Work in Progress...
This is the story of Julio Pinedo, the direct descendant of Prince Uchicho, a West-African monarch who was brought to Bolivia as a slave sometime around 1820. Pinedo and his family lead a unassuming and humble life in the village of Mururata, three hours drive from the city of La Paz. This area, known as The Yungas, is where the Afro-Bolivian population is concentrated (why). In 2007, President Morales ceremoniously crowned Julio Pinedo, an act of significant symbolism to the Afro-Bolivian community. African heritage has suffered from the vicissitudes of the so-called middle passage and slavery and so Pinedo is a important source of cultural identity and belonging among Afro-Bolivians. Pinedo wields no political power, nor does he wish to. He is content in his quiet life as a farmer. He and his family were offered a larger home, which he declined. His son, Prince Roland, perhaps with higher ambitions, is currently studying ____ in La Paz and regularly visits his family.
These are the photographs from the week I spent with King Julio and his family in August, 2017. This project is by all means in its preliminary stage, I will be returning soon to develop it further.
