18. Art of Peace: Cultural Practices and Peacebuilding in Mexico

The last decade has been a constant bloodshed in Mexico due to drug wars and as a consequence of the lack of an effective strategy against this critical problem. The government has focused on the deployment of the military and the police to control the drug cartels and local gangs, with poor results. The main question is how to mitigate violence and what kind of strategies are effective to solve this problem. This article explores different approaches of peacebuilding done by local artists and organisations in communities with high levels of violence. Using ethnographic research and direct fieldwork on some of the most violent neighbourhoods in Mexico, I want to show how people have organised themselves and resist violence using cultural practices like murals, hip-hop or artistic interventions in public space. Following peace theories, I use the concepts of structural, cultural and interpersonal violence to frame the cultural practices and understand their art as a contribution to peacebuilding that can transform their communities. This study contributes to the current debate on innovative strategies to mitigate violence, the possibility of cultural activities for peacebuilding, and the alternatives to security policies on violence prevention in Mexico.