“Lettre à Bruno Manser” is a photographic letter addressed to the late Swiss activist, sent from the last place he was seen — the village of Bario, in the highlands of Borneo.
There, the Kelabit and Penan peoples have coexisted for centuries — the former cultivating fertile land, the latter living in and protecting the surrounding forests. On May 23, 2000, Bruno Manser wrote his final known letter from this remote village, before disappearing without a trace. After years of living among the Penan and fighting alongside them against destructive logging, he was declared legally dead in 2005.
Photographers Isabelle Ricq and Christian Tochtermann return to Bario to reflect on Manser’s legacy. Their photographic “letter” revisits his final footsteps and testifies to the continued relevance of his struggle — and the growing power of the forces he once opposed.
