The Voice of the Sierra Nevada

Abstract

Pondering on the power of cultural preconceptions, this article examines the tension between self-representation and ‘representation from the outside’. Using the indigenous filmmaking practices of the Arhuaco community from Colombia as a case study, this article proposes that, thanks to the universal qualities of storytelling and narrative, film as a medium has the potential to bridge the intercultural gap and initiate an efficient knowledge exchange process. As such, it encapsulates the most effective way of establishing intercultural dialogue, regardless of the diverse backgrounds and aims of the creators and the audiences. The Arhuaco’s prolific auto-representation strategies which emerged as a response to violence and displacement served as efficient decolonisation strategy. The article demonstrates film’s potential to become a successful tool to gain agency by communities traditionally denied the option to participate in intercultural communication.