When land is the basis of life, conflict and forced displacement strip indigenous peoples of their humanity.
My long-term project, Pwa K’Nyaw: Seeds of Resilience explores this vital disruption by focusing on the struggle for self-determination of Karen indigenous communities in Myanmar.
Between 2019 and 2023, I've documented how Karen populations have been resisting continuous campaigns of repression by Burmese military governments while striving to safeguard their environments, traditional practices, and identities. Their profound connection with their ancestral territory not only sustains their ways of life and livelihoods but also serves as a source of strength in the face of adversity.
Through the work, I hope to highlight the value of the Karen's cultural and environmental heritage, spanning more than two millennia, and to shed light on the impacts of the conflict that endangers its survival.
Matias Bercovich Biography
Matias Bercovich (b. 1995, Barcelona, Spain) is a documentary photographer and National Geographic Explorer dedicated to investigating the intersection between issues of cultural survival, conflict, and environmental conservation. His work has been featured in globally renowned media outlets such as National Geographic, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Clarín, PDN, and Frontier Myanmar. In 2020, he was nominated by the World Press Photo Foundation for the Joop Swart Masterclass and awarded by the National Geographic Society with a Storytelling Grant. In parallel with his documentary work, Matias also has a passion for education, and since 2017 has been training aspiring photographers, visual journalists, and social activists through storytelling workshops in Spain and Myanmar, both independently and in collaboration with non-profit and community-based organizations.