"Unreported World presents a shocking exposé of how areas of Guatemala City have degenerated into violent lawlessness in a three-way battle between gangs, vigilante groups and the security forces, and where disappearances, torture and bloody death have become a daily occurrence. Reporter Ramita Navai and director Sam Farmar visit a world of unimaginable lawlessness." [see more]
We were contacted by researchers for this programme over a year ago. It's great to see that the programme is going to be broadcast. Let's hope though, it's balanced and shows the incredible of work of those fighting for justice in Guatemala, and goes beyond solely recounting the countless examples of impunity and injustice. It's got to be said that from the way it's being trailed- I'm not overly hopeful.
UPDATE: Well, having seen it I wasn't surprised- but I was bitterly disappointed. Not wanting to flatter a piece of television with the description of 'documentary' this was surely little more than shocking images of a 'foreign' land, wrapped up with a sensationalist narrative in which the 'reporter' was the central character.
Exposing the violent and unjust reality that many Guatemalans live with is of course a totally valid subject for press coverage, and worthy of much more attention than it currently gets from outside media. But parachuting in (it seemed that Ramita Navia, Unreported's reporter was in Guatemala for a matter of days) and parachuting out is not the ideal way of information gathering on a complex issue.
Of many criticisms that could be leveled at this programme, I guess my biggest is that it completely ignored, failed to cover or was just not interested in the work of the many Guatemalans fighting for justice in peaceful dignified ways (just look at this blog for examples).
What this type of television does at a stroke, is rip out the dignity of a whole country, by branding an unknown land with ugly, violent and seeming unredeeming awfulness. If you could assume the UK had a fairly rounded idea of Guatemala, then such extreme angled journalism would matter less. But the reality is that average understanding of life and the battle for justice is low in the UK. For this reason, there is a responsibility upon the reporter, attracted to the shock and awe aspects of this kind of story that dehumanises Guatemala, to equally tease out the 'force for good' that in effect puts Guatemala's humanity back in the picture.
It's disappointing that a series specialising in reporting the unreported- is so woefully lacking in any awareness of this weighty responsibility. The ultimate result is that the world continues to go as unreported as ever.
-You can read a written version of Ramita Navia's report (03-11-2006) in The Times here.
-You can see another of Unreported World's documentaries looking at gang violence in Brazil in a very similar vein here.
-And you can go to Channel 4 Radio and hear Ramita Navia's report on for Unreported World as a podcast (if you can be bothered to go through Channel 4's painful registration process- why don't they just make the RSS openly available like everyone else?)
