There is a beautiful custom in Chocó, a region on the Colombian Pacific coast: to hang photographs on the main wall in the entrance of a house. It is a way for people to tell their guests about their family and friends and their anecdotes. Andrés Mauricio Mosquera, known as "Waosolo", is a young photographer that likes to contribute to this tradition. He likes to take photos of typical stories happening in the varied and diverse landscapes of his region. And he uses them to positively brand the Chocó. He starts a dialogue with people in different cities, pathways or rivers, and makes a photo of them while they work, or walk, or play and shares that with the rest of the country and the world.
The DNA of the Chocó region: fading of the sea with the jungle; the fusion of three ethnicities (Afro, Indigenous, and Mestizo); its endemic biodiversity, and its unique location between two oceans (Pacific and Atlantic).
That is Enamórate del Chocó: a digital platform that promotes a positive image of the Colombian Pacific. Waosolo, his founder, grew up in Quibdó, a city in the Colombian Pacific between the Atrato river and the heart of the jungle. While studying in the fine arts Academy, he realized that most of the images that represented his region were negative or impoverished the people. He then had the question of why an image of something that was common for him, like playing in his underwear as a kid under the rain (in a region where rains about 200 days per year) meant poverty for others. Since that moment he started working in positioning the Pacific Region from another perspective: as a positive reference of the diversity in the territory, contributing to peacebuilding with images. Through his photographic projects, he wants to expose people, culture, traditions, and diversity, giving a frame to common scenes of everyday life in the region, therefore, adding value to the common.
Photos: enamoratedelchoco.co
Waosolo took the first steps into turning around the perception of the region,and since then it has been a success! More and more people know his photographs and recognize the cultural and natural diversity of Chocó. The impact of this initiative in the region has been huge, setting the path to tens of young Chocoanos and Chocoanas to also use photography (or dance, singing, art and sports or any other sort of media) as a way to tell their own stories. And it has reached other regions in the country, who also want to seduce Colombia to fall in love with them. Besides a photographic gallery, Enamorate del Chocó is a cultural agenda and a referent of positive news of the region. The opening of new cultural spaces, the recognition of local artists and weekend concerts have an echo in this platform. The 21st century is a visual world; it took many decades for the first black and white photos of a young city of Quibdó to make an impact in Waosolo, photos which inspired him to start makes photography of his own. But even is today´s world where everything is visual, he also offers rest sharing sounds: of nature, of traditional songs, of the rain. This century is the time for the Chocó region to be known via all the senses. If you like to visit the photogallery, go to: www.enamoratedelchoco.co
"We are the only trademark in Chocó that is made by a young Chocoano, who works in benefit of Chocó." Waosolo
Comments