THE GUARDIAN: ‘We must not show fear’: Colombia’s children learn to defend their way of life – a photo essay →

It is the weekend, but the classroom is full of children bearing green and red batons and adorned with scarves and ribbons. In the town of Toribío, in south-west Colombia, the Indigenous Guard is teaching their children how to avoid being recruited into militias, and defend their lands in Cauca province, notorious as one of the country’s most turbulent.

Young members of Colombia’s Indigenous Guard. The guard is non-violent and exists to protect nature and the community. Image by Nadège Mazars. Colombia, 2022.