This picture was taken along the walls of the river canal that runs through the city of Cordoba. When I was taking the picture I didn’t immediately know what the phrase translated to, but I recognized some of the words and something told me that the phrase potentially meant something really powerful. Something about the way the phrase itself was written drew my attention; the red paint catches your eye, forcing the reader to listen to what the author has to say. The all caps make the phrase seem less like a phrase but a command, a call to action. The phrase reads: “Ante la violencia patriarcal autodefensa popular votamos luchar”.   

After returning back to the hotel and with the help of Google Translate and Dee, I was able to piece together what the phrase meant. “In the face of patriarchal violence, we must defend ourselves, let’s vote and fight”. 

Knowing what the phrase meant and knowing Argentina’s history with democracy and government, this phrase spoke volumes. It told me that the society sees a problem that needs to be immediately be addressed and the best way the author sees to solve the problem is to democratically elect officials that can solve them.