Letizia Battaglia Named Among New York Times' Women of the Year

The New York Times included Italian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia in its 2017 list of 'Women of the Year,' selected from the Saturday Profile series, which since 2002 has featured remarkable but lesser-known figures from around the world. Battaglia, born in Palermo in 1935, began photography at age 40 for the Palermo newspaper L'Ora, becoming known as the 'photographer of the mafia' during the 1970s 'second mafia war.' She documented hundreds of murders of mafiosi, politicians, and police, often arriving first at crime scenes. Despite fear and intimidation, she used photography to fight the mafia, staging a 1979 exhibition in Corleone's main square with large images of mafia victims and supporting the 'Palermitan spring' movement. She refused police protection to maintain her freedom. In the past two years, Battaglia had major retrospectives: 'Anthologia' at the Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa in Palermo and 'Per Pura Passione' at the MAXXI in Rome, showcasing not only mafia shots but also portraits of Sicilian life. Her dream came true in 2017 with the opening of the Centro Internazionale di Fotografia in Palermo on November 16. Battaglia is the only artist on the NYT list, which also includes Italian supercentenarian Emma Morano (died at 117), activists Manal al-Sharif, Sinta Nuriyah, Henda Ayari, Alice Schwarzer, Maryam Sharif, and Swedish minister Margot Wallstrom.