Film presentation and lecture by Henriette Stierlin, literary scholar and anthropologist, Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich.
The Lake Poopo, situated at 4.000 m at the Bolivian Altiplano, is one of the biggest lakes in Bolivia. It is home to the Uru indigenous group since pre-Columbian times. They have relied heavily on water as the main natural resource in the region. The Uru Muratos were fishermen and used to live on floating islands made of totora reed, whose roots were also used as food. When in 2015 the lake suddenly disappeared due to climate change, the Urus were threatened in their cultural identity and physical existence. The short film – as the starting point for a lecture – is a snapshot from July 2019 and opens the discussion on sensitive ecological issues and their reflection from an indigenous perspective.
Documentary film by Henriette Stierlin and Claudia Hegglin, Bolivia, 2019, 8'30'', Language: Spanish; English subtitles.
