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Speaker Will Chronicle Ecuadorian Natives' Triumph Over Big Oil
11/12/2009
AURORA, Ill. — Aurora University will host award-winning documentary filmmaker Larry Lansburgh in "David and Goliath in the Amazon" at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, in Crimi Auditorium in the Institute for Collaboration, 407 S. Calumet Ave. in Aurora.
The public is invited. Admission is free. Lansburgh will discuss and show clips from "Dream People of the Amazon," his documentary that tells the story of the Achuar, indigenous people who live in a remote and pristine part of the Amazon rain forest in southeastern Ecuador.
Lansburgh won an Emmy award and an Academy Award nomination for his documentaries.
Lansburgh said, "The Achuar had no contact with the outside world until the early 1970s. Today, while still retaining their traditional culture, they are becoming increasingly sophisticated about the world beyond their forest.
"They know that the outside world is desperate for the oil that lies under their territory. They also know that oil operations have brought environmental and cultural devastation to their indigenous neighbors in northeastern Ecuador, only a few hundred miles away."
Faced with this threat to their existence, Lansburgh said, the Achuar followed an ancient tradition. They looked to their dreams for guidance. Many elders had been having similar dreams, and their interpretation of those dreams was stunning: if they were to defend themselves from the destruction of oil operations, they should seek alliances in the very world that was about to destroy them.
"Dream People" is the first film the Achuar people have allowed to be made in their territory. Overcoming their shyness of cameras, they shared their knowledge, customs, and spiritual beliefs. They told how their dreams have protected their forest and their society - and could even help guide others to a sustainable future on the planet.
Lansburgh's program is sponsored by the university's Latin American Student Organization and the Schingoethe Center for Native American Cultures.
Call (630) 844-6259 for more information.
