Dagne Cobo Buschbeck

View of Santiago de Chile from San Cristóbal Hill. In Chile, there are around a million and a half migrants, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) for December 2021. Of these, 30% are Venezuelan migrants, 16% Peruvian, 12% Haitian and 11% Colombian. It is a figure that has increased in recent years: in 2002, migrants in Chile were 184,464. But immigration policies have not kept pace with the numbers; on the contrary, they are insufficient, favoring xenophobia and racism. From the series, Caribeños ©Dagne Cobo Buschbeck.

December’s featured photographer is Dagne Cobo Buschbeck

I’m a Venezuelan photographer, journalist, and visual storyteller living in Chile. I have a bachelor’s degree in social communication from the Central University of Venezuela (Universidad Central de Venezuela – UCV), and a specialization in gastronomic journalism from the Complutense University of Madrid (Universidad Complutense de Madrid). I have worked as a photojournalist for print and digital media, developing coverage for political and social conflicts, natural disasters, and sporting events, as well as investigative work, essays, and in-depth journalism.

Since 2021, I have been part of the teaching group at EFA, a school of photography and arts, where I teach Contar(nos), an authorial documentary photography workshop.

In 2021, I became a mother, and my son Meru was born. I live in Santiago de Chile with him, my husband, and my dog Benito Pichilemu.

Caribeños

Caribeños is a personal project that in this first chapter explores migration, xenophobia, and racism in Chile through my history and connections with other people from the Caribbean who live in this southern territory. I aim to redefine our demonym, often used derogatorily, and reclaim the dignity inherent in the diversity of our bodies and memories.

Jean Joseph Makanaki Andain, known as Makanaki ADN, Haitian poet, and slam artist, poses for a portrait in the courtyard of his house under a molle tree, an endemic Chilean species of pink pepper. From the series, Caribeños ©Dagne Cobo Buschbeck.

“My home is my imagination because I never stop dreaming,” — Jean Joseph said.

When he was a teenager, his mother left Haiti to work in Dominica. They haven’t seen each other for twenty years. Putaendo, San Felipe commune in Chile.

Natalia, Makanaky, and Kinam prepare to have breakfast at their house. They made this part of the house they rent with bio-construction techniques, a trade that Makanaky learned has helped them sustain their family finances and protect their home from the cold during the winter. The figure on the left is a tribute to Africa. Putaendo, San Felipe commune in Chile. From the series, Caribeños ©Dagne Cobo Buschbeck.
Wiki Pirela (30) poses for a portrait in Santiago, Chile. Wiki is a visual artist from Venezuela. Her work focuses on migration, creating her symbols, and home in uprooting. In addition to her work, Wiki participates in activities of the Afro community in Santiago, in which she reflects on blackness, migration, and anti-racist and Afro-descendant activism. From the series, Caribeños ©Dagne Cobo Buschbeck.
Martina Joseph (22, center), a Haiti migrant in Chile, dances at an Afro-themed party in the Yungay neighborhood in Santiago, Chile. From the series, Caribeños ©Dagne Cobo Buschbeck.
Self-portrait of the tattoo with the face of my grandmother Josefa. With migration, I have become more curious about the story of my grandmother Josefa, my father’s mother, a black migrant woman like me, who decades ago left her native country, the Dominican Republic, to go to Venezuela. My grandmother died many years ago. I can’t ask her questions, I only have letters, some photographs, her Dominican ID, and the glasses she wore when she died. Also, I have her face tattooed as a tribute to her legacy in me: blackness, the Caribbean, and migration. From the series, Caribeños ©Dagne Cobo Buschbeck.
Some things from my grandmother Josefa: her Dominican ID, one of the letters her mother sent her from the Dominican Republic, her glasses and a ring she wore until she died, along with a carnation, her favorite flower. I rescued these documents from the dust and humidity inside a suitcase, along with some photos and other documents. Parts of her life and migration story are still an enigma to me. These objects represent my quest to preserve her memory and the insistence that her story and mine remain intertwined. From the series, Caribeños ©Dagne Cobo Buschbeck.
Self-portrait with flowers on a street in my neighborhood. Carnations were my grandmother Josefa’s favorite flowers. I buy them on special dates to honor or feel her with me. I constantly think about her when looking at tall trees or in the cold afternoon breeze, remembering when I was a little girl, I sat next to her to look at the Caribbean on the patio of my house. Santiago de Chile. From the series, Caribeños ©Dagne Cobo Buschbeck.

To see more of Dagne’s work, here.

La fotógrafa del mes de diciembre es Dagne Cobo Buschbeck

Fotógrafa, periodista y visual storyteller venezolana viviendo en Chile. Documento la vida cotidiana trastocada por los conflictos políticos y sociales, con foco en temas de género, alimentación y salud. Como mujer negra migrante, la migración y el racismo también son temas que me interesan. Licenciada en comunicación social de la Universidad Central de Venezuela y tengo una especialización en periodismo gastronómico de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He trabajado como fotoperiodista para medios impresos y digitales, desarrollando coberturas de conflictos políticos y sociales, desastres naturales y eventos deportivos, así como trabajos de investigación, ensayos y periodismo de profundidad.

Desde el 2021 soy parte del grupo docente de EFA, escuela de fotografía y artes, en donde dicto Contar(nos), un taller de fotografía documental autoral. En 2023 fui seleccionada para ser una de las participantes del Laboratorio Matraz, archivo, saberes y habitar: manifiestos creativos de mujeres migrantes en Santiago de Chile.

En 2021 me convertí en madre, nació mi hijo Merú. Vivo con él en Santiago, junto a mi esposo y nuestro perro Benito Pichilemu.

Caribeños

Caribeños es un proyecto personal en desarrollo que en este primer capítulo explora la migración, xenofobia y racismo en Chile a través de mi historia y sus conexiones con las de otras personas del Caribe viviendo en este territorio austral. Mi objetivo es resignificar la palabra que nos define y reivindicar la dignidad en la diversidad de nuestros cuerpos y memorias.

Para ver más de los trabajo de Dagne, aquí.