VI
EN
The Andean, or Andean community (Andean group), is a common market approved by the Latin American Free Trade Association and ratified by Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru in 1969.
One day, River Claure spontaneously searched for the keyword "Bolivia" online. As expected, he only found images of camels, high mountains, and people wearing their traditional attire. "These images were all presented through the lens of foreigners, and it was as if Andean culture had frozen in time," River remarked. For him, Andean culture has always been intertwined with and developed alongside the rest of the world.
After reading Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's *The Little Prince*, River pondered the imagery in the book, and the imagery of his homeland. The photographer, then 23 years old, began to wonder: What if this classic work were set in the Andes instead of the Sahara Desert? And what if the protagonist of the story were not the blond prince, but a dark-haired Andean child?
The Little Prince walks through a metaphorical rose garden, where buds sprout from the braids of Andean women, known as cholitas, who wear pollera skirts. Like the Little Prince's favorite rose, which came from asteroid B-612, this young man's rose is just one of countless others. Yet he always considers his rose unique.
In Aymara (the language of the Aymara-Bolivian people in the Andes), there is no word that translates to "prince." River titled his version of the story thatWarawar Wawa("warawar" means star and "wawa" means child). He felt the name had an artistic quality, capturing the spirit of the original work while also symbolizing the sacredness of the Andes. Through his lens, River transformed The Little Prince into a child of the stars.
A cactus near the town of San Cristobal (Bolivia). The whip wrapped around the cactus is a symbol of power, carried by Andean leaders. At the same time, the whip symbolizes the power of the serpent in the Little Prince's journey home.
A yatiri—a wise person, a spiritual leader—is viewing the world through the lens of virtual reality. Through this, River poses the question: What is lost when we bury our senses in the virtual world, and what will we gain when we know how to preserve our cultural roots?
In The Little Prince, we see the world through the purest eyes. River played with that story in her own way. The photographer was inspired by sociologist Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui, who encouraged people to re-evaluate Bolivian culture by capturing it.ch'ixiIn the Aymara language,ch'ixiIt's a way of weaving black and white threads together to create a sense of a third color, gray. River argues that "globalization is just a smear of colors from indigenous cultures." In his work, he "weaves" Andean symbols interwoven with global symbols in the most visually striking way, allowing viewers to see further and deeper than previously vague images of the Andes.
On the mountaintop in Copacabana (Bolivia), Warawar Wawa gazes into the distance, his dog, representing the fox from The Little Prince, by his side.
Can you spot the shape of a python swallowing an elephant? The photo depicts gangochos – plastic sheets used to wrap goods at the market – covering a truck.
A "life form" emerges from the waters of Lake Titicaca, symbolizing the agreement of the god Wiracocha (in Andean belief, Wiracocha is known as the eternal creator and creator of the universe). Like the lamppost in The Little Prince, this entity illuminates the people.
The shimmering light on the imitation coins submerged in Lake Titicaca, an image considered by some to be the cradle of Andean culture. The River alludes to the Alasitas festival, where people buy coveted items—including money—and are blessed by them. The festival is also like the fantastical world of Warawar Wawa.
Warawar Wawa is raising a golden arm – a gesture of warm welcome and friendship. The use of real gold leaf in art, particularly in paintings, became popular after the Spanish conquest. Andean culture further developed this technique in exquisite textiles.
Warawar Wawa flies above a salt desert, not sand, over the salt flats of Uyuni, Bolivia.
How did River Claure connect its photo series to the original Little Prince?
In response to this question, River Claure explained that although he (and his team) had developed a new concept, moving away from the story of The Little Prince, they were still guided by the original work. "I looked at all the illustrations in the original book, then sketched out my ideas long before the photoshoot. Although the sketches showed specific things, in reality, I decided to let the images 'float' freely, without captions, letting them fly in their own world."
In the photo book Warawar Wawa - The Little Prince, Andean Edition, by photographer River Claure.
At the foot of Warawar Wawa, against the wall, is the whip—a symbol of the serpent in The Little Prince.
