Bruno Manser
Wild, dense rainforest, deforested areas, noisy bulldozers – I tried to show high-contrast pictures of the lives of the Penan and their Swiss defender, the environmentalist and human rights activist Bruno Manser. The photographic essay reports on their common struggle against expropriation and the destruction of their environment, but also about living together in a community in full harmony with nature.
„Demonstrating loudly in the streets is not enough. You have to get involved. On the spot.“
Alberto Venzago
the activist
In 1986, Alberto Venzago travels to Borneo on behalf of GEO. Here he meets the Swiss environmental activist Bruno Manser, who has been fighting for decades alongside an indigenous ethnic group, the Penan, against the clearing of forests and the establishment of oil palm plantations. Together, they trek heavily laden into the depths of the rainforest, Venzago reaching his physical limits. In 2000, Bruno Manser mysteriously disappeared without a trace in the rainforest of Sarawak. The Bruno Manser Fonds continues his legacy and is committed to the Penan and the preservation of the rainforest.