The morning sunset was looming, like every day I went out hunting to bring food home. My wife does the housework and takes care of the children. I walked several kilometers to catch an animal and back, a quick task thanks to my experience. My eldest son was old enough to teach him the different hunting techniques.

One day while I was coming back from hunting, I found myself in a deserted field, trees cut down for mining work, a desolate environment. The cause of the present deforestation is a company that extracts minerals from the soil, extending to occupy a large part of the place, causing the migration of fauna.

I kept on practicing agriculture and hunting, but the place I once knew  was no longer the same. There were no trees, the watersheds were polluted and the air we breathed no longer felt as pure as before, consequences left by the extraction of the soil.

The company becomes one of the richest multinationals in the world, but in its wake, it is the cause of a change in the context of families, who no longer have access to the natural means of survival, Leading them to adapt to western life. Likewise, generating a great impact on the soil, water and air on the environment of the community. Thus leaving communities at risk and with an uncertain future.

We invite you to learn more about this story on Rafael’s personal Youtube channel by clicking here.

Rafael was also interviewed in the sixth episode of our podcast:

The Wayuu Community and the Coal Mine in La Guajira