I Wonder Who Bewitched Us

Me Pregunto Quien Nos Embrujó

Tapukunin pita'q layccaruwaransi

(2017)

Peru has a long history of mining, since the pre-Inca era, minerals are dug up out of the earth. However, with the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century, the mining industry accelerated tremendously. Suddenly the entire South American continent got exploited for its numerous raw materials.
Today, in the 21st century, not much has changed, there are still many foreign -mostly Western- investors who see the continent as a cheap and easy place to dig for raw materials, like gold, silver and copper. Because of the extractivism politics, large multinationals are given free rein.

The negative impact of large-scale mines is enormous for local communities, which mainly consist of small-scale farmers. In the process of mining minerals, harmful chemicals are used, such as mercury or cyanide which inevitably end up in the environment. Water resources disappear due to the excessive water consumption of mines. The locals are thus confronted with severe pollution of their environment and water scarcity which (in)directly leads to health problems.

Simon Lenskens traveled through Peru for several months to get to know the stories of these people. He captured how they deal with the invasive mining companies, but also how life continues.
The consequences of the unbridled mining can not be underestimated. The minerals that are mined are not inexhaustible. Ultimately, the country will be left behind devastated while the proceeds will be somewhere abroad.