"The Amazon
is a metaphor for the world” admits Bruce Parry, UK ex-mariner, ardent adventurist
and presenter. His riveting journey exposed naked truths of the Homo sapiens,
floras and faunas throbbing in Amazon. Although he had prior experiences with
forests and tribes this documentary series gave him grotesque and yet pulsating
revelations. His earlier series “Tribe"
had received immense and immediate global attention.
"Amazon with
Bruce Parry", is an exhilarating 6 episode series produced and broadcasted
by BBC. Bruce escapade spanned about 7 months and over 6.800km through the
Amazon. The story begins with the disputed origin of Amazon, at around 5000 meters
high at the Andes Mountain. The droplets melting out of the ice from Andes
makes it the biggest ecological glamor. Bruce spends time with the Alpaca farmers
who live near the origin, Nevado Mismi.
Every year tons of soil swept away from Sahara desert by
wind and are deposited in the Amazon. This process has empowered Amazon for
millions of years, a global commute. Amazon is one of the largest respiratory organ of the earth. It is a jungle of mystery with
thousands of rich diversified species of floras and faunas. Every year a huge
percentage of forest disappears silently and the pace of environmental disaster
is unquestioned.
For the indigenous, Amazon rainforest is the lifeline
of their existence and for decades they are being haunted by poachers, ranchers
and multi-nationals. Bruce says “It's about the hopes and wishes of
indigenous communities trying to grapple with a mad modern world where they
face losing their language, identity and in some cases, their lives. It's about
people who are so important to the world, who could teach us all so much in
these troubled times. That's what Tribe is to me.”
The series clearly portrays the tribe’s resistance to
permit Bruce and his crew into their community. However, he stays with Achuar
people (who had contact with the outside world for less than 40 years) where he
tried the sacred drink Ayahuasca. His lessons from Ayahuasca was moving, his ego has prevented him from seeing the visions. Despite of true efforts, the tribes treats
Bruce with suspicious eyes. Bruce contemplates, the tribes are getting reunited,
alerted to protect and preserve their traditions from intruders.
The petroleum companies are bustling in the Amazon
basin and the ecology is disrupted. The fishes started to die, soils/land and
fresh water system are polluted from oil spills and other chain of ecological
impacts. On the other hand, some regions of the Amazon are extremely dangerous
and are occupied by deadly coca planters and poachers. Bruce and crew had true
grit to encounter closely the production of cocaine in an undisclosed location
hidden under the woods. They luckily escaped from the raids of the patrolling
helicopter. The nature of this business is prickly and threatening. These planters
take huge risk in planting coca plants for a meager price of $100 which is sold
out for millions in the international market. These planters are poor, however they are part of the chain. Where us the middlemen or dealers mints a huge chunk of money.
After a treacherous and exciting trekking through the
Peruvian Amazon he enters the Brazilian Amazon, he was welcomed by the Carnival
festival at Benjamin Constant. Interestingly Amazon River takes on many names until reaching Brazil.
He had a very memorable and stark experience with the tribes in the Brazilian
Amazon as well. He visits Grota Rica and uncovers a widespread excavation by humans for gold. Bruce winds up his journey in the Para state in Brazil where huge deforestation is undergoing for cattle farming. Here the battle between
the ranchers and indigenous is red hot.
I strongly recommend watching this documentary which
will offer a deep understanding of Amazon rainforest and its living beings
associated with it. The sheer scale of exploitation in Amazon has been a flaming pot for decades and a little has been done. This documentary peeps into the
realities of the indigenous and the scale of wide sprung deforestation, perhaps the
largest exploitation by human beings on the planet. It is an awakening call to the whole humanity.
Follow the links of articles, videos and photos.
Fragile earth, an article on extensive gold mining
Fragile earth, an article on extensive gold mining
An excellent coverage’s about the oil spills in Amazon
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/dec2010/2010-12-06-092.html
Video footage from Youtube
