In 2017, during the photographer’s first journey to Colombia’s La Guajira desert, she met Monchi Pushaina, a fisherman who shared a powerful dream. In this dream, a train arrived in his community, carrying with it a dark spirit. “When that spirit steps off the train,” Monchi told her, “it makes us sick.” This train transports coal from El Cerrejón, Latin America’s largest open-pit mine, which has crossed the Wayuu land since 1984.
While this coal powers European cities, it has left Monchi’s community under the scorching Guajira sun without basic necessities like clean water. Over 67% of La Guajira’s population lives below the poverty line, while the mine has extracted 6,300 tons of coal per hour for almost 40 years. For the Wayuu, this dust from the mine has done more than coat their skin, clothes, and homes; it has disrupted their dreams and disturbed their spirits.
In Wayuu culture, dreams are sacred and shape daily life. Instead of greeting each other with “Good morning,” they ask, “What did you dream last night?” Dreams provide guidance, warn of dangers, and reinforce their connection to each other and the world. For them, a person who can no longer dream is considered “spiritually dead.” The omnipresent coal dust, coating everything around them, is also an invisible weight on their minds, severing them from this source of mental and spiritual well-being.
After seven years of documenting Monchi and his family, the photographer Fernanda Pineda Palencia is creating YOLÜJA, a project to reveal the deep impact of El Cerrejón on Wayuu spirituality and mental health. ‘Yolüja’ is a Wayuu word meaning demon, shadow, or dark spirit, a name now associated not only with spirits but also with the mine, the train, and the coal itself. Inspired by dystopian themes, YOLÜJA will explore three central dreams: the arrival of the mine, a recurring nightmare of the spirit train, and a prophecy of an uncertain future. Through these dreams, she hopes to show the Wayuu experience, using black-and-white photography to immerse the viewer in a world layered with coal dust and shadow.
In 2024, the mine reaches its 40 years of operation. But for the Wayuu, this anniversary is no celebration—it serves as a reminder of progress that has bypassed them entirely. As the world shifts toward cleaner energy, it is essential to amplify the story of communities like the Wayuu, who bear the hidden costs of extractivism not only physically but also mentally and spiritually. Through YOLÜJA, the photographer aims to bring awareness to their story and inspire action to support people seeking healing, justice, and the freedom to dream again.
During the early morning vigils, goats are distributed for the meal. Once sacrificed, the children play with the horns, pretending to be goats. Photographed in Guajira, Colombia, in 2019.
From inside a car, the rain and sand form tear-like streaks that fall from the sky onto the houses of the Pushaina family in Guajira, Colombia, in 2022.
Women from the Wayuu community are responsible for mourning the deceased to bid farewell. While men also join in, women initiate and conclude the mourning, which can last for minutes or hours. Covering their heads is important during this ritual. Photographed in Guajira, Colombia, in 2020.
The elderly are the memory keepers for the Wayuu, the link to the deceased, and the stars. They hold the stories of the coal mine's arrival because they lived through it. Many have passed, and few remain, seeking to unravel the truth. Photographed in Guajira, Colombia, in 2019.
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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.
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.
Credit: Fernanda Pineda Palencia
See more work by 2024 Joop Swart Masterclass participants here
