TITLE: The Edge of the Forest

Inhabitants of Prospérité have been rushing into the forest at the slightest noise from quads or excavators to stand in the way of machines and prevent deforestation. Their village, located in French Guiana (an overseas territory located in South America), is less than two kilometers away from the construction site of a disputed power plant. 16 hectares of Amazon rainforest have already been cut down.

Since its inception, this innovative project combining photovoltaic panels and hydrogen energy storage has sparkled fierce opposition from local residents. The planned construction site is right in the middle of the “living zone” of the villagers who belong to the Indigenous Kali’na community. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they engage in subsistence hunting, fishing and slash-and-burn agriculture. These practices, forming an integral part of Kali’na cultural identity, promote the physical well-being of the inhabitants, strengthen the social fabric of the community and would be jeopardized by the implementation of the power plant.

While it is essential to turn to renewable energies in the context of climate change, the transition cannot be made at the cost of sacrificing the most vulnerable populations whose ways of life have in fact contributed little to global carbon emissions.

Between mid-April and mid-May 2023, I lived during one month in the village to document the links between the community’s cultural identity and the rainforest, as well as the daily struggle against deforestation and the power plant. The resulting series is the first chapter of a long-term project about Indigenous struggles in the Americas. I hope to provide food for thought about the impact that industrial, mining and energy projects can have on Indigenous peoples' health, rights and traditions, and how those communities are fighting back.

AUTHOR: Yann Lenzen (France)

Yann Lenzen (b. 1995) is a traveler and documentary photographer from France undertaking long-term projects on social, environmental and political issues.

He has lived in France, Germany, the UK and Canada, and has traveled extensively in Europe, the Middle-East, Asia, North-Africa, and the Americas. Motivated by ecological reasons and an adventurous soul, he has been avoiding flights during his journeys. For instance, he hitchhiked most of the way from France to China (2017 – 2018), traveled by land and sea from France to Senegal (2019) and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to Latin America (2023).

Yann’s academic background ranges from English and German literature and history (BA – 2016) to Political Science and International Law (MA – 2021). He took the second degree to deepen his understanding of contemporary issues and focused on climate change, migration dynamics and human rights. His Master’s thesis tackles the history of humanitarian photography in Africa.

His photographic approach is one of ethnographic participant observation. He tries to delve into communities and develop a relationship of mutual trust as a prerequisite to produce both intimate and compelling imagery. His work has been published, exhibited and awarded internationally.

He is currently developping a long-term project about the way industrial, mining and energy companies often endanger Indigenous communities’ health, rights and traditional lifestyles, and how those communities are fighting back.