Parasisi

Deep down in the Amazon rainforest, on the banks of the Lawa River, between Suriname and French-Guyana, live the Wayana people. The peaceful existence of this indigenous population was shattered in 1885, with the discovery of gold in the region. Since then, the presence of outsiders has left deep, lasting scars in their population. Illegal gold mining poisons the river, missionaries suppress their indigenous identity, and even well-intentioned doctors with the best reviews leave behind a silent but violent legacy. These outsiders refer to the Wayana people as ‘parasisi’.

This poetic black-and-white documentary follows both the visible disruptions and the subtle echoes of the past, and shows how postcolonial mechanisms still exist. ‘Parasisis’ poses an urgent question about sovereignty, who truly belongs on their own ancestral land..