Forbidden Rainbow

Uruguay-born photojournalist Etchart's pointed, often bleak collection of scenes from Latin America is complemented by various writers' short essays on the struggle for survival. In his introduction Eduardo Galeano tells of the depredation of indigenous people, and Jan Rocha reports on the hardships of Brazil's children. The black-and-white photos then depict victims such as a drug-snorter in Chile, a sleeping street youth in Mexico City and a wild-eyed glue-sniffer in Medellin. Etchart's politics are clear: the only happy scenes are of a playground in Havana (annotated with a quote from Fidel Castro) and of Ecuadorian Indians playing in traditional garb. Daniel Moyano's description of detention in Argentina is affecting, while Etchart offers some memorable images of power: the Dominican Republic's President Balaguer backed up by soldiers and the last changing of the guard under Brazilian military rule. Photos of those migrating or in exile are almost predictably sad; those depicting the informal economy and spiritual life, while not as arresting as other images, offer signs of hope. Hopkinson edited Lovers and Comrades: Women's Resistance Poetry from Central America. (Nov.)