Festival
de Velas
"The festival of sails" -an ecological regatta
This event is held at the only time of the year when friend and foe will pull together on one rope.
from Charlotte Eichhorn
Nearly two decades ago, René Schärer initiated an ecological regatta. Since then, the event has been held annually when the wind conditions are the most stable - generally at the end of November or the beginning of December.
The idea of the competition had met with great approval: Which fisherman from which village is the best sailor on the traditional Jangadas? Today this competition is held in nearly every village along the coast of Ceára.
The "Festival de Velas" - Festival of Sails - is genuinely organised for the local fishermen only and not for the tourists. It begins with a feast and, uncommonly, with various evening events. Normally there is not much going on during the week, as the fishermen put out to sea before sunrise and return when the proximity to the equator causes darkness to fall by 6pm.
The following videos were made and edited under my supervision by young local people.
Sandra Weiss and Charlotte Eichhorn have been living and researching in Latin America for many years. In their reportages, they allow themselves to be immersed in completely different worlds. They get into the thick of it - and accompany their protagonists, sometimes for decades. This results in long-term, multidimensional observations.
Their reportages bear witness to the modernisation and globalisation of South America from the perspective of the people affected. The stories describe the resulting upheavals and problems as well as successful resistance and original alternatives. They are therefore an impressive and thought-provoking appeal to our Western civilisation
