GUILLERMO GUTIERREZ

Photographer

The Wall of Shame

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Location: Spain, Madrid

Nationality: Peruvian/Spanish

Biography: Freelance photographer with a decade of professional experience, currently based in Madrid, Spain. I specialize in documentary photography and photojournalism. My previous background as an architect has significantly enriched my ability to... MORE

The wall of shame which divide... exists nowadays in our world.

The wall of shame which divides the human settlements of San Juan de Miraflores from one of the most luxurious sectors of the city, Las Casuarinas (Surco), in Lima-Peru, has become one of the visible walls that still exists nowadays in our world.

A little girl outside her hous... `The wall of shame´

A little girl outside her house that is stuck to the wall most know as `The wall of shame´

Houses on the poor side of the...ater and electricity services.

Houses on the poor side of the wall. Most of the houses are built with wooden planks. They usually consist of only one room and do not have basic water and electricity services.

A young boy  outside ...og that watches over the area.

A young boy outside his house with his dog that watches over the area.

As an excuse, wealthier people...itories from the poorest ones.

As an excuse, wealthier people built a ten kilometers long and three meters tall wall with barbed wire on its top, to protect themselves from robbery and invasion of territories from the poorest ones.

A group of ladies talking outs...summer the heat is unbearable.

A group of ladies talking outside their homes. They usually gather outside the houses to spend time and talk since they live in very small spaces and in the summer the heat is unbearable.

Two girls inside a house watch...o 6 or 8 people in some cases.

Two girls inside a house watching television. Basically the space of the house is occupied by the beds where they usually sleep whole families of up to 6 or 8 people in some cases.

Water is a problem not yet sol...er for the rest of the family.

Water is a problem not yet solved and the price of this is quite high since it arrives in delivery trucks. A man and his son going down with buckets to collect water for the rest of the family.

Since there is no water servic...n at the entrance of his home.

Since there is no water service, there are no spaces designated for bathrooms. Mother bathing her little son in a pan at the entrance of his home.

Recently electric lighting pol...nformality of the connections.

Recently electric lighting poles were installed to illuminate the public areas, which helps them a lot when it starts to get dark but they still do not have electricity in their homes. Many connect cables to these poles and drive them to their homes to be able to have electricity, being a danger and being able to cause serious accidents due to the informality of the connections.

Two small children buying swee...man settlement Nadine Heredia.

Two small children buying sweets in a house-shop of the human settlement Nadine Heredia.

Women washing clothes outside ...le their children play around.

Women washing clothes outside their homes while their children play around.

There are no tracks and sidewa...man settlement Nadine Heredia.

There are no tracks and sidewalks, and a large amount of dust is constantly rising. Here is a child playing with his scooter on the sports field of the human settlement Nadine Heredia.

A mother with her little daugh...tween the wall and the houses.

A mother with her little daughter crossing between the wall and the houses.

A group of mothers organizing ...blems or suffered an accident.

A group of mothers organizing `a pollada'. It is when they come together to sell food to the neighbors to obtain money to help someone in the community who is experiencing economic problems or suffered an accident.

A lady outside her home in the...d in the capital city of Lima.

A lady outside her home in the Nadine Heredia settlement with her classic dress from the Peruvian highlands.
During the 80’s and 90’s, the city of Lima received a large number of migrants coming from different rural areas around the country. These migrants arrived to the Peruvian capital running away from the armed conflict between the government of Peru and some terrorist organizations such as the armed wing of the Communist Party of Peru known as Shining Path and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement.
This was the terrorism age and as a result a large number of shanty towns appeared in the capital city of Lima.

A mother playing with her daug...opaganda to cover their walls.

A mother playing with her daughter inside a house. Houses are usually made with wooden boards or recycled materials. In this case they used part of a past political propaganda to cover their walls.

Due to lack of water, tankers ...g her deposits to store water.

Due to lack of water, tankers arrive to supply water to the inhabitants of the area. The price of water is quite high compared to the price paid by the people who enjoy the services on the other side of the wall. Woman filling her deposits to store water.

In the interior of the houses ...at are used as public toilets.

In the interior of the houses there are not always bathrooms so you usually find small constructions around the area that are used as public toilets.

The people in this area live i...tching an adult wash his face.

The people in this area live in extreme poverty and do not have the basic services. A small boy watching an adult wash his face.

Some have the possibility to b... the highest part of the area.

Some have the possibility to build their houses with cement and brick. Here is a man collecting material and then uploading it as he is building his house in the highest part of the area.

A family visiting their relati...y go to visit their relatives.

A family visiting their relatives in the cemetery. The cemetery is attached to the housing area and on Sundays, relatives usually go to visit their relatives.

A boy playing during the sunse...ys and they are out of school.

A boy playing during the sunset in the human settlement Nadine Heredia. In the day what more is seen in the area are children playing all over the area especially when they are on holidays and they are out of school.

A family gathered on the balco...home after a long day of work.

A family gathered on the balcony terrace of their small home after a long day of work.

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Thumbnail of The wall of shame which divides_l exists nowadays in our world.

Thumbnail of A little girl outside her house_s `The wall of shame´

Thumbnail of Houses on the poor side of the _water and electricity services.

Thumbnail of A young boy  outside h_dog that watches over the area.

Thumbnail of As an excuse, wealthier people _ritories from the poorest ones.

Thumbnail of A group of ladies talking outsi_ summer the heat is unbearable.

Thumbnail of Two girls inside a house watchi_to 6 or 8 people in some cases.

Thumbnail of Water is a problem not yet solv_ter for the rest of the family.

Thumbnail of Since there is no water service_an at the entrance of his home.

Thumbnail of Recently electric lighting pole_informality of the connections.

Thumbnail of Two small children buying sweet_uman settlement Nadine Heredia.

Thumbnail of Women washing clothes outside t_ile their children play around.

Thumbnail of There are no tracks and sidewal_uman settlement Nadine Heredia.

Thumbnail of A mother with her little daught_etween the wall and the houses.

Thumbnail of A group of mothers organizing `_oblems or suffered an accident.

Thumbnail of A lady outside her home in the _ed in the capital city of Lima.

Thumbnail of A mother playing with her daugh_ropaganda to cover their walls.

Thumbnail of Due to lack of water, tankers a_ng her deposits to store water.

Thumbnail of In the interior of the houses t_hat are used as public toilets.

Thumbnail of The people in this area live in_atching an adult wash his face.

Thumbnail of Some have the possibility to bu_n the highest part of the area.

Thumbnail of A family visiting their relativ_ly go to visit their relatives.

Thumbnail of A boy playing during the sunset_ays and they are out of school.

Thumbnail of A family gathered on the balcon_ home after a long day of work.

Private Story

The Wall of Shame

Copyright GUILLERMO GUTIERREZ 2024

Date of Work Nov 2016 - Ongoing

Updated Nov 2018

Location Peru, Lima, Pamplona Alta

Topics Community, Corruption, Discrimination, Documentary, Editorial, Essays, Family, Human Rights, Hunger, Immigration, Latin America, Lifestyle, Migration, Photography, Photojournalism, Poverty, Racism, Terrorism, Water

In the world, there are about 70 walls either completed or under construction, half of them built alter 2010, according to Elisabeth Vallet, director of the Center for Geopolitical Studies of the University of Quebec in Montreal.

These barriers have a considerable impact, not only for the local economies but also for the affected populations. For the most vulnerable, those expelled by the walls, the cost is exorbitant: in spite of the international law, their liberty of movement is not as valuable as others’.

The wall of shame which divides the human settlements of San Juan de Miraflores from one of the most luxurious sectors of the city, Las Casuarinas (Surco), in Lima-Peru, has become one of the visible walls that still exists nowadays in our world.

During the 80’s and 90’s, the city of Lima received a large number of migrants coming from different rural areas around the country. These migrants arrived to the Peruvian capital running away from the armed conflict between the government of Peru and some terrorist organizations such as the armed wing of the Communist Party of Peru known as Shining Path and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement.

This was the terrorism age and as a result a large number of shanty towns appeared in the capital city of Lima. Social problems around the poorest and the wealthiest people started appearing all over around and security problems threatened the city. As an excuse, wealthier people built a ten kilometers long and three meters tall wall with barbed wire on its top, to protect themselves from robbery and invasion of territories from the poorest ones.

On the poorer side, in the highest part of Pamplona Alta, no water or electricity services are available. On the other hand, the houses cost up to 5 million dollars and have all kinds of services. This is an ongoing story of the daily life in the human settlements in the forgotten side of the wall.

Sep 6, 2018

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