Yolüja

Credit: Fernanda Pineda Palencia

“I chose the ‘Yolüja’ project because it represents a significant challenge for me as a storyteller, allowing me to connect deeply with the Wayuu Indigenous community and their unique worldview. Exploring their experiences with the multinational El Cerrejón, Latin America’s largest open-pit coal mine, has enriched my narrative and pushed me to confront their dreams and nightmares over the past seven years. In this urgent context of energy transformation, understanding the mental health impacts on these communities is essential for their inclusion in consultation processes. Ultimately, I believe in the power of images to include voices and support the necessary transformations in our world.”

Fernanda Pineda Palencia is a Colombian photographer and producer and is dedicated to documenting migration, gender dynamics, and Afro, Indigenous, and rural communities cultures in Latin America. Her masterclass project, Yolüja, documents the long-term impact of coal extraction on the Wayuu Indigenous community in Colombia.

For the 28th edition of the Joop Swart Masterclass, we brought together 12 emerging photographers from around the world to develop a project, and develop the tools to make a viable career in photography.

The participants' developing projects cover a wide array of topics, from explorations of love amid war to the profound impact of conflict on people’s lives. Collectively, their work highlights the concerning state of the world and the resilience of communities and journalists worldwide.

Launched in 1994, the Joop Swart Masterclass is World Press Photo’s best-known educational program for emerging photographers, encouraging new and diverse approaches to photojournalism, documentary photography and visual storytelling. After a three-year hiatus, the Joop Swart Masterclass returns this year, with a focus on the MENA region, thanks to funding from the Porticus Foundation.