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“When Two Worlds Collide,” a film that narrates the events that led to the “Baguazo” massacre in 2009 and its political and social aftermath, premieres in Lima, Peru Thursday.
The film presents a unique angle, focusing on the perspectives of the Indigenous people and others victims. These voices mainly blame the neoliberal Peruvian government for the 22 deaths and seek reconciliation.
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The name Baguazo is derived from the Bagua area in the northeastern Amazonian region of Peru where the events took place. The case has become a symbol of Indigenous people protecting their environment and culture from free trade policies by a neoliberal government. The film crew was present during the events covering the protests but was not expecting such dramatic developments.
The documentary has already received a series of awards starting with Best Debut Feature at the Sundance Film Festival, Best Documentary Film at the Shanghai Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Zurich Film Festival, among others.
After the violence, the team followed Alberto Pizango—one of the Indigenous leaders—recording exclusive footage of him as he was persecuted by the Peruvian government and had to escape through the roofs of building to get political asylum in Nicaragua.
At the time, Pizango was the president of the Inter-Ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Jungle and served as the voice of the Indigenous communities who were protesting. He negotiated in their name with the government and was blamed by authorities and media after violence broke out.
The protest was sparked by various measures approved without consultation by the government limiting the rights of Indigenous people in their communal lands in order to comply with the free trade deal between Peru and the United States.
Soon after, the Awajun-Wampis from the Bagua area rose up and were supported by hundreds of other Indigenous communities. On June 5, 2009, close to 2,000 Indigenous people blocked a main road in the area as an act of civil disobedience for 50 days. Other Indigenous groups, in solidarity, seized a national oil plant and natural gas pipelines feeding electricity to the capital.
However, the government of President Alan Garcia decided to use force that day to open the road and the resulting confrontations left 10 protestors and 12 police officers dead.
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The film also includes relatives of the Indigenous people and police victims showing their suffering and courage. It follows Felipe Bazan, father of a police officer who was disappeared and who hoped to find his son or at least his remains. Bazan concludes, however, that government officials are to blame.
Similarly, the film shows Flor Vasquez, wife of diseased police chief Miguel Montenegro, who claims that if the Indigenous people would have known her husband they would have protected him. However, she concludes that she seeks reconciliation with the Indigenous population.
The documentary shows how the government approach led by Garcia was disdainful from the start with the president stating that “a small group of savages cannot stop the progress of 29 million Peruvians.” Other high-ranking authorities also followed the same rhetoric including Prime Minister Yehude Simon and Interior Minister Mercedes Cabanillas.
The film also documents how local media contributed in polarizing the issue, making a peaceful resolution impossible. It shows several journalists taking the side of the government and openly dismissing any legitimate claims of the protesters.
In one case, Mariella Balbi interviewed Pizango on her live television show, only to state that the government had to resolve the issue in any way possible adding, “I’m not going to go without electricity because of your protest.”
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At a press conference, the film co-director Heidi Brandenburg explained that their goal was to “open up a dialogue about people's values, the extractive industries, and the environmental impact, showing as well the importance of the Amazon for Peru.”
She also noted the difficulties in making the film, “There were high risks while filming especially recording during the protests” and also “it was difficult to maintain funding for the eight years that it took us to produce the film.” She added that establishing a relationship of trust with the Indigenous people was a challenge “because they have had bad experiences with many journalists.”
The Indigenous actions eventually forced the government to repeal the free trade measures under dispute. It was a political victory for the social movement. However, the film criticizing how Indigenous leaders are being prosecuted for the events but none of the political authorities responsible have faced any legal action.
Although the Indigenous leaders, including Pizango, have won the first trial in court, which declared them innocent, there are three more trials to come. One positive aspect of the trial for the Indigenous people was that one of the arguments accepted in their defense is that protection of the environment superseded rules against civil disobedience and intercultural interpretations of the legal system.
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