Culture as expression of peoples: Anaconda Prize 2006 for indigenous video

(Quito, March 6, 2007).- The Swissotel in Quito was the venue for presentation of the Anaconda 2006 Prizes for Indigenous Video from the Amazon, El Chaco and the tropical forests of Latin America and the Caribbean. The prizes are sponsored by the Andean Development Corporation (CAF), Regional Program for Support of Amazonian Indigenous Peoples (PRAIA), Latin American Council of Film and Communication of Indigenous Peoples (CLACPI/ Bolivia), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The event was held in the presence of Ecuadorian Culture Minister Antonio Preciado, government authorities, diplomatic corps, media, representatives of indigenous peoples, international organizations, and the sponsoring institutions, and the prizewinners.

The Anaconda 2006 Prize for the best audiovisual production went to Cachiveria de los jaguares by Brazilian director Vincent Carelli; the documentary prize was for Sirakapa no se vende, work of Guatemalan director Álvaro Revela; the fiction/docufiction prize went to the Bolivian work of director Miguel Ángel Yalauma Renacer: Historia de una movina ; the special prize for experimental work went to the Bolivian animated film Venciendo el miedo by director María Morales.

By creating incentives and awards for production of audiovisual material on and by indigenous peoples, the prizes aim to deepen dissemination of the cultural values of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon, El Chaco and the tropical forests of Latin America and the Caribbean. Dissemination of the best works contributes to the knowledge, recognition, valuation and respect for plurality of cultures and aspirations for development of native communities.

CAF has been committed to this event since it was first held in 2000. Culture as creative expression of peoples is part of the mission of CAF, which reaffirms its commitment to sustainable development and integration by promoting initiatives for dissemination of the cultural values of the region.

Awards ceremony

The Anaconda Prizes are awarded by local juries from 22 indigenous peoples meeting at exhibitions held from October to December 2006 in communities in Bolivia, Colombia and Paraguay.

The countries participating in the fourth annual awards were Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. The winning works will be shown at well known international video and film festivals, as well as in cultural spaces in various countries. "We want to contribute to strengthening the self-esteem and local identities of indigenous peoples in relation to their own aspirations for development," said Jaime Iturri of PRAIA. The winners received cash prizes of US$3,000 for first place and US$2,000 for second and third.

ABOUT THE WINNING WORKS

Iauartê, cachoeira das oncas, “Cachiveria de los Jaguares”

Vincent Carelli, Brazil, winner of Grand Anaconda Prize

An indigenous people of the Brazilian Amazon are rebuilding a communal house. The work reminds them of their past. The caciques decide to go to the museum where their sacred objects are kept and reclaim them as their rightful owners. The story deals with the identity of the peoples and the need to recover the past to build the future.

“Sipakapa qal k´o pirk´ey xik, Sipakapa no se vende”

Álvaro Revenga, Guatemala, Winner documentary category

Montana Exploradora, subsidiary of Canadian-US multinational Glamis Gold, operates an opencast coal mine in Guatemala. On June 18, 2005, a community consultation was held in Sipakapa to see if the population accepted or rejected the mining operation on its territory. The result was a resounding “no” to mining. Sipakapa No se vende – Sipakapa qal k´o pirk´ey xik contrasts the daily life and struggle of the Mayan Sipakapa population, with the arguments of representatives of the mining company.

“Choit`e, Renacer: Historia de un movina”

Miguel Ángel Yalauma, Bolivia, Winner Fiction/Docufiction Category

This is the story of Roberto, a young man from the Movima indigenous people condemned from childhood to work on a cattle hacienda in conditions of extreme exploitation. During his work he has an accident which incapacitates him. His patron does not understand the problem and punishes him by expelling him from the hacienda. Almost dead Roberto is rescued and cared for by a Movima family until he recovers. During the communal fiesta Roberto meets his patron and asks him to settle accounts, which costs him his life.

“Venciendo el miedo”

María Morales, Bolivia, Winner Experimental Category

The struggle of indigenous women to win greater space and recognition and make their voices heard is reflected in this story of the life of an Aymara family which seeks a better future by migrating from the Altiplano to the lowlands of Bolivia.