The Open Veins of Potosí

Silver, Lithium, and Mining in Bolivia

By Samuel George
13min2026
ExtractionSilverLithiumBoliviaPotosi

Potosí’s natural wealth has long powered the world—at a devastating cost to its people. Will this time be any different?

Award Ribbon

Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival

2026
Award Ribbon

DocUtah International Film Festival

2026
Award Ribbon

Festival Internacional de Cine, San Luis Potosí

2025

Between 1492 and 1900, approximately 12 million indigenous people in North America were killed by war, disease and murder. Today, 5,500 of those who remain call Minneapolis home.\n\nIn this episode from the Bertelsmann Foundation’s Democracy in Cities series, we explore stories of preserving language, culture and history in one of the largest urban Native American communities in the United States. Set in south Minneapolis, Minnesota, we delve deep into work of civil society organizations that provide employment, healthcare and voter access services to an incredible array of tribal nations from across Minnesota, and get to know the remarkable people of the Native American Community Development Institute who make it all work. This episode is part of a six-part series produced by the Bertelsmann Foundation, in partnership with the Cities program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

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