A RESTLESS SOUL

At the bottom of the valley in Málaga, Spain, in a makeshift shack built from an assortment of materials, eight people are sleeping on a mixture of mattresses, sofas and beds. It’s very late and the door is open to allow a cool breeze to come into the room. Various sounds can be heard – crickets, wild dogs, the flapping of the tarpaulin roof, snoring, and the continual blast of the TV that was never switched off. Clearest of all is the disturbing repetition of Santiago tossing and turning in his bed, pacing the room, getting up to go outside, wrapping himself in his blanket, while muttering over and over again, “No lo aguanto más” – I can’t take it anymore.

​

Santiago, 24, is a young man from Maracaibo, the second largest city in Venezuela. At the age of 14 he moved to Orlando, Florida in the United States with his mother and stayed there for ten years before coming to Spain. Stories of drug trafficking, fast money and guns are mentioned in his tale, as is the deep regret of things he witnessed during that time. Tanned and with a trim physique, there is a childlike quality about him – charming and playful, yet stubborn and manipulative. His story is one of internal struggle and isolation, battling with his demons for the past few months in an unconventional rehab in the hills of La Palmilla, Málaga.