Winning back walls from gangs, artists fill El Salvador's towns with colour

In El Salvador, a traveling festival known as PigmenTrip Muralism Festival is transforming towns with vibrant murals, reclaiming public spaces from gang control. The festival, held for the eighth consecutive year, began in Concepcion de Ataco, a picturesque town in Ahuachapan, located about 65 kilometres west of San Salvador.

Once, the walls in this Central American country were marks of gang jurisdiction, with gangs terrorizing the townsfolk. Isaac Sosa, 31, founder and organizer of the festival, explained that years ago, it was a "frightening" experience to paint murals in gang territories due to the "harassment."

However, significant changes have occurred since the Salvadoran government waged a war against gangs since 2022. Mural artist Gonzalo Vasquez noted that the "war" has led to a "rebirth" and a newfound sense of peace and freedom of expression for the people. Over 200 murals have been created since the festival's inception, featuring the work of Salvadoran artists as well as those from Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, and Argentina.

Darwin Flores, a 36-year-old artist, shared that before gangs were neutralized, they had to be cautious when painting in "hot zones," as they couldn't afford to be ignorant of their surroundings. Now, he confidently paints in any neighborhood, including his recent mural in La Campanera, which was once terrorized by gangs.

Cristian Juarez, a 29-year-old artist who uses a prosthesis after losing his leg in an accident, expressed his gratitude for the mural that depicts the face of a girl with a feathered headdress. He lamented that many artists were victims of the gangs, now "disappeared."

Local merchant Cristian Lara, 50, thanked the festival organizers for blessing his house with a mural, stating that there are "new winds of change" in El Salvador.