Herney

Santiago Salazar Biermann

Colombia

33 x 50 cms [3937 x 5906 px]

Description:

These photos of Herney in Lerma, Bolivar, Cauca, Colombia weighing coca leaf, toasting and making preparations with it shows his inspiring and beautiful process of using the Coca Leaf as food, nutriment and as medicine.

This abundant territory at the 80’s when cocaine started its global popularity brought lots of fast money to a population that didn’t have access to it. Violence and death were what money brought; alcohol, parties, prostitution and guns were the causing of it.
The people get together and ask themselves if they want that future for the next generation. This was the question that made them become a territory of peace. The bars were closed, the alcohol prohibited, and the schools were focused on agriculture and art as disciplines for knowledge.

At the same time Herney with his family and other neighbors started a process of food sovereignty, and the use of the Coca Leaf using its nutritional properties, making with it salaries, juices, cookies, cakes, flour even ointments for healing.

Herney is a leader that has shown how this sacred plant could be used for many preparations and help feed the society. In 2020 they made a coca challenge with different local and professional chefs, please visit it at https://retococa.org/.

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