Jan Sochor was born in the Czech Republic but he is changing his base between South America and Europe frequently, he lived and worked in Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Spain and the Czech Republic in the last five years. America has become a major theme for him since then. He focuses on documentary projects trying to show and tell about Latin America, its everyday life, social, political and cultural issues. His photographs and stories have appeared in numerous Czech and international magazines, newspapers and websites, including Sunday Times, National Geographic, Reuters, Burn magazine, Foto8, 100Eyes, UNESCO, Boston Review, PDN online, NACLA Report, Adbusters magazine, The Vienna Review, Czech Television, Reflex, Instinkt, Koktejl, Xantypa, MF DNES, Hospodarske noviny.
Nukak Maku: Stuck between Worlds
(San Jose del Guaviare, Colombia, 2009)
The Nukak Maku people, a nomadic indian tribe from Amazonia, were violently driven out of the jungle by the Colombian guerilla and paramilitary squads. Since the time of the first contact, more than a half of Nukak have died of the western diseases like flu. Now, roughly cut off their original tribal lifestyle in refugee camps, they stuck between worlds. They learn from the (mainly Christian) aid workers to use clothes, to listen to the radio, to beg for money despite the fact they do not understand these concepts. Although their digestion suffer, they love to eat sweets, cookies and other western food. They have hunted out all the animals around and now there is nothing left for them. Nukak can not return to the jungle, their world has already passed through an irreversible change.
Tags: Amazonia, Colombia, San Jose del Guaviare 
(12 votes, average: 3.25 out of 5)
Loading ...
