Rowing 1300km down the Paraguay River with Photographer Henry Maillet | Ep. 037

The Austin Meyer Podcast

Henry Maillet is a photographer whose stories focus on conservation and development. After serving for two years as Peace Corps Volunteers in Paraguay, Henry Maillet and his colleague Jeff Wong decided to stay in the country for the adventure of a lifetime. In partnership with WWF, they rowed a handcrafted wooden rowboat down one of the continent's last remaining free-flowing rivers. Over the course of six months the team covered 1,300 km and visited a wide range of riverside communities, from the Yshir indigenous peoples of the Pantanal to the metropolitan capital city of Asuncion. Through photography and recorded interviews, they documented the rich bio-cultural diversity found along the river's banks, and shed light on the critical need for freshwater conservation and cultural and idiomatic preservation along the Paraguay River.
Having just finished the expedition, Henry is currently quarantined in Paraguay during the coronavirus pandemic. He and I jumped on a call to talk about the project, how his work as a freelancer is being impacted by coronavirus, and the advice he has received that is helping him stay creative during this unprecedented time.
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