"In 2017, the indigenous leader of Charagua Norte, Ronald Andrés, declared: 'Our process of elaborating autonomy is not a gift, it is our victory'. By taking these photos, we wanted to show that victory on the faces of the people we had the privilege of knowing. In the same way, we also wanted to show the historical struggle of Charagua to conquer its autonomy. We wanted to illustrate the feeling of movement and space, combining the faces of the people who live here. Charagua is a beautiful place and its diversity can be seen in its six areas: Charagua Pueblo, Charagua Estación, Charagua Norte, Alto Isoso, Bajo Isoso and Parapitiguasu. For us, this is a beautiful example to emulate: despite their different histories and needs, in recent years they have managed to come together to conquer their autonomy. As film directors and photographers, we hope to capture the uniqueness of each space and the idiosyncrasies of each area of Charagua".
Steven Barthelemy is a film director from Emerson College.
Adriana Gramly is a film director for the Rhode Island School of Design.
"The protests in Chile that began in mid-October 2019 made it clear that its political-economic system (which for years was considered by many 'specialists' as the successful model to follow) excludes most of the population, mainly indigenous people. Chile woke up and in that awakening we see the Wenufoye, the Mapuche flag, a symbol of an expelled and stigmatized people that today becomes a banner of rebellion and resistance to the neoliberal model. Shouting 'Marichiweu!', which in the Mapuche language, Mapudungún, means 'one hundred times we will win', the Chilean people admit the debt with the native peoples, demand a profound change that includes everyone, it is recognized as plurinational and diverse. The Wenufoye wave more than the Chilean flags, and in that wave is the cry of a country that wants to resurface in a different way".
Leandro Crovetto • Photographer and Image and Sound Designer from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA).
"With the support of the Indigenous Navigator project, the Monkox nation is recovering the Bésiro language after 50 years of imposition of Spanish. In the community of Palmira, 39 boys and girls under the age of 16 study the language of their ancestors with the company from teachers and grandparents".
"On August 15, 2019, the peoples of the Multi-ethnic Indigenous Territory (TIM) recovered 183,722 hectares in the heart of the southern Bolivian Amazon. The event closed a cycle of almost 30 years of struggle that began in 1990 with the March for Territory and Dignity that resulted in the promulgation of Supreme Decree 22611 that recognized indigenous territories, but left areas for logging in the center of Bosque de Chimanes, the same ones that had to be returned to their rightful owners within 20 years. In the act of delivery of the enforceable title, the president of the TIM Subcentral, Bernardo Muiba, said: 'It has not been an easy fight. We have been walking for 29 years and we will continue walking in defense of our territories'. From CEJIS we celebrate this achievement of the bases that have enforced their rights. Thank you for allowing us to accompany you from the legal advice and for daring to continue dreaming, even in these times".
Fátima Monasterio • Lawyer of the Center for Legal Studies and Social Research (CEJIS)
"Between October 10 and 12 of 2019, the natives of Abya Yala met in Cusco to discuss the horizon of indigenous communication linked to the territory, the struggles and resistance against the extractivist model and the destruction of Mother Earth".