¡Vamos a ... Latin America!

We, Ghader, Iván and Julia - the team of "Images of - Latin America" – embarked on a very special working trip at the end of August. For three weeks we went to - you guessed it - Latin America. The goal was to get new impressions of different regions of Latin America, to enable a personal exchange with our project participants, to get to know their projects and networks and to strengthen the connection to Schleswig-Holstein. With this report we want to share a little bit of our trip with you and try to give insights into three extremely different Latin American regions.

CHILE

The first stop of the trip was Santiago de Chile. After a rather long journey from Kiel, we arrived tired but healthy in the Chilean capital and had to get used to the new language, climate and time zone and culture. Already during the drive to the hotel we were impressed by the view of the snow-covered Andes. Santiago is surrounded by mountains and almost everywhere in the city you can catch a glimpse of the Andes. For us (elective) coastal children, of course, nothing everyday. But not only the Andes were an eye-catcher. The highest building in South America also jumped right into our eyes, the Costanera Gran Torre, which towers in the middle of the city.

Vising the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung in Chile

The first days we were struggeling to fight the jetlag. After all, we had planned a lot for our stay and of course wanted to explore the city. Our colleagues at the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Chile gave us a good introduction to unseren Arbeitsalltag vor Ort. We gratefully accepted the invitation to visit the office and exchange information about our work and projects. In Chile, the Heinrich Böll Foundation works with its partners for a social-ecological transformation and the promotion of democratic structures in the Andean region. The focus is on energy and environmental policy, mining and resource distribution, human rights and feminism. There are many overlaps with topics that also concern us.

Finally in person meetings

Not only did we get to know the employees of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation Chile, we were also finally able to meet our Chilean project participants. Since we had only seen them via the screen until our trip, this was particularly exciting. For several days, we sat down together in a coworking space in Santiago, reflected on the first six months and the project in general, got an idea of their work, identified needs, gave input on international collaboration and media attention, and most importantly, worked together on our Spring School. Particularly valuable were also the insights and experiences of the participants about life in Chile and the exchange about the situation on the ground.

A trip to the pacific ocean

Together with two participants, we left Santiago looked beyond at the end of the week. For a networking meeting with local women entrepreneurs, we went to Valparaiso, a colorful coastal city on the Pacific Ocean. The streets are littered with graffiti and street art, and the city has a unique, vibrant charm. We also made a quick stop at the city beach to dip our feet in the (very cold!) Pacific Ocean.

Exploring Santiago

Besides all the meetings, we of course tried to see as much of Santiago de Chile as possible. Santiago is an impressive city with sights such as the presidential palace, La Mondea, which gained worldwide fame during the Pinochet coup in the 1970s or the Plaza de Armas, which is the main square of Santiago. It is surrounded by historical landmarks and serves as a meeting place for locals and tourists alike. One of our highlights was definitely the trip to the Cerro San Cristobal. We took the cable car up the elongated hill, from the top of which we had a breathtaking view of the city. But not only the view of Santiago impressed us, we were also introduced to Mote con Huesillos. This is a non-alcoholic drink made from peach juice, wheat groats (mote) and dried peaches (huesillos). Of course we also had to stop by the Mercado Central. Santiago has a lively market culture, at the various markets in the city you can buy almost anything, from clothing or technology to regional food. Speaking of food: this was not so easy for vegetarians in Santiago. But we didn't starve - and the Chilean wine easily balanced this out.

BOLIVIEN

After a week in Chile, we moved on to the next stop on our trip: La Paz in Bolivia. La Paz is the highest administrative capital in the world and is located in the altiplano plateau of the Andes at more than 3,500 meters above sea level. And you feel it. Landing at this altitude presents special challenges to the body and there is a risk of altitude sickness.

The old town and markets in La Paz

After arriving in La Paz quite early in the morning, we tried very slowly to approach the new city and to get used to the altitude. This worked surpringly well on the day of our arrival. Fortunately, we arrived in La Paz in time for the annual Pedestrian Day. While the streets are usually crowded with cars, we were able to stroll along them in a relaxed manner and get a good view of the city.

We spent the first day exploring the old town. The main square, Plaza Murillo, is a lively place with the Presidential Palace and San Francisco Cathedral. The narrow streets and colonial architecture are a reminder of Bolivia's past. As in Santiago, La Paz is home to some exciting markets in the city where you can buy souvenirs, jewelry and delicious snacks. The witch's market, El Mercado de las Brujas, has particularly stood out, with some interesting products, such as llama fetuses, which are traditionally used as sacrificial offerings.

Taking the cable car through the city

The Teleférico cable car serves as a means of public transportation in La Paz, which was put into service in 2014 to improve the infrastructure. The cable car network extends over a length of about 30 km and consists of 10 cable car lines, making it currently the world's largest urban cable car network. The Teleférico does not only provide efficient transportation, but also spectacular views of the city and surrounding mountains. However, we recommend not being afraid of heights.

Workshops with our participants

In La Paz, we again met many interesting people and held workshops with our participants. Just like in Santiago, we were very happy to meet in person the people, which are normally behind  Zoom tiles. Again, we allowed plenty of time to evaluate the “Images of Lateinamerika” project and work together on Spring School 2024. We held our monthly network meeting hybridly on this occasion. During our workshops we were accommodated in the premises of AOPEB (Association of Organic Producer Organizations of Bolivia).

Daytrip to Lake Titicaca

On our day off, we wanted to get out of the city and took a trip to Lake Titicaca. At over 3,800 meters above sea level, it is the highest navigable lake in the world. After about three hours of driving, we reached the small town of Copacabana on the shore of the lake, which is the perfect starting point for an exploration tour. The lake is of special interest not only because of its exceptional geographical location, but also because of its unique culture and history. The region is of great historical and cultural importance. It was once the center of the Inca Empire and legends say that the first Inca rulers were born on Isla del Sol in Lake Titicaca.

Back in La Paz, it was almost time to pack our bags and travel to the next country. But the city, so full of contrasts, indigenous traditions and surrounded by breathtaking scenery, will definitely remain in our memories.

COLUMBIA

All good things come in threes, we thought, and traveled on to Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, for our third week. Although we were glad not to be exposed to the altitude of La Paz anymore, we went straight back up high. We first got an overview of the city from Guadalupe Mountain. From there we could get an idea of how big and spacious Bogotá is.

Visiting the office of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Colombia

As in Santiago, we accepted the invitation to visit the Heinrich Böll Foundation's office in Colombia. The office works mainly with actors of the Colombian civil society on the topics of environmental and resource protection, energy and climate as well as on democracy promotion, human rights, gender and peace. The local staff showed us where they support projects and which organizations they work with. We were particularly impressed by the variety and number of publications, some of which we were kindly allowed to take with us.

Meeting with our columbian participants

With our Colombian participants we completed a similar program as in the cities before and again gratefully noted that we were able to work together in a very friendly atmosphere. All our participants took several days to work with us, to create “Images of Lateinamerika” together and gave us valuable insights into their home countries. We were able to learn from each other and strengthen each other.

On tour through Bogotá

In our off-hours, we explored Bogotá's historic center, La Candelaria, which offers a characteristic flair with its colonial buildings, narrow streets and lively street performers. Here you'll find most of Bogotá's sights and street art upon street art reflecting its diverse and turbulent culture. On almost every house wall there are murals to admire.

Of course, we also tested some local specialties like tamales (cornmeal porridge in a plant leaf), arepas (flat corn patties) and empanadas (stuffed dumplings). In the markets of the city, we had the opportunity to taste regional fruits that we did not know from Germany.

Trip to the Cabildo Pijao

At the end of the week we went out of the city again. We were invited by the indigenous Pijao community to gain insight into their everyday life and traditions. After a drive through the picturesque Colombian countryside, we reached the village of Mesas de Inca. On site, we were warmly welcomed by members of the community, who demonstrated traditional dances and songs, and allowed us to experience rituals that are deeply rooted in the community. We also learned a lot about the art and culture of the Pijao and tasted typical dishes. Additionally we also saw and experienced the impact that climate change is already having on the community and its everyday life.

The End

Three countries in three weeks, that was really a lot and we could have and wanted to see so much more. Latin America has so much to offer. From moving history to breathtaking landscapes. And we only saw a small fraction. Still, we were able to broaden our Images of Latinamerika and maybe carry a few further through our experiences and stories. 

We would like to thank all the people we met and got to know face-to-face, who were so warm and hospitable to us and who made our trip an unforgettable experience. We will hold the memories of this trip dearly for a long time.