First Two Weeks in the Field:

So, Nathan and I are currently back in Coca - and just about to head back into the Jungle. The first two weeks have been busy, very busy and both Nathan and I have seen and witnessed a whole deal of things. Once we arrived in Coca from Quito, we got all of our supplies and headed up to San Jose de Payamino for a wedding. We arrived with the Party in full swing. We did a bit of dancing and a bit of eating (not sure what it was - some kind of bird which had been cooked/cremated for the occasion) and a lot of drinking. Everybody was incredibly welcoming and happy to see us ... the men kept giving us drinks and the women invited us to dance. All of this to a soundtrack of an ever repeating CD which was being blasted through a PA that had seen better days. The whole affair seemed very cheery except for the fact that the we witnessed as half of the party getting paraletically drunk. It was actually a very sad state of affairs with several people passed out lying on the floor. We managed to get away after a couple of hours and fell asleep to the muffled music on repeat. Funnily we woke up to the same soundtrack, which had not stopped. At about 11am I made my way back to see the aftermath, only to find that the people had not stopped drinking and were downing spirits ... This basically went on till 3 o`clock in the afternoon when the generator ran out of juice. I am not really sure how I feel about the whole drinking thing... Most of you who know me, know that I enjoy a drink or two and have seen in more than sorry state... but this was on another level. 

The amount of drinking that was done was not really right and I am not sure how much of it was in celebration and how much of it was in despair. Although people were cheery throughout the night, people seemed to laugh through sad eyes. There is a lot alcohol related problems in many communities and unlike the North American Indians, for whom as far as I know, the concept of alcohol was foreign until the colonization of the US, here alcohol is deeply entrenhed in the culture and you get offered a bowl of chicha (manioc brew - once tasted a 1000 times shy) which is alcoholic. It is part of the social fabric. Development or money in many cases just offers access to stronger (and more palatable) forms of alcohol... so, who can blame them really. The problem is that, the alcohol in the communities does have a hard hitting and sometimes tragically devastating effect, and although I refuse to hold any judgement on the matter, I wonder whether Nathan and I were direct witnesses to the effect of this. 

The day before yesterday, Nathan and I were going through some of the samples, when Lucio (our guide, coordinator of the project and a very good guy) came to we are staying telling us that they were in mourning, Whimper, had sadly passed, away having fallen from his canoe and drowned. He asked us for some torches and said that we should come with them to go and pick up the body. He also asked me to bring the camera to photograph the whole affair (something I felt I had to confirm several times) ... It was very sad and shook me to the core, we arrived at the beach, where Whimpers body was lying on the rocks, - a group of people sorrounding him and and his wife Lucy, wailing and obviously completely devastated by the sad event. We took the body to the communal house, where it was laid on a table, changed into dry clothes and surrounded with candles. Whilst I refuse to pass judgment on the events, I have to admit that I wonder what state Whimper was in. People know how to handle themselves on in the river, and whilst Lucy seemed to be sure that he had been sober the person that he had been was far from sober. I cannot and do not want to confirm the circumstance of his death, but I do wonder... again, I refrain from passing judgement, largely due to respect to both Whimper and his family - who have been very good to us ...

Our trip to Coca was thus tainted by this tragic event. Lucio, Vladimir (Whimpers 12 - ? - year old - who has been stoic throughout), Nathan and I had to go pick up a coffin first thing and saw them off to go back for the funeral. We will try to make it back today and take things from there. I am aware that the image that I have painted is the one of a community of alcoholics. This is of course a false and unintended. Most of the community does not drink in excess and for many alcohol is not an problem or an issue. On the other hand it would be naive and wrong to deny the fact that the reality exists, and turning a blind eye to these things, particularly when one is trying to work alongside development agencies is not only careless and and false romanticism, it is dangerous and morally inexcusable. That is my personal opinion. I have thought long and hard about the consequences of documenting this but I believe that not doing so and painting rosy pictures is false advertising. Things are what they are. Problems have roots and in most cases solutions. The question is, can you make those solutions a long term goal and put the things in motion.

The sad things aside, workwise the whole things has been great. Nathan and I have been working well together alongside Lucio and Benjamin and our sampling of the community has been going very, very well... We have seen quite a few things in the forest. Poison dart frogs and venomous snakes are amongst the highlights. Although Benjamin and Rafael made sure the snake did not remain poisonous for very long. Nathan and I were not sure, how to react, stating we would rather not kill it... but we again we couldn´t really tell them what they should and shouldn´t do.

The photographs are going very well... The community are happy to be photographed (including the tragically sad parts - getting consent has not been an issue) and I think I should have enough material for a book. My friend David (Straight) suggested I have another look at Trent Parks' Minutes to Midnight which is truly fantastic. Anyways, I switch of here and show some photos (click on them for larger versions)

Drinking 'Peach' Wine

The Newly married couple

Whimper RIP 14.09.2008