Witch Hunt Vol. I - The Banished of Balsapuerto
For indigenous people in the Peruvian Amazon, the curandero is the first port of call for any medical or spiritual need. Translated as “healer” or “shaman”, curanderos are trained in natural remedies and are experts in the surrounding rainforest.⠀
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In 2011, when 16 curanderos in the community of Balsapuerto were accused of witchcraft and murdered, the national press besieged the remote region. The prime suspects were Alfredo and Augusto Torres: brothers, evangelists, local politicians, small-time crooks. They were known in the press as Los Matabrujos: the Witch Killers.⠀
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Tantalising tales of violent crimes captured public attention, but what remained after the media furore had died down? What happens to remote communities whose primary medical resource is now steeped in a culture of silence and fear? Visual journalist, Christo Geoghegan, interviews victim’s families, policymakers, and remaining curanderos to illuminate the dense canopy of a far-flung story with far-reaching consequences.⠀
Witch Hunt Vol. I - The Banished of Balsapuerto was shortlisted for the Luma Rencontres Dummy Book Award at Arles 2020, Images Vevey Book Award 2021, Self Publish Riga 2021 (Top 10) and the MACK First Book Award 2021.
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Preview of upcoming photobook by Christo Geoghegan designed in collaboration with Angélique Pilière.
