Mining and Resistance in Espinar
Ali Heuser · 18.08.2025
Documentary "LA SANGRE DEL RÍO: Minería y resistencia en Espinar", directed by Vidal Merma.Link: LA SANGRE DEL RÍO: Minería y resistencia en Espinar | Documental CompletoThe documentary filmed in Espinar collects various testimonies that show the environmental impact of the Swiss-based mining company Glencore. In that country and others in Europe, there is debate about whether companies should be held responsible for the damage caused by their operations abroad.“La Sangre del Río” offers a global view of mining in Espinar.In the Cusco district of Espinar, rural communities are completely neglected, despite living in one of the most productive mining regions in the country. Community members not only denounce the progressive extinction of their natural resources, such as pure water, fertile land and breathable air, due to mining activity in the area. They also reveal the interference of the Swiss-based transnational company Glencore in other public spheres such as local journalism and police security.While in Peru the company has broken its promises to rural communities, in Switzerland there is a heated public debate about whether companies such as Glencore should take responsibility for their environmental liabilities abroad. This debate led to a referendum in which the majority of the population voted in favour of the legislation, although most cantons subsequently rejected the proposal on the grounds that large companies in that country respect the environment.The documentary “La Sangre del Río” (The Blood of the River) provides a global view of mining in Espinar. For this hour-long project, Swiss journalist Nicole Maron and Espinar-based documentary filmmaker Vidal Merma collected testimonies from citizens, journalists, lawyers, activists and authorities who recount how local communities have been forgotten. It also includes exclusive videos of protests between farmers and police inside the Glencore Antapaccay facilities in 2020, as well as various protests in the town over the last 10 years.The documentary, recorded in Quechua, Spanish and German, includes one of the last interviews with environmental leader and two-time mayor of Espinar Óscar Mollohuanca, who died in March 2022 in strange circumstances that are still under investigation. With exclusive archive footage of Mollohuanca's massive funeral, this feature film captures his final reflections on the environmental and social threats facing the town.
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