Shoot Ball, Not Gun

Shoot Ball, Not Gun, is the name and the message of this series. It is a documentary work carried out as part of the social project called "Uniendo Caminos" at the Chapel Our Lady of Luján, in Villa La Cárcova, José León Suarez, in the periphery of Buenos Aires, Argentina. This is one of the most dangerous slums in the country with two armed drug gangs fighting for control, leaving a death toll of dozens per month. Children shoot the ball within the four walls of the Chapel’s courtyard, but out there other shots reverberate. The children say that every night they hear fire shots; it has become part of their everyday lives. The foundation focuses its work in providing educational support and other tools through training courses and workshops. The chapel is overseen by Father Pepe, who is well known in the country for his social work in slums. I took these pictures in the context of a photographic classes that I taught to children there as a volunteer. While I was teaching them to a group how to “shoot” with the camera, others were playing football on the yard. The children who participated in these activities are between 6 to 11 years old and are, for the most part, involved in one of those two gangs, with parents, brothers and close friends imprisoned, killed, or somehow involved in drug trafficking networks. Activities at the center give them an alternative to keep away from a bleak future, which otherwise seems inescapable.