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Ecoteca is Ruge el Bosque’s podcast. Recorded within a context of irreversible environmental degradation, this acoustic forest seeks to preserve a distinct moment within the existing linguistic, climatic, and political ecosystems of Abya Yala/Afro-/Latin America by attending to their sonic reverberations. Each episode traces the repercussions of a specific environmental problem drawn from the poetic biomes and soundscapes of Ruge el Bosque, inviting us to listen closely for possible futures.

Episode 1: THE WETLANDS ROAR





Wetlands are ecosystems flooded or covered by water, and their existence is key for the continuity of life on Earth. Nevertheless, their protection has not been prioritized by Latin American nations: 59% of the region’s wetlands are currently receding. In this episode, Natalia Garay, Mario Castells y Valeria Mussio, three poets from Ruge el Bosque, allow the wetlands of the Southern Cone to saturate their voices. Musician Federico Durand listens to the pulse of water to create an interspecies wetlands soundscape.

Voice: Valeria Meiller | Script: Javiera Pérez Salerno | Original Music: Federico Durand | Research: Valeria Meiller, Whitney DeVos, and Javiera Pérez Salerno | Research Assistant: Stefanie Naoun | Sound Production: Celeste Prezioso | Production: Ruge el bosque




Episode 2: SACRIFICE ZONES ROAR





Sacrifice zones are regions where the daily operations of extractive industries cause permanent, corrosive impacts on the landscape. One of the largest is in the Chilean port of Quintero and its adjacent Puchuncaví, where several thermoelectric plants put the entire ecosystem at risk. In this episode, Carlos Soto Román, Victoria Cóccaro and Ana Gayoso, three poets from Ruge el bosque, find poetic openings into these spaces in conflict. A soundscape by percussionist and bell ringer Federico Orio accompanies them.

Voice: Valeria Meiller | Original Music: Federico Durand | Research and Script: Javiera Pérez Salerno, Valeria Meiller, and Whitney DeVos | Research Assistant: Stefanie Naoun | Sound Production: Celeste Prezioso | Production: Ruge el bosque




Episode 3: CONTAMINATED WATERS ROAR





Heavy metals, factory and sewage waste, pesticides, plastics, and radioactive substances are some of the most common substances that contaminate waterways in the Southern Cone. For centuries, riverbeds have absorbed waste and things people have sought to hide. Today, the situation of extreme contamination demands our attention–and that of governments. In this episode, Begoña Ugalde, Valentina Unda and Natalia Sosa Molina, three poets from Ruge el bosque, take their words to inquire into murky waters. The Chilean composer and bass player Amanda Irarrázabal places her instrument like a canoe on the river in order to circulate their message.

Voice: Valeria Meiller | Original Music: Federico Durand | Research and Script: Javiera Pérez Salerno, Valeria Meiller, and Whitney DeVos | Research Assistant: Stefanie Naoun | Sound Production: Celeste Prezioso | Production: Ruge el bosque



Episode 4: THE LANGUAGES ROAR





Ecosystems sustain the languages that develop within them. In many regions, it is through Indigenous languages that the knowledge of local peoples is transmitted. Specific territories are also directly related to the creation of new languages, as is the case in borderlands regions. Space and language are closely linked. When one is at risk, the other is also affected. Whenever a language goes extinct, a unique system of thought disappears. In this episode, we explore linguistic diversity in the Southern Cone through the songs of Qom poet Ema Cuañeri and the voices of three poets from Ruge el bosque: Gregorio Gómez Centurión, Alberto Sepúlveda Burgos, and Fabián Severo.

Voice: Valeria Meiller | Original Music: Federico Durand | Research and Script: Javiera Pérez Salerno, Valeria Meiller, and Whitney DeVos | Research Assistant: Stefanie Naoun | Sound Production: Celeste Prezioso | Production: Ruge el bosque



Episode 5: THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ROAR 





Evolution and extinction are part of life on Earth. However, human-induced climate change has become the main cause of an ongoing planetary transformation that has precipitated the extinction of countless endemic species. Some of the most common causes of habitat destruction, which pushes thousands of plant and animal species ever closer to disappearance, include: industrial agriculture, nuclear energy, oil production and transportation, the introduction of non-endemic species, devastating pollution, and mining exploitation that are carried out as part of the extractivist policies of states and their corporations. In this episode, we reflect on endangered species of the Southern Cone, illuminating the importance of respecting and preserving the region’s many lifeforms. Two poets from Ruge el bosque, Cecilia Eraso and Paloma Sánchez, roar on behalf of extinct and endangered species. The Paraguayan musician Eneveku proposes sound as one path for recovering the delicate balance of Southern Cone ecosystems.

Voice: Valeria Meiller | Original Music: Federico Durand | Research and Script: Javiera Pérez Salerno, Valeria Meiller, and Whitney DeVos | Research Assistant: Stefanie Naoun | Sound Production: Celeste Prezioso | Production general: Ruge el bosque