Balancing Curiosity and Reverence

By Miriam Alrahil

Very quickly after the end of the semester, I found myself quickly packing and hopping onto a flight to Leticia, Colombia, where I would embark on my 2 month immersive journey into the local communities in this Amazonian region. I am not actually living in Leticia, but rather 14 kilometers outside of it, in la Reserva Natural Acapú. Situated within the jungle, this setting is abosolutely stunning and greatly informative, yet its isolation has caused some difficulties in my ability to quickly travel from place to place. However, I am getting a hang of the local bus and boat system to help carry me around on many trips and field site visits. There are so many beautiful sights to see and many important communities to visit, so trying to arrange and go to all these places while simultaneously planning, organizing, and shooting footage has been a true test of my time management skills.

^{My first time boating on the Amazon River. I find the crystal clear reflection so awe-
inspiring.}

I did not arrive in Leticia with an already planned storyboard for the docuseries, which may sound like a fault in preparation on my part. However, this was intentional in order to allow me to come in with a clean slate through which the groups of peopleI woud be working with, mainly Indigenous communities and Non-indigenous conservationists, would be able to tell me how they believe it should be constructed, what they would like to include, and what they would like to highlight. This is following collaborative anthroplogical theory, in which creative autonomy is given to the communities whose culture and cosmovisions are covered and preserved by this work, rather than by me. My camera and I serve simply as a vessel for their words and ideas, and so that has been my approach so far. 

^{Me in front of the famous of the Leticia sign and Parque Santander}

My past 16 days here, I have been mainly working with my contact Sonia Sofía Romero Cordero, the director of educational services of the reserve as well as its main administrator, to facilitate open, informed, and equitable conversations with these Indigenous communities so that I can better grasp the direction of where the docuseries should be steered. I am so grateful to have been welcomed by these communities and I am working to rebuild some confidence within foreign researchers, as there is a reasonable and justifiable distrust of foreign investigators, as they have historically exploited, oppressed, and exoticized these peoples and their practices.Within my approach I want to reinforce the high standard of treatment, equitable interaction, and recognition that they deserve from foreign visitors and academics. I have been able to participate in weekly workshops for local kids based around environmental education, as well as pyschosocial support workshops for women in local communities. This kind of interaction and experience is so valuable to me and my work, and I hope to keep fostering relationships like these as I continue my project.

^{Street Art in Leticia. Translation: Indian, Native, Savage, Indigenous, Human}

That being said, considering I have a limited time here and am a one woman team, there are limitations on what I can cover and include within the documentary itself. Through many conversations with Sonia Sofía, I have been narrowing down interviewees and footage sites, and hope to have a complete storyboard by the end of this week. It is a difficult decision trying to decide what and what not to include, so I plan to fill gaps and record as much information as possible through the oral history based part of this project, which is interviews recorded on an audio recorder. In that way, the diversity and breadth of information I am able to access here will all have some form of preservation, and I am able to include all the different communities and contacts in some way. 

^{Pathway in Acapú}

Overall, my time here has taught me to always be adaptable to the unexpected, as not a single day is the same. From fickle weather to happenstance adventures, it has already been such a variable experience in just over two weeks.  By finding a balance between passionate curiosity and active listening, I have been able to gain so much insight about local cultures and societal innerworkings in a way that still maintains full respect and reverence. I look forward to seeing what else is in store for me, and where else the Amazon River decides to take me. 

^{Ride to work!}

Me and Profesora Ligia, a local figure who runs a Psychosocial support workshop for women in the Indigenous community of the lakes of San Antonio in the Amazon. It is sponsored by the foundation Entropika. We were returning from just having conducted a workshop!