All over Colombia, the story is the same: half a century ago, corporate interests pulled off one of the biggest land grabs in history, centralising a vast network of indigenous and peasant-owned land into a wave of history and industry. These farms and vistas were the last vestige of freedom in a country where Spanish conquistadors had colonised as much of the land as they could control. They were also important refuges for the descendants of slaves who, despite the freedom granted their ancestors, were still rejected by Colombian society. The land provided roots, security, culture and a home for those without the resources of the urban elite. Their territory provided everything they needed. And then it was taken away.
In the South of Colombia, near Popayan, a group of peasant farmers are taking it back, illegally occupying territory which their families had depended on for generations, farming and stewarding the land until they were forced out. With very few options left, and a fervent desire to not be forced into wage slavery in neighbouring cities, these farmers are clearing the invasive species introduced by the multinational corporation, planting the foods of their childhood, and building shelters. They want to provide for themselves and their children. They want to take care of the land. One of them was killed for attempting to do so.
We filmed one of the groups who are occupying a tree plantation owned by Smurfit-Kappa, an Irish-American company who claims to be a leader in “sustainable packaging” despite their business model relying on planting invasive tree species which harms local flora and fauna, only to chop them down and send them to a saw mill. The farmers guard their occupied territory 24/7 and wear masks to protect their identities. We filmed them masked and distorted their voices for another layer of protection.
Their struggle is hyper local, but it is a story known, felt and told all over the world: more than just soil was lost when our land was taken from us. To liberate ourselves, we must liberate Earth. This is how.
We are deeply grateful to the farmers for entrusting their story to us and allowing us to film them. Major thanks also to M for connecting us to their struggle and translating throughout the day, and thanks to Juan and Samantha for their help translating the subtitles.
This film was organised, researched, shot, and edited by just the two of us. Part of Planet: Coordinate’s mission is to prove it is possible to make high impact documentaries on a low budget. We’re calling it guerrilla journalism, and we want you to know that you could do it, too.
We hope the film moves you, please let us know in the comments. We’re working on films 2–4 at the moment and filming the 5th in May. Your support makes this work possible. We hope you find it as valuable as we do.
Spanish, French and Arabic subtitles are currently being made and will be uploaded onto Youtube. We will let you know when these versions are available.
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