Episode 3: "The Power Vacuum the Gangs Once Filled Has Now Been Occupied by Groups More Closely Linked to the State"

In this week's episode of the Notes from the World podcast, I speak to El Salvador's Juan Martinez d'Aubuisson, a journalist and anthropologist who has extensively researched that country's gangs and their links to political and economic actors since 2008. He is the author of several books, including Ver, oír y callar: Un año con la Mara Salvatrucha 13 (Pepitas de Calabaza, 2019) and El niño de Hollywood (Debate, 2018), the latter in collaboration with his brother, Óscar Martínez, and translated into English as The Hollywood Kid (Verso, 2019). His work has appeared in The Washington Post, El País, Gatopardo and El Faro, among other publications. We speak about the evolution of El Salvador’s criminal groups, the country’s political situation and the rise and consolidation of power of its controversial president, Nayib Bukele. This interview was recorded on 3 April 2024.