Esther Garrison

In the heart of the Colombian wilderness, a few km from Puerto Inirida you find the indigenous community  (resguardo) of El Venado.

This is part of a long term photographic project about indigenous communities and mining: before and after.

Back in 2017 I was travelling in La Guajira, Colombia, engaging with local communities being affected by coal mines for decades. I kept hearing stories about those communities were self sustained before mining arrived and how pristine their environment was.

Right after that I felt I had to understand how communities were like before a mining project arrived. 

The fact that Puerto Inírida in the department of Guainía didn’t appear in any guide books and that it was recently occupied by FARC meant that it was the right place to go and I wasn’t wrong.

What I found was a hidden gem. I was very lucky to have been hosted by a wonderful family, father Ferney and mother from different tribes, one son and three daughters. I had breakfast , lunch and dinner everyday with them. At night I would listen to them telling stories while balancing in their hammocks.

This project portrays a normal day in these peoples lives, from washing themselves at the river at sunrise, getting ready to school, walking by the village meeting children on their way to school, washing day ending  with dinner and bedtime stories. 

However, this way of living and the fragile ecosystem they depend on is at risk. The Government has recently granted hundred of mining concessions. 

Through my lens I aim to evoke an emotive connection, a shared understanding of the urgent need to protect and preserve El Venado's delicate equilibrium.