On February 23, 2022 the Xapiri Ground team held a self-documentation youth workshop using instant photography in Yarinacocha, Pucallpa at the center of Bari Wesna. The method for the workshop was to form into separate groups led by photographers David Díaz Gonzales, Tui Anandi and Davis Torres, who would guide the students through the use of the Fuji Instax camera and the development of their story in the Indigenous community of Bena Jema (Pucallpa, Peru).

A synopsis of the visual narratives

by Davis Torres (a participating workshop leader from Xapiri Ground)

Xapiri Ground had been planning a photography workshop with the Shipibo youth for a few months now, with the intention of motivating them to express their environment with a tool that is the camera without fear of describing that which they wanted to show. What we did first was to conduct a survey in Yarinacocha for young people who were interested in participating in the workshop, with the collaboration of David Díaz Gonzales, who was our bridge to find the place and make the call to the local young people.

Upon arriving in Yarinacocha and obtaining the space from Bari Wesna, we focused on connecting with the youth in order to achieve the intended goal to inspire them, introducing them to Xapiri Ground and the photography workshop. The method for the workshop was to group them into three groups of three, along with photographers David Díaz Gonzales, Tui Anandi and myself Davis Torres, who were in charge of guiding them through the use of the Fuji Instax camera and the development of their story.

Each group brainstormed ideas to produce their distinct stories, whether they were about daily life, their neighborhood, their culture, or their textiles made by their families. When deciding the main theme, that is to say that each group had a main theme to do, each student expressed a different perspective of the same theme, which was interesting because of the explanation they shared at the end of the workshop.

At the end of the photo session, we went to the library of Bari Wesna with the intention of showing the finished work and the explanation of the photo session, coinciding with the photographic experience of each student.

Wesna Daniela, part of the group led by Tui Anandi remarks:

̈What I wanted to show with each photo is the daily life of the community of Bena Jema, children playing, dirt streets and painted walls. This is Bena Jema¨

To have been part of the workshop as a guide in my group, was a privilege, it was something fascinating and very sensitive, how young people are ready to show their world and learn from the photographic art, showing with a simplicity and with eyes that observe everything that happens in their environment. For me it is a way to communicate and tell a real story so that young people can connect with photography, it is a way to portray their history, their community, their art, their environment, their life. It's a small example that photography can connect everyone no matter where we come from.

These original recordings and photography are an ongoing part of our many visits to Indigenous communities and the creative workshops that we share amongst the youth.

This project was realized on February 23, 2022 and was made possible through the support of David Díaz Gonzales, Bari Wesna and the community of Bena Jema in Pucallpa, Ucayali, Peru.

Support this project so that we may continue to bridge worlds through art and creative media.

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Workshop Leaders: David Díaz Gonzales, Tui Anandi, Davis Torres, Jack Wheeler

Video edition: Melanie Dizon

Photography: Davis Torres, Jack Wheeler

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© Xapiri Ground 2023. All rights reserved.

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