Cagan, Steve, 1943-

El Chocó is the northwestern-most department of Colombia, an area mostly of tropical rainforest. Of the 500,000 inhabitants in the region, over 80% are Afro-Colombian; about 10% are of half a dozen indigenous cultures. These photographs were primarily made in Bagado, the major town in the region, situated on the rio Andagueda, one of the many tributaries of the Atrato. The people who have lived off the supportive environment in this region are being displaced by military movements. In the 1990s Colombia's civil war erupted among three armed groups: FARC and ELN guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries, and government military. It appears the war was brought to El Chocó in order to drive out the people to make room for economic, agricultural and infrastructure "megaprojects."