Awaiting Answers – Natalie Grono
Awaiting Answers
The movement of the 400 villages has formed to put pressure on the government to investigate and resolve land disputes in the eastern state of Vera Cruz, Mexico. They are accusing Dante Delgado, the former Vera Cruz governor in 1992, of stealing their land and of human rights violations. They have decided to come to Mexico City to demand he be investigated and their land returned.
Approximately 120 people are camped out on top of a car parking station in front of the Monumento a la Madre in the middle of the city. Every day the farmers and their families protest naked for 4 hours to state that they are naked of their justice.
I was interested in capturing the daily lives of the community of the movement, from the unusual and eye-catching protest to how they survive squatting in the middle of one of the world’s biggest cities.
Natalie Grono
Natalie loves to cover cultural themes and issues.
Before starting work full time for the Newcastle Herald in 2007 she worked briefly in wedding photography, retail, public relations, and picture sales and spent some years traveling. While in South America she completed a Foundry Photo Journalism Course in Mexico City and has completed a BA Communications at the University of Newcastle and a Photography Certificate at Ultimo Tafe.
Natalie has been awarded 1st place in Feature Photography in the “Northern NSW Journalism Awards” in 2008 and has been featured in several exhibitions and competitions such as the “Moran Prize 2009”, “Head On Portrait Prize 2008”, “Olive Cotton Award and Reportage in 2006.”
