The EU-LAC Foundation facilitated a meeting on Monday between the Chilean non-governmental organisation Fundación Altiplano and the Museum of Ethnology of Hamburg.
Among the participants were Magdalena Pereira and Cristian Heinsen, founders of Fundación Altiplano, the General Consul of Chile Erwan Varas, Prof. Schmelz, director for scientific development at the Museum of Ethnology of Hamburg, and a researcher from the University of Hamburg.
The meeting took place during a visit of the Fundación Altiplano’s representatives to Hamburg to access the archives of Hans H. Brüning, an ethnologist from Hamburg who went to visit and work in the Andean region at the end of the 19th century.
The Fundación Altiplano supports Aymara communities who seek to restore old constructions and installations from their ancestors that settled in the Arica and Parinacota zone. The recovery of cultural heritage is considered a way to promote sustainable development and achieve the inclusion of the communities, who are the motors of the conservation and restoration work.
So far, the foundation has realised 32 projects, which have resulted, for instance, in the development of a circuit of sustainable tourism, the creation of a rural and indigenous film festival and the production of artistic crafts.
With a view to encourage the cooperation between entities from Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union, the meeting is in line with the vision of the EU-LAC Foundation to connect actors from different areas to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between countries from both regions to advance knowledge.
For more information on the mission and projects of the Fundación Alitplano, please visit the official website here.
