In 2018, the year I began this photographic project, a report established that during 2017, at least 201 land and environmental defenders worldwide, lost their lives while protecting their communities and regions from the ravages of mining, agribusiness, logging and other environmentally devastating industries.
According to the human rights and environmental organization Global Witness, the majority of the deaths were in Latin America, where 57 defenders perished in Brazil alone, 80 percent of them killed while defending a part of the Amazon rainforest. Despite this alarming situation, the traditional communities of Latin America are undaunted, and continue to protect their territory against development projects that exploit a region’s natural resources, without consideration for its history or culture.
Traditional populations bound to the sacred land, where generations of their ancestors lived and are buried, refuse to abandon it, even after it has been largely destroyed. This photo essay seeks to illuminate the powerful connection between land defenders, and the territories they so fiercely champion.
This is an ongoing project.
Some of these images were possible thanks to the Rainforest Journalism Fund – Pulitzer Center and were shot for the projects Rainforest Defenders by democraciaAbierta and “Ome, Pütchi, Poraû | Woman, Word, Resistance” by Agenda Propia.
Artist Bios
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Pablo Albarenga
Pablo Albarenga (b. Montevideo, 1990), is a documentary photographer and visual storyteller exploring human rights issues in Latin America. He was awarded the 2020 Photographer of the Year in the Sony World Photography Awards for his Seeds of Resistance series. Albarenga is a Pulitzer Center Grantee, and a National Geographic Explorer. As a photographer, he has dedicated his work to investigating, studying, and photographing the colonization process that is still affecting traditional populations in Latin America. Many communities are being threatened by huge development projects that aim to exploit the natural resources available in their territories, such as minerals, wood, and extensive agriculture.
Organizations
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Pulitzer Center
The Pulitzer Center makes possible in-depth reporting on important systemic issues, from climate change to health to the impact of AI. We make sure that the journalism reaches the right audiences to inspire curiosity, understanding, and action.
Our grants, trainings, and tools support more than 200 journalism projects each year, published by hundreds of news outlets all over the world. Over our 20-year history, that adds up to 11,000 stories illuminating some of the most urgent, complex issues facing the world today, and the intersections between them.
The journalism we support has led to the repeal of harmful laws, helped changeend harmful government programs, and borne witness to events and atrocities that otherwise would be hidden from public scrutiny—and garnered the industry’s top accolades, including Pulitzer Prizes and Emmy awards.
Journalism also is a driver of civic engagement. We connect our projects to classrooms, communities, and public forums worldwide, extending impact far beyond publication. As the ways people get their information change, our impact-driven, audience-driven approach is even more necessary for a healthy society.
Breakthrough Journalism, Stronger Communities. That’s been our mission and our passion for two decades. We’re excited to see what the next 20 years bring.
Seeds of Resistance
Featuring: Pablo Albarenga
Curated by: Claire Seaton
Locations
View Location Details Brooklyn Bridge Park – Pier 3Brooklyn
NY
This location is part of Brooklyn Bridge Park
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