el proyecto de investigación // the research project

For my Independent Study Project, I spent several weeks filming short interviews with people from the indigenous communities of Parque Madidi and Pilón Lajas, Bolivia. My project is focused on how communities are organizing to fight against the planned construction of two hydroelectric dams that, if built, would devastate the area and displace over 2,000 people from their ancestral lands. This is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, and it is home to 17 indigenous communities that belong to four indigenous nations.

It's impossible to describe my experience in just a few words... transformational, challenging, and affirming are only the beginning. I hope to write more extensively about my experience soon; here are a few photos of my field work in the mean time. I'll post my final video as soon as it's done!

#Bolivia #studyabroad #research #SanMigueldelBala #environment