CHUSHAK

© Yinna Higuera - 8,000 SCHOOLS WERE CLOSED © Yinna Higuera - Image from the CHUSHAK photography project © Yinna Higuera - now silent and abandoned, used to be the vibrant pulse of the communities View all images ↓
View all images ↓

Chushak (empty) is a photographic series on the profound impact inflicted on Ecuador's indigenous communities, in the context of the closure of thousands of their rural schools since 2013.

8,000 SCHOOLS WERE CLOSED

Chushak  is more than a photographic series: it is a visual and emotional testimony. Through a fusion of archival and territorial photography, this multimedia project traces the deep scar left in the indigenous communities of Ecuador following the abrupt closure of thousands of their rural schools. A measure driven by a governmental reorganization that lacked proper technical, pedagogical, and administrative planning.

These schools, now silent and abandoned, used to be the vibrant pulse of the communities; they were temples of wisdom where ancestral knowledge flowed from one generation to the next. However, with their closure, many children found themselves stripped of their right to education. The lack of transportation options to the new relocation centers added another layer of challenges to these already affected communities.

 More than empty buildings, these spaces have become monuments of resistance and memory. They are silent witnesses to state decisions that not only impacted the present but also cast shadows over the future of the upcoming generations of these indigenous communities.

 The purpose of "Chushak" is not just to document the damage done but also to highlight the cultural value, resistance, and ongoing struggle of these communities to preserve and convey their rich generational wisdom. Through personal testimonies and portraits of the territory, this project seeks to echo the repercussions of a state decision and its impact on the education and future of the indigenous communities of Ecuador.

© Yinna Higuera - 8,000 SCHOOLS WERE CLOSED
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8,000 SCHOOLS WERE CLOSED

© Yinna Higuera - Image from the CHUSHAK photography project
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The distance between the school and the communities where most of the students lived was a second problematic element. Some of the students in Guamote had to travel up to two hours a day to get to the unified school. In some cases, parents rented a room i

© Yinna Higuera - now silent and abandoned, used to be the vibrant pulse of the communities
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now silent and abandoned, used to be the vibrant pulse of the communities

© Yinna Higuera - knowledge of communities is no longer transmitted through schools
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knowledge of communities is no longer transmitted through schools

© Yinna Higuera - even in 2023 children still walk up to two hours to get to school
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even in 2023 children still walk up to two hours to get to school

© Yinna Higuera - Now there are only abandoned and empty spaces left.
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Now there are only abandoned and empty spaces left.

© Yinna Higuera - Government promises included 900 mega schools, in 10 years they have built 100 and closed 10 of those 100.
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Government promises included 900 mega schools, in 10 years they have built 100 and closed 10 of those 100.

© Yinna Higuera - the places where indigenous culture was taught have been abandoned.
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the places where indigenous culture was taught have been abandoned.

© Yinna Higuera - Image from the CHUSHAK photography project
© Yinna Higuera - More than empty buildings, these spaces have become monuments of resistance and memory.
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More than empty buildings, these spaces have become monuments of resistance and memory.

© Yinna Higuera - Image from the CHUSHAK photography project
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2017, August 9: President apologizes to indigenous communities for having built Millennium Units without worrying about distances and how children reach them. "We are going to correct that mistake

© Yinna Higuera - In another generation, these spaces will not be remembered.
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In another generation, these spaces will not be remembered.

© Yinna Higuera - Empty spaces have not been today are cemeteries of culture.
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Empty spaces have not been today are cemeteries of culture.

© Yinna Higuera - Many rural families have left the countryside and migrated to the city in search of schools for their children.
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Many rural families have left the countryside and migrated to the city in search of schools for their children.

© Yinna Higuera - the right to quality education has been violated in its own territory.
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the right to quality education has been violated in its own territory.

CHUSHAK by Yinna Higuera

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