Manuel Ortiz Escámez
His recent books Sociology: Documentary photography and video as instruments for the construction and dissemination of knowledge in Social Sciences and Sociology with Audiovisual Media both enhance the theory and practice of visual methodologies and contribute valuable insights into participatory approaches, visual representation, and analysis.
During the last 10 years Manuel Ortiz has made several trips to Colombia to investigate and document in an audiovisual way processes of forced migration, peace strategies and community resistance. On his most recent trip, Ortiz produced a multimedia work for the human rights organization Global Exchange on the alleged human rights violations of the young people who participated in the National Strike between April and July 2021.
The committee was impressed by Manuel’s extraordinary range of work in multiple contexts: as a photojournalist, and through teaching, collaboration and program development. He brings a clearly sociological imagination to his journalistic writings and photography, using photographs and words to connect individual lives, struggles, stories and experiences to broad and historically significant social structural issues.
Bogotá resident Dilan Yesid Suárez, 21, says Colombia’s national police deliberately targeted his eye with non-lethal rubber bullets during protests in June that swept across Colombia.
“Esmad rapist.” Murals like this denouncing Colombia’s national police force cover sidewalks and buildings throughout Cali, where protests against long-standing social inequities first began on April 28.
Sandra Moreno’s son, Santiago Moreno (23 years-old), was killed during protests in Cali May 1. “He wanted to go into the army, but he told me that as a black man he would never be able to rise in the ranks.”
“In Cali we don’t sleep, the bullets take away our dreams.”
