Monjas, Jalapa

In January 2011, Art for Global Justice coordinated its second Meet Me Here project in Monjas, Guatemala, a small town in the southeastern lowlands of the Jalapa province.

Partnered with a local organization, team members worked closely with 10 creative teenagers, leading workshops that focused on the theme, "Entre caos y paz," or “Between Chaos and Peace.” Analyzing images taken by mass media communications, the youth discussed how Guatemala has
been portrayed over the years in media networks and how their realities related or compared to those portrayals. After learning the technicalities of photographing, the youth set out to document the nuances and truths of their personal lives, the lives of the Guatemalan people. By photographing and juxtaposing moments of abruptness and tranquility, the youth reflected on Guatemala’s long history of internal war and a people’s efforts to achieve peace by continuing to live their lives to the fullest with family and friends, taking in the beauty that is sometimes ignored through mass media attention to
crime.

Becoming protagonists of their nation’s history by voicing their stories in their photographs, the youth offer new meaning to peace, capturing raw images of poverty, hope, love, joy, friendship, and family. Through their eyes we are able to see a glimpse of the Guatemalan reality.