NEW GOAL: 3000 €! (more info at the bottom of the page)

Testimonials from ancestral lands is a photographic report about the demarcation of indigenous territories in Brazil and what it generates at the environmental and human level. The goal is to promote indigenous culture and its proximity to nature.

Who am I ?

My name is Antoine, I'm 27 years old, I'm a photographer, Breton and a strong supporter of our environment!

I have always been fascinated by the representation of the world through images. So after two years of Applied Arts, I turned to photography and made it my job. I realised several photographic projects related to notions that are dear to me such as environment, ecology and cultural diversity. Curious about the different visions and way of life of people on earth, I am interested in the multiple cultures that populate our planet through an anthropological and artistic approach.

So, I went to Ireland, a few years ago, to do a report on people living in autarky, through woofing. Similarly, in 2016, I lived for several days in an isolated village in the mountains of northern Spain, and later made a photographic book about the relationship between man and nature. In 2018, I had the opportunity to travel to Norway where I was interested in northern mythology to try to apprehend the surrounding landscapes.

The project

Three years ago, I went to Brazil for five months to start a report on the indigenous condition, places and lifestyles. Native culture and its proximity to nature is a subject that has always fascinated and challenged me. The meeting with different native representatives was for me a real revelation, I understood that in my scale I could help them and so I continue my project.

Throughout my research and meetings, the idea has been refined to focus more specifically on the study of the demarcation of territories.

It is a study that officially demarcates an indigenous territory and guarantees indigenous peoples an inalienable right to live and be the owners of their ancestral lands. The official demarcation of a territory protects it from all exploitation by third parties, which contributes to the protection of the natural areas in order to limit the deforestation and to avoid an ecological upheaval. (for more info click on the video)

During my last trip, thanks to the contact with the local populations, I noticed that the demarcation of the territories was not completed and that some villages lived in very bad conditions.

The current situation, due to the new policy introduced in Brazil, is more and more precarious, and other changes are coming ...

In front of this reality, I realised that I had to act and so I decided to organise this project, to go there to meet the local people, support them in their fight by bringing my help directly on the spot, for example by working with environmental associations or assisting indigenous communities.

In view of the urgency of the situation, it seems important to me to be able to give the floor to the indigenous peoples and to widely disclose the information. So I would like, with the help of my photographic report, to realise several cultural events (conferences, exhibitions, workshops) in Brazil and in Europe with indigenous representatives so that they themselves can tell their story.

The trip

I plan to go to Belem, in the state of Pará next March. It seems important to me to have an anchor point (housing in Belem) during this report in order to keep in touch with the different actors of the project.

I will move in the state of Pará, using contacts I know on site, to visit the various villages and reserves.

Témoignages de terres ancestrales_ par Antoine Buquen

The publications