Mexico
From the Ocean Across the Sierra
What is La Marabunta Filmadora?La Marabunta Filmadora is a collective based in Sonora, Mexico, who use Participatory Video to defend territories, culture, rights and nature. The group is formed of Indigenous youth, women and men from Yaqui and Comcaac communities who have been practicing Participatory Video since they were initially trained by InsightShare in 2010. La Marabunta Filmadora was founded in 2015. Since then, the Comcaac and Yaqui facilitators have been working in their communities and beyond, using video techniques and their own vision to create changes within and between communities. InsightShare’s From the Ocean Across the Sierra project (2017-2019) supported the capacity building of La Marabunta Filmadora, resulting in an autonomous organisation who have now seeded several Participatory Video projects in the Northwestern Mexico region — and internationally.
Sharing video techniques for Indigenous rights in MexicoDuring the period of the From the Ocean Across the Sierra project, La Marabunta Filmadors collaborated and co-created with seven Indigenous groups: Comcaac, Yaqui, Mayo, Yoreme, Makurawe or Guarijio, Tepehuano and Ralamuli from different regions of the Sierra Tarahumara. The work of La Marabunta Filmadora now covers Sonora, Chihuahua and Sinaloa. Through trainings and participation in events, La Marabunta Filmadora has ignited many community processes aimed at territorial defence and bicultural resilience, and encouraged communities to use participatory media to become their own media resource. |
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How is video being used to protect people and land?
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Capacity building and self-determination through Participatory VideoLa Marabunta Filmadora are now the leading Indigenous collective offering participatory video facilitation and implementation in Mexico and Latin America. Not only have the team become experts in Participatory Video facilitation, but have also expanded their technical skills in organisational management, project development, implementation and reporting. The collective have begun taking on contracts for their Participatory Video services, contributing to their autonomy and self-determination. |
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Solidarity amongst Indigenous communities in Latin America — and global movement buildingAt Participatory Video trainings in Mexico City and Veracruz, participants came from five different countries: Ecuador, Brazil, Guatemala, Brazil, Mexico and the UK. Representatives from the Indigenous nations of Tsetal, Maya and Amuzgo also attended. Through these trainings during the period of the From the Ocean Across the Sierra project, La Marabunta Filmadora have created a new cohort of Indigenous and non-indigenous Participatory Video practitioners and facilitators including postgraduate students, activists and researchers. Films from the collective were screened by Extinction Rebellion in London in October 2019, and were also shared with delegates at the Video4Change gathering of Indigenous African activists in South Africa. Members of La Marabunta Filmadora travelled to Brazil to deliver a training in 2019, and to Ecuador as part of an exchange with Indigenous media, film and human rights collectives there. |
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