Thursday 20. 05. 2010
21:40 - 22:05
Café 7*Stern

SIN TIERRA, NO SOMOS SHUAR - WIHOUT LAND, WE ARE NOT SHUAR

(Directed by Stacey Williams, Ecuador 2009, 23 min., Spanish with English subtitles)

Land and culture among the Shuar Indigenous people of the Ecuadorian Amazon are intimately linked to one another. This film takes place in the most southeast corner of Ecuador in the province of Zamora Chinchipe, known for its gold mining industry. Mining developments this area can be traced back to Spanish colonization, having forever changed the topographical landscape of Shuar territory. Currently, foreign mining companies, mostly Canadian owned, exploit the area in search of gold that is to be exported out of Ecuador. Therefore, what happens to Shuar community, relationships, culture and traditions when foreign mining interests enter the picture?  This film looks at two Shuar communities: Napints, located in a protected area and Nankais, a mining area. By comparing and contrasting these two communities we gain insight into the current land issues faced by the Shuar people. Using the story of Nunqui, the Shuar mother earth figure, this film illustrates the nature v. culture dichotomy and ultimately questions what a future without nature means for Shuar culture and identity.