The Kichwa people of Sarayaku in the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest have always held a physical and spiritual connection with the jungle and its Supreme Beings in order to maintain equilibrium within their world. They believe in the Kawsak Sacha or Living Forest. The Kawsak Sacha is based on the idea that the jungle is a living, conscious and rights-bearing entity in which all elements, including the plants, animals, humans, rivers, wind, stars, etc., are alive, have a spirit and are interconnected. If one aspect of this is damaged, it will trigger a chain reaction affecting all other parts of the jungle. Thus, the Kichwa take from the jungle only what they need to survive and nothing more. They believe that protecting their home is fundamental not only to their own survival, but to that of humanity.  
 
At first glance, this story may appear too insignificant to affect life on the planet at large, but not according to the worldview of the Kichwa. The Kichwa people believe we are all part of this big and complex organism that we call Earth. Everything that affects the Kichwa affects all of us. Everything is connected.  
 
In emphasis of this connection, the Sarayaku have used social media to become cyber-activists: they spread their environmental message and connect with supporters across the globe via a satellite Internet connection. The community is convinced that by sharing their life in the jungle, they will inspire people around the globe to implement different strategies in the fight against climate change. They want to get known internationally, not out of vanity but rather because in this way it will be much harder for the government or big oil companies to disappear them. Nevertheless, this Internet connection with the “outside world” is a double-edged sword and has resulted in an ever- greater presence of Western culture within their everyday life. 
  
This series is an emotional reinterpretation of the interconnection of our world, not only between the visible and invisible beings within the Amazon Rainforest but also with the concrete elements that make up Western society. 

Misha Vallejo Prut is an Ecuadorian-Israeli visual artist and audio-visual storyteller whose work lies in the border between documentary and art. His main interests lie in the portrayal of the lost person and the lost place with a special emphasis in environmental issues, as well as the banal everyday life of Latin American communities. He has an MA in Documentary Photography from the University of the Arts London. His photobooks Al otro lado (Editora Madalena, Sao Paulo 2016), Siete punto Ocho and Secreto Sarayaku (both RM, Barcelona, 2018 and 2020) have received several international awards in Latin America, the US and Europe. His photographic work has been shown around the world, a highlight of which are his participations at the PHOTO 2022 Festival in Melbourne (Australia), at the Biennale Für Aktuelle Fotografie 2022 (Germany), at the Rencontres de la Photographie in Arles in 2018 (France) and at the First Latin American Foto Festival at the Bronx Documentary Center in New York, 2018. In 2020 he released his first interactive web documentary at www.secretsarayaku.net

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