Film Image
El Charango
2006
Color
22 minutes
Bolivia
English subtitles
Trailer and More

El Charango

This short documentary is about a little instrument, a large silver mine and the highest city in the world. Cerro Rico in Potosi, Bolivia, was discovered by Spanish conquistadors in 1545, who enslaved the local indigenous people. It is said that 8 million people, including African slaves, died in the mines of this mountain while providing Spain with immense wealth. The Spanish culture spread into Potosi, and the local people became aware of something they had never seen or heard before: a stringed instrument. Forbidden from ever playing the Spanish guitar, the miners copied it and created the charango. The story of the charango symbolizes the larger struggle for human rights and a quest to keep traditional culture alive among indigenous people.
Pricing & Ordering
Buyer Type Format Sale Type Price
Higher Education Institutions DVD Sale $200.00
K-12, Public Libraries & Select Groups DVD Sale $60.00
Non-Theatrical/Educational DVD Rental $200.00
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Reviews
"This superb film would be valuable in music, folklore, anthropology, history and Latin American studies classes. I strongly recommend this gem of an independent film." - Charles Bukart, Educational Media Reviews Online (EMRO)
Screenings
• SilverDocs, Silver Spring, Maryland, 2006

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TWN acknowledges that in New York we are on the unceded territory of the Lenni Lenape, Canarsie, Shinecock, and Munsee peoples and challenges the harm that continues to be inflicted upon Indigenous and People of Color communities here and abroad, which is why we all need to be part of the struggle for rights, equality and justice.

TWN is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Color Congress, MOSAIC, New York Community Trust, Peace Development Fund, Ford Foundation, Golden Globe Foundation, Kolibri Foundation and individual donors.