Lecture
Water and sugar: to industrialise or to liberate the land. A documentary from Colombia
This documentary shows in a mosaic narrative the situation around sugar cane, land and water use from different perspectives in the Cauca Valley of Colombia. The story is based on the academic research on water politics and conflict by the Water Resources Management group of Wageningen University and was developed by a team of Colombian/Dutch film makers.
Throughout the story, the spectator gets acquainted with the daily lives of people living and working in the Cauca Valley and the way their lives are affected by sugar cane mono-cropping: an old afro-Colombian couple reminiscing the past, two young brothers dreaming about their future, two agricultural engineers keen on sugar cane and the NASA indigenous people who want to free the land for other crops and build sustainable and dignified livelihoods.
The documentary gives insight in Colombia’s paradox: where the peace process and turbulent political situation demand continuous attention, the situation of injustice in land and water distribution is often underexposed. The 25 minutes lasting documentary was produced between 2015 and 2018.