Merchants in the temple.

“The Pachamama is the Mother Earth in the language of the native Bolivian population. They believe in cycle of nature”. Jörg Brüggemann, freelance photographer based in Berlin with a marked propensity for social issues, presents with these words his project dedicated to Bolivia. “In the 90s”, he explains, “Bolivia privatized 75% of its natural gas resources. The contracts made between the neoliberal government and transnational cooperations were corrupted. The Bolivian population never got one penny or even a gas port in their homes”. As often happens the early signs of exploitation of a people are reflected by the wounds inflicted to the landscape. “In 2005 leftish Evo Morales”, Jörg adds, “was elected as the first indigious president of Bolivia. He renationalized the country’s gas resources by the force of the army. A couple of month before his election I photographed the net of gas pipelines throughout the country”.

Photo:

© Courtesy of Jörg Brüggemann

www.joergbrueggemann.com

(click on the image at right for more pictures)