 Welcome, viewers, to our ongoing program, Focus. Coming to you from Burlington Studio here at Channel 17, Center for Media and Democracy, Vermont. And the subject for our show today is photojournalism with our special guest, Victor Savidra from Brazil. Welcome, Victor. Thank you. Margaret, nice to be here with you. Nice to talk about photojournalism. This is my entire career on that. Okay, it's wonderful. And you are here on sabbatical from Brazil. And you are going to share some of the photos that you have taken. And we'd love to see some of them. And because our viewers want to know, really, what a photojournalist does. Yes. I'd like to show some photos from Chile from the last October when I go to the beginning of this riot in Chile. So I don't know if the camera can help me. This is a photo from the capital, Santiago. This is a photojournalist, a colleague. Oh, okay. And you can see the cares it needs to take because the situation in Chile is not so democratic. The guy is with a hoodie, with long pants, with a mask. And he's about 80 degrees. Oh, my God. And we need to swear all the gas. So that is all the white gas there? It's gas. It's tear gas. The police use a lot of tear gas to stop the protesters. So when you go to the front line to show, to take the picture, to be there, this guy is the most prepared there, but he shows what is the conditions we need to work. Horrible condition. And the riot is a normal condition for us. We need to be prepared there. But why the photojournalist is retreating and the protesters have their arms up? They're not surrendering, are they? No, no. It's not a confrontation. You don't have this moment of surrender, or moment of retreating. You're taking a breath. You need to get some breaths because the climax there is so hard. You need to stop for a minute, not stop to breathe, stop to eat something because the journey there is about 12 or 15 hours a day. 15 hours, sorry. So you need to smoke a cigarette sometimes because you need to relax. I love in this photo the shadow on the ground. Yeah, because you see the sunlight there is warm. It's really warm, but... What's over on the side, Victor? What is that on the side, on the left? It's a police car. It's a police tank, really. They're shooting... If I'm not wrong, they shoot water with tear chemicals. So the water burns too, but... It burns your skin. Your skin in your eyes and you start to cry and you need to stop. You have this equipment, I don't know, this camera to this guy is about, I don't know, $4,000 or $5,000. You can't take this water and your equipment so you need to protect all the time. Does he have something over the camera? No. No, you can't use something over the camera because you lose the quality of the image. Right, right. You need to expose your equipment to protect at the same time. But still, this is a confrontation. I mean, the tank is right next to the protesters. Yeah. That's very frightening to see. It elicits. You see the protesters, they are without rocks, without sticks. They're using masks to protect their face against the tear gas. They are not attacking and they are taking a lot of gas in the situation. If we can go to the next picture, this affects normal people. Right. The girl just behind is taking a lemon in his mouth to help her to breathe. This is a mature woman. Yes. And she's crying because the gas is everywhere in downtown in Santiago. It's a very powerful photo, Victor. Yes. Thank you. You can see there the effects of the gas in everybody. This woman is not a threat for a policeman with guns, with shields, with helmets. But she suffered the gas. And we can see her looking right at us. Yeah. I ask her for the photo. I ask her because I see her face and it's so powerful the age, the hair. Everything there is... And yet she's standing there and she's not retreating. Nobody's retreating in Chile for the last four months. For four months these demonstrations have been going on? For four months, every day in Santiago, at least, this is happening. And the media stops covering it, but this has happened every day. And now everything continues because they have in April this constitutional plebiscite. So they're going to choose if they want or not a new constitution. OK. They want that on the street. So it's great. OK. You know if Aidan can help us with the next photo? This is a photo from just front, the Palacio government, the presidential Palacio government. And this is the distance between the police force and the protesters. The police force... Is on the right and the protesters on the left. Well the police force looks very military and not just like an ordinary police force. In Latin America the most of the police are military. They had quarters, they used helmets, tanks, protections. It's a military force. So they have generals, they have captains. Do they have conscription there? No, no. The difference is they don't have conscription. You need to enjoy. Right. In least... Sorry, the verb I not. They need to join up. To join up. But they are a military force. They are the four military forces in Chile at least. Right. And they must have the reward of good pay. They have good rewards. It's not so good pay but they have a lifetime retirement. They have the lifetime Medicare. Yes. And a lot of discounts when you need some medicine because they have their own set of pharmacies, drug stores. Oh my goodness. So they have a lot of protection to be there. Well let's go back to the photo and see the demonstrators there. They have a sign there Victor. What does the sign say? If the structure is not the dialogue, everything who remains should be destroyed because the government was not able to open a dialogue channel with the protesters. Like because they want to talk. Yes. They want to talk and never able to talk. You know, since the protesters start in October 18, the government already approved seven laws against manifestations. Oh okay. Against demonstrations. Against demonstrations. They don't change any of minimum wage, of retirement laws, of health laws. Chile is not talking with the population. I don't know if Aiden can show us the next picture. This is the most, more confrontation. You see the guns. You see the burning wood. Yes. What is that pile there? They put some, this is for a drug store. They found a drug store open. The protesters enter in the drug store, remove the stuffs inside and burn it on the streets to stop the police to attack them. Behind the pile, you see the Italia Square. They call now the Dignity Square. Because now it's the place on every day you can see the protesters. And what was the former name before Dignity Square? Italia Square. Italian. Italia. Italia. Italy Square. Okay. And you see behind you have these words. Yes. What are the words there? Is Chile awake. Because they are talking not about one problem, two problems, three problems. It's a society problem. So the Chilean needs to be awake to, awake now and start to change, ask for change. But I don't understand, Victor, about are those actually prescription drugs that are there being burned? No, no, no. The prescription drugs should be stolen because it's too expensive in Chile to buy some prescription drugs. And I think they should be stolen and distributed to the lowest income population. So you're saying that the poor people and ordinary middle-class people perhaps can't access the drugs they need to survive. At this time they ask for, they have a lot of problems on distribution. Do you have a lot of problems for pricing because it's private pharmacy. So they can raise the price and pay the feeds after. So it's not a problem to them. And without this distribution, the people start to stolen. It's not only drugs' prescription. It's food, it's a lot of basic supplies. Supplies, yes. And this is about a drug store. It's an example of what happened. I was there when the drug store is there, but it's not all the time. Did you see this confrontation with they're taking the stuff out of the drug store? I see. And this is one photo from all that you took? Because I never, I not feel safe enough to take photos from the people removing that from the drug store because they will attack me because my photos can identify them and can be used for the authorities to identify them. So at that time I just walk away a little bit and come back when everything is done. Because it's not easy to them too because the police is taking these photos and trying to identify and try to use the law to go after who is making these... And it's not my job, like a journalist, to be there and filming and taking pictures from the police. It's my job to be in the news and show to the people, show to the media what's happening. Thank you so much for clarifying that because in our protected world we don't think about that danger. So, okay, what is this now? This is a photo I take. This, just by this antenna in the middle of the photo is closed just one square from the palatial government. You see the tank throwing tear water. You see the cops walking and the biggest avenue in the country is Alameda. This is a great... Yes, just in front of the palatial government already destroyed by the confrontation. And how you see this smoke and the water and the gas is making some cloud behind the tank gas. Yes. And you can see at the left a photographer resting because the people need to rest. Right. The professional needs to rest to continue. These are long drawn out confrontations. Yes. This is starting in the morning and finished at about 2 a.m. 1 a.m. It's not easy to be there, but luckily I was able to be there by 12 days. Young. A witness. Witness and show this because I need to bring this back to my world to try to... I am a freelancer, so I need to go there to take pictures and try to sell it from the media if somebody wants to buy interviews and photos. But it's not so good the experience. This is one of the... I think this is one of the worst photos I take because this is a police shot in a rubber bullet. The rubber shot throws 12 rubber bullets and you can see for the angle they are not shooting in the lower part of the body. So in Chile you have more than 500 people with problems in the eyes. You have totally blinds persons because the police start to shoot in the head. So the rubber bullet just blow off the eyes You were so close there, Victor. I always take care. I always try to pass in front of the cops with the camera in the hand using my journalist ID because I like to show them I am a journalist, I'm not here to throw rocks I'm here to take pictures and sometimes they shot me. They shot me in Chile in my leg with a rubber bullet but they are trying to take care I have a five year son so I need to go back home at least at the end and be trying to be without so many injuries. But in that time you have the you see the cop you see they don't retreat, they attack they are attacking in the high part of the body. It's chilling a photo. This is from Santiago now you can see even the bullet Right, the fire In the top you can see the rubber bullets on fire. So in the front you have the water tank it's a police tank who they use against the protesters and again I need to be able to protect myself so I am behind these guys taking some rocks but I always think the police the protesters throw rocks so I need to pray a little bit to not be injured by rocks but I need to be there the photojournalist needs to be there to show what's happening to show the cops shoting to the higher part of the body is not a mistake with these two photos you can see is a tactical they are different cops shoting at the same movement always protected by helmets, by shields always with a gun, with tanks and the people with rocks Victor do the protesters protect themselves with any kind of makeshift body armor they use some homemade shields they use masks they use some bike helmets and this is the way they try to protect they use some woods they take from the streets and some infrastructure some mobile but they don't use the military protection this kind of protection the cops are using now is used by can stop a bullet so it's hard you'll see here all the cops protected always bulletproof vest with helmets one of the cops on the right is a coronel it's a major and he asked him for the water tank we use chemicals to throw against the people because he's tired to talk he asks too many times to the people to go home they doesn't answer so stay to throw through water and they are women old people young people and they just stand there and protest and the consequences are extreme bodily harm when I come back I live in Brazil and when I come back I stop to throwing blood from my respiratory views about two days after come back because it's too many chemicals in the air what about the medical help for you when you took the rubber bullets I don't have a medical help in Chile you have the same kind of health protection you have in the US so I don't have insurance for going to Chile it's too expensive because the health there is all private and even the public health is private in Chile so when I come back to Brazil I was able to go to the public health and go to the hospital and take some medicine to recover myself and I come back to work 24 hours after return Victor this is an amazing angle too where you are standing over behind the soldiers I am in the tank just close to the tank because the people are not throwing rocks at the time so I was able to be with the cops always trying to be with the police force because if they see me and recognize me like a journalist maybe in my head works but I don't know for sure maybe they stop the finger when they try to shoot oh I see this guy he's a journalist I don't know maybe this half second thought can't pass in his head hmm the blessing of a second thought to save your life I have the bow of eyes I'm more fortunate some colleagues who lost his eyes taking pictures it's too much what a sacrifice to truth to sacrifice to show the truth you need to show what's happening in the world without filters the photo can do that the photo can show the language I'm not saying the people is not throwing rocks I'm not saying the people is not burning not stolen is not attacking the police what I'm showing is the police is prepared have guns, have helmets have vests have masks have a lot of chemicals and the people have sticks rocks and some homemade shield yeah and a lot of bravery in their heart yes when the society is not helped then they need to help themselves this is the way they want a possibility for a new constitution in Chile they have the old dictatorship the Pinochet dictatorship constitution you know in Chile you don't have right to water they saw the water rights so the companies can take the water from you so you can have your farm here and you are not allowed to take water to put in your in your growth you can't do that let's go on to the next one now I don't know what's the next photo is oh this is bad this is an old lady my camera is broken that is already broken the police broke my camera they don't like my photos I understand that but they throwing gas to 70, I remember the interview this woman gives an interview 70 years old lady with a stick against a tank it's a gas tank and you can see in the picture some blurs is because the cops used her throw me at the floor and broke my camera and tried to fix it in the middle of that and I was able to take this picture what a picture it is it's an exclusive one a colleague with better picture so I never saw this picture I say it's not good enough to show this moment but it's good here to show what's the reality a woman, an old lady with stick against a tank and she's standing there so strongly yes she's standing there strongly and that speaks volumes to us that speaks volumes yeah you can see the gas behind her inside it's everybody in the rocks and who's behind her it looks like a soldier is behind her no, he's a photographer oh ok he's a photojournalist, we need to be on these places to show what's happening my picture have the I don't know if it's a quality but it can show the rocks on the floor so you can show it's not nobody there is no backing without provocation you know one of the problems to have a military police is because they never rest, they never go home as in a conflict they like an army so they need to be on the headquarters they need to be far away from the families I talk to them and one of them say I don't see my two months daughter from the last two weeks I need to ask for my captains if they allowed me to go home kiss my daughter and come back or my colleagues are not able to see their families too it's difficult and the most difficult is the most media in Latin America doesn't want to show this they prefer the writer vision the associated press the France press vision you have a unified vision it's not different it's a kind of censorship that happens I'm not so expensive journalist but I am more expensive than a writer's monthly fee I know this is a gas attack from the police you can't even see the demonstrators in it so almost you see the gas you are able to see they are attacking with all they are trying to remove the people from the dignity square they use a lot of gas this is what happened after the gas attack the people come back the people never leave and you see the fire because all day long you even don't feel and you never stop you start to continuous continuous and this is all young people and what is the fire of it looks like something is being burned they are burning stuff to stop the police okay if you burn some stuff in the streets they need to ask for the tank the weather tank to throw water there so they can walk they use a fire to stop the police all the time you can see to the protection of the police you can see to the the graffitis do you see some graffitis ACAB is not I am not allowed to say that because it is English it is not good words but they this is a confrontation even the Chilean president call it it's a war and this is media coverage okay this is Argentinian channel an Argentinian channel they are not the confrontation zone I was resting so I walk about three squares from the tear gas zone and I see then just close to a place who has attacked the day before and they are talking about the violence they are talking about what's happening transmitting for for a network but without B in confrontations zone this guy doesn't have any tear gas in his eyes and there are no other people around so you really depending upon what his words are whatever he's saying without without reading what you can't read what's not there you don't see any graffiti you don't see any yes it was a confrontations zone for a day before but not anymore but the media the traditional media is doing that they are not there they don't see that when they see when they are in the zone of confrontation they need to pay more for journalists they need to pay more photographers to photographers to videographers because you need health insurance right right you need to protect your people and you'll be have some injured employees you'll have some injuries and you need to pay for that like an employee and they don't want it but that isn't the main thing is it Victor? I mean they don't want the truth isn't that it they want the truth but a comfortable and long distance truth with that big lens with big cameras a long distance truth they don't want to be on the front line even me I don't want to be on the front line but I need to be there to show what's happening in the world what's happening in Chile I was there in 2013 in Sao Paulo when the riots started and the ball riots starts about two cents of dollar of bus fare so it's the truth and you need to be there to show the truth to show what's happened when the students start a riot what's happened when the people it's not enough I want more for my society so you are a front line witness and you carry away these photographs which we can see then at any time and hopefully people will continue to see them and with this program here on channel 17 Center for Media and Democracy we're getting some of your photographs out yes and I really appreciate the opportunity to show my work some of the truth the hiding truth from Chile because you never see photos like that in the traditional media you only see social network Instagram a little bit because they are censored but I am allowed to show something of that and I really appreciate that Victor we really appreciate you're just passing through here in Burlington Vermont we appreciate so much that you're here and whatever photographs you take here you will bring to the world and it's with a deep deep gratitude that we thank you for coming on this program I really appreciate I have my Instagram, my professional Instagram if somebody want to see is open is allowed is on the camera and if the people like to see my work you can see some different photos there and from different works and the next month I start in the Sao Paulo subway and exposition from my photos not be there but my photos will be in the Sao Paulo subway wonderful wonderful thank you so thank you so much Victor and viewers we have the email address to communicate with Victor and to access his more of his photographs and with deep gratitude we say thank you Victor thank you so much goodbye for now thank you viewers