two gunshots. I felt terrified and asked what was happening. The patrullero said they were shots fired in the air and that I needn�t worry. I realised instantly that I didn�t know the rules of the game, and that I too had to put my faith in them and trust in where they were taking me.�
Volpe plans to remain in Guatemala where, beyond the reign of terror and the deep wounds it�s left behind, there lies a nation begging for change. �The rise of these vigilante groups is so unique to certain neighbourhoods that I think it�s worth exploring further. There is so much still to do, so much I�d like to document. I�d like to some day explore Mexico and Central America, and I think my experiences here have given me an excellent grounding.�
� Daniele Volpe�was recently awarded 2nd Prize,�Photographer of the Year in Latin America 2015,�3th Prize in the�News Series�category and Honorable Mention in�News Single�category at�POY Latam�2015. For more of his work, visit his website.
Volpe�s�series,�Guatemala � Ixil Genocide, is now available as a book titled CHUKEL, published bilingually in English and Spanish, priced $40, plus shipping.�To order�CHUKEL, contact�[email protected]
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Started out doing photography at the age of 6 using an uncle's old 1940 kodak brownie box camera. At 15 years of age, I decided to buy my very own 1975 Praktica SLR camera. I now shoot with a Nikon D850. I do unpaid TFP and commercial paid work.