NEWSLETTER

INTERVIEW BY TIM SMALL
PHOTOS BY MARIO SPADA

“ I took this on one of the first days I was in Scampìa. This girl lived in a state home. Both of her parents were in jail. That gesture with her hand means: ‘What do you want?’ I was struck by her beauty. She was acting like a grown woman, staring me down, acting strong.”

You shot a lot of work during the Mafia wars.

Yes. That project began in 2004 and ended in 2005. These were the years of the bloody Mafia war known as the Faida di Scampìa. I continued going there after that too, but just for specific occasions. Keeping those contacts alive helps, it’s a way of getting even closer to the people. Actually, the Scampìa project now contains more than 200 images I’m happy with, so it could go beyond the project on Naples. It might have a life of its own.

What do you think about the fact that the only times Naples is in the news or the media, it’s because of crime, or the Mafia, or some other disaster?

Well, Naples is filled with garbage, in every sense, and it has been for many, many years. But the problem is that now people think that a city of 1 million people is made up only of contract killers, thieves, and dealers. That’s just ridiculous. Even if it is true that there are cocaine spots on every street, we have hundreds of thousands of decent people who live amid this shit while holding down two jobs. People who struggle. But there’s not much to do, because if you try to act straight and maybe report a crime, you risk your life. The people who end up being punished are the normal citizens. They are the innocent victims of these wars. In most of the killings I’ve reported on, the victim is the good kid, or the shy one, or the one who can’t use guns, or the small-time dealer. They always hit as close as possible to their intended victim, but they never hit the ones who really “deserve” it.

When did you see your first body?

When I was 13.

And how many have you seen since then?

Around 30, I’d say, if you count the ones where I didn’t have my camera with me.

Do the institutions help the situation in Naples at all? What about the police?

The police do their job. But why do they do it? Maybe because the guy they’re looking for once disrespected them or ran away from them more than once, so they actively try to grab him and put him inside. It’s a personal thing. Of course, there are cops who do their duty, hundreds of them. But so much violence is casual, there is no way the police can help. Maybe you’re walking down the street and a kid shouts, “That’s him!” and you get knifed because you look like someone. People shoot other people in the face like it’s nothing. No problem, they jump off their bike, bam!, then they get back on the bike and go. We’re at an all-time low in Italy. In certain places, the only medium for culture is TV, and our TV is disgusting. Status is measured in big cars, Rolexes, and Dolce & Gabbana.


Pictures coming slightly later.

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