Sparrow Media - William Wroblewski

05/09/2024

Another project on the books with Business Insider and their series. This time I was joined by the always-amazing Pablo Castro of Intelygente Comunicación Creativa from Bogota.

We (barely) survived three days following a Colombian Special Forces unit as they carried out intense training at the massive Tolemaida Army Airfield to see how the Colombian military prepares their elite fighting units for seriously dangerous missions.

I also sat down with former Colombian Vice President Óscar Naranjo, who as head of the national police has been credited with taking down P*blo Esc*b*r and the M*dellín C*rtel. He was also a chief government negotiator during peace talks with the FARC.

Colombian special forces deal with the country’s most dangerous threats, like the illegal co***ne trade. We followed how top soldiers train for some of the d...

24/07/2024

In Bolivia, rural communities are learning to co-exist with wild Andean bears, as climate change is forcing behavioral and migratory changes among both wildlife and livestock.

A few months ago, I traveled to the mountains north of Cochabamba to shoot this piece for the BBC and its series about Quechua communities adapting to this new reality.

(Bear footage courtesy of WCS Bolivia.)

Drought forces the real Paddington Bear into deadly conflict with cattle farmers in the Andes.

02/05/2024

I spent this past weekend filming with an old friend. Samuel Flores is a leader of Bolivia's Qhara Qhara indigenous nation, spearheading an international battle to recognize the Andean origins of Spanish silver and gold from the times of the Conquest.

With recent news of Colombia's commitment to explore the wreckage of the Spanish galeón San Jose, sunk by English pirates off the coast of Cartagena over 300 years ago, Samuel is seeking recognition of the history of the treasures submerged there. The ship contains up to USD$17 billion worth of precious metals, stolen under the whip of slavery from indigenous nations of the New World.

Samuel has researched archives to prove that much of this treasure was taken from his and other peoples at the famous silver mine at Cerro Rico, in Potosí, Bolivia. His work has proven fruitful, as interested countries have invited him and the Qhara Qharas to the table as exploration of the wreckage begins in the coming weeks/months.

09/04/2024

"I Can Ruin a Person’s Life for $1000: 10 Questions with a Bolivian Witch"

A little piece I co-produced with a small team from VICE while we worked on a few other things.

And no, I did not come up with the questions...

Oscar Arteaga is a brujo (witch) based in La Paz, Bolivia. Revered for his knowledge in black magic, Oscar claims he can break relationships, cause illnesses...

26/03/2024

My latest for Agence France-Presse on the threats deforestation brings to Bolivia's valuable tropical nut industry.

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w/ Esther Mamani and Aizar Raldes Nuñez

Vital Muñoz se interna la Amazonía boliviana, en busca de las últimas castañas de la temporada. Como él, miles de recolectores están inquietos por el avance ...

15/03/2024

Priorities in Muyupampa

Photo No. 1: luzysombra.info

08/03/2024

A report from on people's efforts to recover from the worst flooding in memory across parts of this amazonian city.

I traveled with Agence France-Presse earlier this week to capture these stories.

Damaris Hidalgo no sabe por dónde empezar. La ropa, los documentos de su casa, los electrodomésticos, todo está cubierto de lodo. Como el resto de los habita...

26/01/2024

Filming inside the notorious San Pedro prison in La Paz with Agence France-Presse.

w/ Esther Mamani

Photo: Jorge Bernal

21/03/2023

While global news is covering runs on small US and Swiss banks, a lack of US dollars in Bolivia is creating it's own crisis here. I worked with correspondent Carrie Kahn to unpack why there are lines blocks long at Bolivia's Central Bank as people try desperately to access the scarce foreign currency.

Bolivians are lining up for dollars, as their country's foreign reserves are drained and their debt is downgraded to junk status.

14/01/2023

Patagonian adventures down south, filming on the Straight of Magellan in . Complete with whale skeletons at the Museo de Historia Natural Río Seco and beautiful landscapes at the .

24/10/2022

The World Cup is coming up, and for all you fans out there, don't miss this BIG series on FIFA+ leading up to the games. I lent a hand to Saraguina Filmes with some production in Bolivia, and it was incredible to catch some qualifying action from the pitch at La Paz's Estadio Hernando Siles!

https://www.facebook.com/saraguina.filmes/posts/pfbid0TdpCk9kVzymkEkZTCev96pXpNrEp2CYNwwKoJnC6DEwywjT9Z656BcVFqRJ9vzLRl

Six nations. Six captains. One dream. FIFA+ presents Captains: See the quest for glory like never before.More from FIFA+ on YouTube: https://ww...

27/05/2022

Urban capybaras make beautiful models.

29/04/2022

Thats a wrap on two days filming in Llica, Challapata, and the Salar de Uyuni for Business Insider with big BIG help from luzysombra.info and Jacha Inti Industrial S.A. Whew!

30/03/2022

Indigenous people from Canada traveled to Rome this week to visit with Pope Francis, in part to discuss historic wrongs of the church, specifically the atrocities it carried out at the country's residential schools. I shot part of this segment for CBC and it's nightly news program, CBC News: The National to explain what happened several years ago when Pope Francis came to to apologize for the abuse of indigenous people in Latin America during the colonial period and the years following.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QPxyZD1jm0

As Indigenous delegates push for a papal apology on residential schools, it’s not the first time the Pope has faced calls to apologize. Pope Francis travelle...

12/01/2022

Growing evidence connects uncontrolled use in gold mining in to illnesses in indigenous communities. The government and mining cooperatives have promised to address the issue, here's hoping they do.

My latest with The Guardian.

The government has been criticised for apparent inaction as evidence mounts that mercury contamination is causing illness in fishing communities

20/08/2021

Excited to offer a Bolivian perspective to this overview of the Covid-19 pandemic's effects on global tourism, along with the great team at The Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/aug/19/no-one-comes-here-any-more-the-human-cost-as-covid-wipes-out-tourism

From Bolivia’s Lake Titicaca to wildlife tourism in Nepal, we find out how the crisis has affected people in four travel hotspots – and whether or not they want the tourists to return

23/06/2021

On the slopes of Mt. Illimani, local farmers greet the morning sun of the New Year (Machaq Mara) praying for water, as the region's mountain glaciers recede as a result of climate change. (Spanish-language report for Agence France-Presse)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4SP5Q4l-wc&t=6s

Como cada 21 de junio, los aimara atienden la ceremonia para recibir el año nuevo andino. En las faldas del nevado del Illimani, cerca de La Paz, miembros de...